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blue2000s · 09-12-2009, 04:41 PM

I had the opportunity to take a 2002 Miata up into the mountains outside of Boulder a couple of weeks ago. I drove it for about an hour. I thought I'd share my thoughts. Sorry for the long post, I have alot of thoughts

First, to put this into context, I'm a sports car fan, I couldn't care less about the name on the trunk from a status standpoint. If Hyundai make a great roadster, I'd give it a chance. I like a responsive chassis, high feedback controls, and a car that tells you what's going on underneath you. I'm not into fast quarter mile or stop light drag races. I've had a couple of early Rx-7s and love them. I've also driven a couple of early 911s in addition to my 2000S and love them too. So I'm not biased towards Porsche or Mazda. I think both are marques dedicated to making great driver's cars.

We drove both the Miata and my 2000 Boxster S and swapped cars about half way through a 2 hour drive. I've driven this Miata before on a couple of occasions, but not for any extended trips. When I first sit in the Miata, I feel like I've got just a little less room to maneuver than the Boxster. I'm 6'1" and 180lbs. It's comfortable, cozy. The interior materials are OK. The dashboard has alot of hard textured plastic that doesn't scream quality, but it's wearing really well for the age of the car. The control layout and gauge layout are good for a sports car. Simple, straight forward. This is the 6-speed, 17" wheel model with black on white gauges. Everything looks like it was designed with fun in mind. Very much like my early Rx-7, except the Rx-7 actually has a little nicer padded dashboard and console. I'd prefer a centered tach to the side by side speedo and tach. The seats are leather, and although supportive, they are definitely a little squishier than the Boxster. They fit nicely in any case. The view out over the hood is kinda cool. The 2nd gen Miatas have 3 subtle bulges in the hood, over the headlights and center of the hood. I actually feel a little lower "into" this car than the Boxster, although I don't think that's actually the case.

I LOVE the manual top. Unlatch the hooks at the corners of the windshield and the top flips back. Whoever thought a mechanized top was a necessity on the Porsche is dead wrong. I'd have loved it if Porsche had offered a manual top option. The Miata's top is vinyl, and although it looks nice from 5 feet, canvas rules.

The clutch is springy. It feels like there's just a rubber band attached to the pedal. The low force and diminished clutch feedback is immediately noticeable when coming out the the Boxster. Engagement is a small part of clutch travel and the engine's relatively small torque make take offs jerky at first. It feels disappointing at first, but after about 10 minutes, I got used to it and the feedback came through.

People clamor about the Miata's short shifter. I've read nothing but great things about it. Yes, it's short, and yes, it's light. But the strong mechanical feedback that comes through in the Boxster isn't there. This is another aspect of the car that feels like a toy (as compared to a tool) when you first step into it from the Boxster. This too, feels natural and normal after about 10 minutes behind the wheel. One annoyance, on this 6-speed, reverse is just right of 6th. When shifting from 4th to 5th, it's easy to go too far and have to think about it before letting off a little on the pressure to get into 5th.

You have to be ready for the engine. It's a weakling compared to the Porsche. But it's a rev-able power plant and it makes some pretty nice noises. It has a little buzziness to it at higher revs, but it's happy to get there. The Porsche feels like more than twice as powerful, which is surprising considering the Miata's light weight. Over 4500 RPM, the 3.2L engine just pulls and pulls, the Miata's making good torque in the higher range, but you never feel the surge that you get out of the Porsche.

When you take a Miata up into the mountains, there's alot of revving. The car moves pretty well with engine speed in the 4000-7000 range. It's a push it around kind of car. You rev the heck out of it, you do alot of shifting between 2nd, 3rd and 4th, and you simply direct it where to go. The steering is really nice. Maybe a little lighter than I'd like, and lighter than the boxster, but feedback is true. You can feel the changes in steering force as speeds rise or as corners get tighter.

