The average car zealot could be forgiven from suffering from severe horsepower envy, loss of self-esteem and general feelings of automotive impotence, what with the current Zeitgeist of mega-powered, ego boosting land missiles. The 626-hp MacLaren uber Mercedes SLR, Ferrari’s Enzo with 660-hp, the Porsche Carrera GT pumping out 612-hp and the 1000-hp Volks-, er, Bugatti Veyron could all cause you to look down at your own relatively underpowered ride and question the need for a displacement enlargement. But like any overpowered tool, driven in the wrong places by the unskilled could lead to disappointing results.

If you are able to pleasure yourself on your very own three-mile road course, carry an FIA Superlicence, and money is that dirty word you have other people say for you, then click here. For the remainder of you who love to drive, need to satisfy your lust on a daily basis,and have enough money for the occasional track day, may we prescribe this little yellow roadster from the Zoom Zoom company.

The Mazda Miata’s main charm has always been its ability to provide tactile, real-time driving responses so that a well-trained driver can use all this car has to offer, which is a bunch. It is a late summer, early morning on a Sunday and the Miata is my choice of wardrobe. Yes, the cockpit is tight enough to say that you ‘ wear’ this car, but like most physically satisfying activities, less worn the better. Big and tall drivers will sometimes complain, but the steering wheel and shifter placement work well for the average among us.

You are not totally naked as this is one of Mazda’s ritual special edition Miatas, which, with this version means premium sound with CD player, power windows and mirrors, leather seats - heck, even the antenna doesn’ t require your assistance. At least the unpowered cloth top is as easy to drop as always, which makes other power-topped competitors a bit superfluous and the early summer morning mist my refreshing companion.

The leather wrapped, three-spoked steering wheel is the key to unlocking another long held Miata charm - sensual steering. Steering that feels as if you are reaching out and grabbing the road with your own finger tips. Steering that is unburdened of having to power the car, reign in excessive mass, and simply builds up your confidence to explore the pebbly edges of the road.

Love that Miata steering.

Our car had 205/45R-16 Bridgestones on basket-weave alloys (Beware!, ‘ basket-weave’ is code for ” I like to spend Sunday mornings cleaning my wheels with a toothbrush instead of driving my car “). The rubber may seem small compared to the steamrollers found on the aforementioned mega-sports cars, but they are proportionally spot on for the Miata’ s size and weight. The result being that tramlining is never an issue. The front end is independently suspended with double-wishbones, coil springs, optional Bilstein gas shocks, an anti-roll bar and a strut tower brace to tie it all together. The rear uses the same setup without the extra strut brace. The sensory overloaded steering also helps deal with the perceived lack of power and provides confidence on where I can place the car as the corners start to come hotter and heavier. In pursuit this morning are a couple of other straight-six.com editors in a much more powerful Lexus IS300.

Afterwards they comment on how I was able to accurately ride the lines of the road from apex to apex. The Miata simply does not roll. The result is that my entry speeds are higher, apexes are being nailed as close as my middle-aged eyes will allow, and the car is balanced upon exit allowing me to get on the go pedal earlier, easily leaving the wanks in the rorty IS300 distant in my mirrors.



And that go pedal, or lack of go, thereof, has been the primary reason the Miata has been recommended to so many of the nice folks who style our hair, or happen have a full set of chromosomes. Mounted longitudinally up front, and driving the rear wheels (as the road gods had intended), the 1.8-liter, straight-four provides a respectable under eight second 0-100 km/h run. It is a good thing this mill loves to be caned as the 142-hp and 125 lb-ft of torque are found at the nether regions of the rev band.

This is my first experience with the Miata’s 6-speed manual, and frankly, the only benefit I found was the slightly relaxed noise levels at cruising speeds. But one should not buy a Miata to cruise, and compared to the old fiver, the 6-speed adds sixty pounds, costs more and is not quite the same ’hot-knife-in-butter’ religious experience the old tranny was. The first five gear ratios are relatively short though, which makes the most of the engines capacities and still makes this one of the best sticks in the biz.

And this is the precise point in the drive where my self esteem begins to rise. With this supposedly under tired, underpowered little roadster, I have been able to gain the most from the least. On a public road, at somewhat earthly speeds, I can maximize both the car’ s and my own capabilities. Pick an apex, nail it. Slide the tail, no problem. Power through unfamiliar turns, no sweat. All for the price of a mid-priced family sedan. What a blast!

The current Miata allows you to defiantly drive into the wind of the current gale of overpowered sports cars, and provide plenty of driving satisfaction in itself. It proves that it is not the car you own, it is how you drive it.

You can’ t argue that driving a new Enzo would be the dream of any car zealot. But that is the whole point of the last 981 words - it is a dream for most of us. For the rest of us seeking driving pleasure on a more frequent and cost reduced basis it is truly more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.

And if you truly need a little more boost in your acceleration, or ego, the Mazda Roadster Turbo announced at the recent Tokyo will more than likely be our next MazdaSpeed Miata hitting our shores in the Spring of 2004.

2002 Mazda Miata


Vehicle type: front-engine, rear-drive; 2-door 2-passenger roadster

Curb weight: 2400 - 2450 lb

Engine: 1.8-liter DOHC 16-valve, straight-four

Horsepower: 142-hp

Transmission: 6-spd manual

Suspension: Front: ind, unequal-length control arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar;
Rear: ind, unequal-length control arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar

Brakes: F/R vented disc/disc; ABS optional