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The Miata gives me a new perspective on the world

The Miata: making everything a new experience and turning low-beam headlights into high-beams since 1989. That's what happens when you're basically sitting on the ground, something I've become intimately familiar with when driving our long-term 2016 MX-5 Club. I am not a tall person. Far from it. In most cars I drive, I crank the seat height up close to maximum as soon as I get in. That's easy in the Miata because there's no height adjustment at all. Couple that with the facts that the seat is thin and the car barely hovers off of the pavement, and my eyes end up sitting at the height of most car's exhaust systems. That results in a lot of examining other cars' bumpers in traffic. And one day recently, it almost led to me missing my exit from Interstate 94, part of the route I take every day to work. Everything just looks different from down here – it is quite literally a different point of view from what I'm used to. And then there's the issue of night driving. When you're this low down and stuck in traffic, the headlights of cars following look extremely bright (and incredibly close). They're not, of course, you're just lower than every other driver on the road so it seems like you're staring down high-beams in the rearview mirror. I still love the Miata. It's just not the best commuter vehicle, which should come as a surprise to precisely no one. But when a hole opens up in traffic, the Miata and I are the first to fill it. I just hope the other cars see me. Related Video: Mazda Long-Term Garage Convertible Lightweight Vehicles Performance

Mazda ranks first for reliability in Consumer Reports, dethroning Toyota, Lexus

For time immemorial, or at least the past six years, Toyota and Lexus have sat at the top of Consumer Reports' annual survey of vehicle reliability. It was almost as much a given as blue skies and taxes. Not any more. Mazda has dethroned them both, ascending to the No. 1 spot for the first time. Mazda nabbed the top spot with powertrains and that used durable (and more fun) six-speed automatic transmissions instead of CVTs, which tend to be more fragile. Mazda also didn't rely on overly fancy infotainment systems, instead bucking industry trends with cockpits that discourage screen use during driving and encourage buttons and dials that can be handled without taking your eyes off the road. The most reliable Mazda was the MX-5 with a score of 98 out of 100, followed by the CX-30, CX-3, and CX-5, all scoring 85 or better. Overall, Toyota and Lexus still rank far above the average, taking the second and third spots respectively. Lexus was dragged down by problems pertaining to the LS, but CR didn't specify the nature of those issues. Buick was the most improved brand, jumping up 14 spots to claim fourth. Its show was attributed largely to the Encore, which received a score of 91. Honda moved up seven positions to round out the top five, but was denied a better position due to the Passport and Odyssey's scores in the mid-30s. Among European brands, Porsche ranked highest, at No. 9. BMW moved up five spots to 12th, while Audi kept its mid-pack position at 14th, and Mercedes brought up the rear among the German big three in 20th place. At the bottom of the list were Ford, Mini, Volkswagen, Tesla, and Lincoln falling 11 places to dead last. In particular, the Ford Explorer was called out for having the fewest points of any model, barely registering at all a score of 1, thanks to gremlins with engines, body, power equipment, electronics, and transmissions. Tesla's newly introduced Model Y crossover dragged down the electric carmaker's standing to the penultimate spot. Owners of the Model Y, which began production in January, have reported misaligned body panels that had to be fixed and mismatched paint including, in one case, human hair stuck in the paint, according to Consumer Reports. The Model Y finished with a "much worse than average" reliability rating. The rankings are taken annually based on a survey of 300,000 vehicles. Information from AP was used in this report.

Mazda Miata celebrates 25 years of rocking our worlds

For its birthday it hasn't been profiled on 60 Minutes or been to Jay Leno's Garage, doesn't go on a retrospective tour of vintage racetracks or get a special Spyder Zagato edition. That doesn't mean we think any less of the Mazda MX-5 Miata, the roadster with a simplicity that was as enjoyable as it was barely believable when it arrived in 1989. A quarter of a century and three generations later, the Miata remains the go-to roadster when you want easy, balanced and economical thrills.
It grew from a 116-horsepower speedster with a five-speed manual transmission and a curb weight of 2,116 pounds, to a 167-hp go-kart with a five-speed manual coming in at 2,480 pounds (in Sport guise). Along the way it's picked up hundreds of awards, including 14 nods on Car and Driver's "10Best" list, its most recent eight-year streak coming to an end last year, the Guinness Book of World Records title as "Best-Selling Two-Seater Sports Car" and innumerable trophies as weekend racer extraordinaire.
We'll see the fourth generation at next year's Chicago Auto Show, and we're certain to hear more about its 25-year milestone this year. Until that happens, enjoy the images above and the gallery and press release below.