Cornering is fun. The car's light and you can tell. Toss able is really the best word to describe it. If you're sensitive, you can tell the difference between this and a mid-engine car. It's just a little less willing to rotate at initial steering input. There's never a threat of the rear end loosing grip. There's not enough power to induce oversteer and the suspension is well sorted enough to keep everything in place under the circumstances that I experienced. You have so much control over the car that there's alot of confidence. Because of the relatively lower power, you spend alot of effort pushing it around and forcing it to do what you want. With the Boxster, it's more of an exercise in controlling the car's behavior, like it could get away from you if you let it. Definitely a contrast in driving experience.

The chassis quivers compared to the Boxster. Road bumps send shivers for just maybe a second, but It makes the Boxster feel like a bank vault. It's certainly not bad for a convertible, but really helps to make you respect what Porsche's done.

After about 20 minutes, everything was meshing well. I liked the way the steering felt, the clutch was feeling better and once I got used to revving the heck out of the engine, I got to really like it. So I've got the engine singing at high revs and just guiding the car gently around curves like a hero. Body roll is there, moreso than the M030 in my Boxster, but still well controlled and not excessive. The suspension never missteps, double wishbones all around an 17" wheels keep everything well planted. "Hey, this is really pretty fun!" Then I look down and notice that I'm barely over the speed limit.

This, to me, is the real magic of this car. It's fun ALL the time, at speeds that are safe to travel. You don't need to go excessively fast to enjoy it's charm. Things don't change much with speed. With the Boxster, it seems to come alive at a certain speed, with the Miata, it's always alive.

Overall, I like the toy-like aspects of the Miata, it seems like it would be a great daily driver for someone who likes to drive but has to deal with traffic and stop and go. It would still make the trip fun. And it's a good partner in the twistys. The Boxster is much more serious. It's got more solid controls, more solid chassis, much more power. Both great cars, and both alot of fun. I have a personal favorite, I own it, but I can see why someone else would pick the Miata.

Obviously these are cars from two very different pricepoints and most people wouldn't cross shop. But comparisons are fun, and I had an opportunity to jump from one to the other, which isn't always possible.

