- convertible 31,747
- 10,990 high price
- Enterprise, AL
-
- autoshopper.com
2006 mazda mx-5 miata review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. The all-new third-generation miata is here!. introductionin 1989, mazda resuscitated the two-seater, convertible sports car market with the miata. From the first one out the door, it delivered what the long-gone and only lightly lamented english sports cars had never quite managed, a delightful, fun, supremely capable, well-engineered car that started every time and ran forever. over the intervening years, the miata has worn well. It's a daily commuter in environments as disparate as southern california and detroit, michigan. There are more miatas on racetracks every weekend around the country than any other car. However, its carefully serviced freshness and vaunted vitality has been fading lately. Direct competition is looming in the form of the pontiac solstice and saturn sky, not to mention more expensive entries from bmw, audi, porsche, and mercedes. thus we have the all-new, 2006 mazda mx-5 miata. It's longer and wider, but taller. It's more powerful, but gets better gas mileage and is cleaner. Its looks are sharper, more assertive, but faithful to the heritage. It's also more fun to drive, and not just because it's more responsive to the driver's needs and wants, but also because it's safer, with improved crash protection from side impacts. price-wise, it's a compelling picture. The entry-level 2006 mx-5 miata lists for $1,103 less than the base 2005. While the '05 came with air conditioning, a spare tire, leather-wrapped steering wheel, boot cover and fog lights, it didn't have anti-lock brakes or side airbags, both standard across the 2006 line. Given the choice, we'll take the abs and side airbags. So we're not exactly complaining. to us, this sounds like a good deal on a fun car. lineupthere's one basic configuration for the 2006 mazda mx-5 miata, a two-door, two-passenger roadster. It's priced to get shoppers in the door or to form the basis for a race car. Air conditioning is not offered, nor is cruise control. A six-speed activematic automatic transmission 1,100) is optional. the mx-5 sport model 22,935) is the first in the line with the six-speed manual; the automatic is optional. Standard features include 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels and a front suspension tower bar. The shift knob is trimmed in leather in place of the urethane used on the lower models. Run-flat tires with performance-oriented, asymmetrical tread and tire-pressure monitoring are optional 515). This is the classy miata, with all the standard equipment and options on the lesser models plus a number of high-grade features. Called the 3rd generation limited 26,700), production will be capped at 3500 world wide, of which 750 are destined for the u. The passenger-side frontal airbag has an on/off switch, and that seat is fitt. walkaroundthere's not a single body panel or fixture on the 2006 mazda mx-5 miata that's the same as on the 2005 model. But just as with the second-generation miata (1999-2005), the third generation is still unmistakably a miata. This moves more cooling air through the radiator and around the larger engine and combines with a more pronounced air dam across the bottom of the lower opening to give the miata's face a stronger chin. So what if it brings to mind a largemouth bass when viewed straight on. It does what it's supposed to do. Compound, projector-beam headlights return but in housings that are marginally smaller, more oval than teardrop in shape, more deeply recessed and nearer to the car's centerline, all tending to emphasize the miata's diminutive size. A taller, rounder hood wears a mini-bulge in the center, simultaneously suggestive of a scoop and of a similar bulge on the rx-8. differences between the new miata and its previous generations show up more in the side view. Sharply sculpted wheel flares appear directly adapted from the rx-8 in a form the company calls mazda design dna. It clearly moves the new miata away from the more cuddly look of its predecessors. The flares also spread wide enough to cover the new miata's wider track. (track is the distance between the left and right wheels). The new mx-5's track is three inches wider in front, two inches wider in the rear when compared with the 2005 model. the windshield gives up a few degrees of rake, leading to a flatter, more classic top. The top, with a glass rear window, collapses into a well behind the seats cleanly and completely, in a way requiring no cover. A mesh windblocker fits between the hoops. Small quarter windows, like yesteryear's windwings, fill the acute angle where the doors meet the a-pillars. The '05's concave side body panels have filled in on the '06, tumbling in a nearly sheer drop from the beltline to the rocker panels. Door handles are finger-friendly full rounds, instead of the previous model's top-hinged pull-ups. The hardtop (late availability) boasts a wraparound rear window, substantially reducing the convertible's rear quarter blind spots. taillights are evolutions of the previous generation's, retaining the basic elliptical outline but following the headlights' lead and sliding around the fenders toward the car's middle. The center brake light has been moved from the trailing edge of the trunk lid forward, right behind where the top folds into the body and where the hardtop will seat. A horizontal, black panel beneath the rear bumper echoes the front end's air dam, only this one is braced by twin exhaust tips, a spiffy step up from the '05's single tip. interiorthe all-new 2006 miata is bigger than before, which results in a marginally roomier cabin. It's still not accommodating for full-figured or especially tall sports car lovers. Most notably, and although the official yardstick records the legroom added by the longer wheelbase and overall length at less than a half-. Power Locks✔ Anti-lock Brakes✔ AM/FM✔ Cruise Control✔ Air Conditioning✔ MP3 Player✔ Alloy Wheels
10,990 Enterprise, ALEnterprise, AL at autoshopper.com