09-12-2009, 04:41 PM	#1
blue2000s Porscheectomy Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Seattle Area Posts: 3,011	Miata and Boxster Experience I had the opportunity to take a 2002 Miata up into the mountains outside of Boulder a couple of weeks ago. I drove it for about an hour. I thought I'd share my thoughts. Sorry for the long post, I have alot of thoughts First, to put this into context, I'm a sports car fan, I couldn't care less about the name on the trunk from a status standpoint. If Hyundai make a great roadster, I'd give it a chance. I like a responsive chassis, high feedback controls, and a car that tells you what's going on underneath you. I'm not into fast quarter mile or stop light drag races. I've had a couple of early Rx-7s and love them. I've also driven a couple of early 911s in addition to my 2000S and love them too. So I'm not biased towards Porsche or Mazda. I think both are marques dedicated to making great driver's cars. We drove both the Miata and my 2000 Boxster S and swapped cars about half way through a 2 hour drive. I've driven this Miata before on a couple of occasions, but not for any extended trips. When I first sit in the Miata, I feel like I've got just a little less room to maneuver than the Boxster. I'm 6'1" and 180lbs. It's comfortable, cozy. The interior materials are OK. The dashboard has alot of hard textured plastic that doesn't scream quality, but it's wearing really well for the age of the car. The control layout and gauge layout are good for a sports car. Simple, straight forward. This is the 6-speed, 17" wheel model with black on white gauges. Everything looks like it was designed with fun in mind. Very much like my early Rx-7, except the Rx-7 actually has a little nicer padded dashboard and console. I'd prefer a centered tach to the side by side speedo and tach. The seats are leather, and although supportive, they are definitely a little squishier than the Boxster. They fit nicely in any case. The view out over the hood is kinda cool. The 2nd gen Miatas have 3 subtle bulges in the hood, over the headlights and center of the hood. I actually feel a little lower "into" this car than the Boxster, although I don't think that's actually the case. I LOVE the manual top. Unlatch the hooks at the corners of the windshield and the top flips back. Whoever thought a mechanized top was a necessity on the Porsche is dead wrong. I'd have loved it if Porsche had offered a manual top option. The Miata's top is vinyl, and although it looks nice from 5 feet, canvas rules. The clutch is springy. It feels like there's just a rubber band attached to the pedal. The low force and diminished clutch feedback is immediately noticeable when coming out the the Boxster. Engagement is a small part of clutch travel and the engine's relatively small torque make take offs jerky at first. It feels disappointing at first, but after about 10 minutes, I got used to it and the feedback came through. People clamor about the Miata's short shifter. I've read nothing but great things about it. Yes, it's short, and yes, it's light. But the strong mechanical feedback that comes through in the Boxster isn't there. This is another aspect of the car that feels like a toy (as compared to a tool) when you first step into it from the Boxster. This too, feels natural and normal after about 10 minutes behind the wheel. One annoyance, on this 6-speed, reverse is just right of 6th. When shifting from 4th to 5th, it's easy to go too far and have to think about it before letting off a little on the pressure to get into 5th. You have to be ready for the engine. It's a weakling compared to the Porsche. But it's a rev-able power plant and it makes some pretty nice noises. It has a little buzziness to it at higher revs, but it's happy to get there. The Porsche feels like more than twice as powerful, which is surprising considering the Miata's light weight. Over 4500 RPM, the 3.2L engine just pulls and pulls, the Miata's making good torque in the higher range, but you never feel the surge that you get out of the Porsche. When you take a Miata up into the mountains, there's alot of revving. The car moves pretty well with engine speed in the 4000-7000 range. It's a push it around kind of car. You rev the heck out of it, you do alot of shifting between 2nd, 3rd and 4th, and you simply direct it where to go. The steering is really nice. Maybe a little lighter than I'd like, and lighter than the boxster, but feedback is true. You can feel the changes in steering force as speeds rise or as corners get tighter. Cornering is fun. The car's light and you can tell. Toss able is really the best word to describe it. If you're sensitive, you can tell the difference between this and a mid-engine car. It's just a little less willing to rotate at initial steering input. There's never a threat of the rear end loosing grip. There's not enough power to induce oversteer and the suspension is well sorted enough to keep everything in place under the circumstances that I experienced. You have so much control over the car that there's alot of confidence. Because of the relatively lower power, you spend alot of effort pushing it around and forcing it to do what you want. With the Boxster, it's more of an exercise in controlling the car's behavior, like it could get away from you if you let it. Definitely a contrast in driving experience. The chassis quivers compared to the Boxster. Road bumps send shivers for just maybe a second, but It makes the Boxster feel like a bank vault. It's certainly not bad for a convertible, but really helps to make you respect what Porsche's done. After about 20 minutes, everything was meshing well. I liked the way the steering felt, the clutch was feeling better and once I got used to revving the heck out of the engine, I got to really like it. So I've got the engine singing at high revs and just guiding the car gently around curves like a hero. Body roll is there, moreso than the M030 in my Boxster, but still well controlled and not excessive. The suspension never missteps, double wishbones all around an 17" wheels keep everything well planted. "Hey, this is really pretty fun!" Then I look down and notice that I'm barely over the speed limit. This, to me, is the real magic of this car. It's fun ALL the time, at speeds that are safe to travel. You don't need to go excessively fast to enjoy it's charm. Things don't change much with speed. With the Boxster, it seems to come alive at a certain speed, with the Miata, it's always alive. Overall, I like the toy-like aspects of the Miata, it seems like it would be a great daily driver for someone who likes to drive but has to deal with traffic and stop and go. It would still make the trip fun. And it's a good partner in the twistys. The Boxster is much more serious. It's got more solid controls, more solid chassis, much more power. Both great cars, and both alot of fun. I have a personal favorite, I own it, but I can see why someone else would pick the Miata. Obviously these are cars from two very different pricepoints and most people wouldn't cross shop. But comparisons are fun, and I had an opportunity to jump from one to the other, which isn't always possible. Last edited by blue2000s; 11-18-2009 at 05:43 AM.