I can already see the comments coming. “Why would you compare a five year old sports car to a new, and significantly slower car?” I imagine a fair number of questions will be based on my choice for these two particular cars in a comparison. Yes, the 350Z has 133 horsepower on the MX-5 Miata (hereafter known simply as the Miata; all of this hyphenation is less than attractive in terms of car names). Yes, that extra pony-count does make the Z faster than the relatively paltry Miata. On the other hand, I gave the Miata a half-decade advantage for technology. One of the reasons for my decision to compare both of these models is that, if you look at the bare roots of these cars, they’re fairly similar. Both have six-speed manual transmission feeding to the rear wheels, both are convertibles, and both have less-than-eye-raising engine sizes and outputs by today’s performance car standards. So, with this 5 year advantage on the Nissan, how does the new Miata compare? Let’s find out.
The Z, despite being five years old, had only 9,200 miles on it. This was a pleasant surprise, because a car usually won’t have any catastrophic failures in the first 10,000 miles, but the engine is well broken in and meshed with the transmission by this time. From the first turn of the key, the Nissan felt substantial. The leather bathed interior was awash with technology, from a cassette player and 5 CD Bose sound system to a power-flip-up nav screen, power and heated seats, and information-flexible center console gauges which can display various helpful numbers such as fuel economy and exterior temperature, the Nissan had it all. Of course, one of the most convenient and interesting features was the power folding soft-top, which would pirouette in and out of the trunk at the touch of a button. Actually, I lie. The button seemed to have a bit of a malfunction, and only worked roughly 1 out of 5 times that I pressed it. I don’t quite know what to attribute that to, so I’ll just pretend I wasn’t pressing it vigorously enough...though I was.
The Miata, in all its tiny grandeur, had racked up all of 12.8 miles before I went out with it. It wasn’t exactly through its break-in period, but we’ll get to that later. The interior of the Miata was fairly plain, with comfortable heated leather seats, and a seven speaker Bose audio system. That may not seem “plain,” but, for the money, the interior doesn’t offer much. The seats and the sound are the only features worth noting in the interior, and this Grand Touring model wasn’t cheap: $30,455 won’t even get you a power folding top. That’s not a problem, as the top is extremely simple and intuitive to operate, but I still feel like any convertible over $30,000 should have a power top.
If we look at the numbers, it’s clear that the Z has the edge in speed. At just over 3,400 pounds, the 300 horsepower Z has a pounds-per-horsepower rating of 11.3. The Miata, despite being incredibly slight, can only manage 15.1 pounds-per-pony with its curb weight of 2,516 lbs., and its seemingly meager 167 horsepower. The Z can manage the 0-60 sprint in between 5 and 6 seconds, depending on the model. The Miata needs 6.7 seconds to reach the mile-a-minute barrier, and that’s with the 6-speed manual transmission, which gets an extra 500 rpm and 9 horsepower over the automatic transmission.
So the Miata won’t be winning many drag races, but that’s not what it’s about. For one thing, winding the snarly little 2.0L engine out to 7,200 rpm is a joy. It feels like the engine and transmission want you to push them, and they’ll play any game that you’re ready to throw at ‘em. The low mileage on this particular Miata meant that the engine was probably not quite up to its normal performance standards, though it felt substantial. The Miata is so light that it wisps around sharp corners, stepping the tail out slightly if you can eke out the full 167 horses in first or second gears. The brakes are on par with the rest of the smooth and capable handling, inspiring confidence with linear and moderately firm pedal travel. The Miata feels like an extremely well-balanced car, with strong capabilities throughout its performance range.
The Z, in its conspicuous cop-magnet “Ultra Yellow” (a 35th Anniversary Edition color), is worlds apart from the Miata in terms of performance. The 3.5L VQ35 V6 puts out 300 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque with the 6-speed manual transmission, and 287 horsepower and 274 lb-ft of torque with the 5-speed automatic unit. The 13 horsepower bump for the manual transmission can be attributed in part to a 200 rpm redline increase, from 7,000 to 7,200 rpm. The husky shifter’s knob feels at home in any decently large hand, and shift throws are short and precise, with a notchy bolt-movement feel. The V6 idles with a very smooth and deep V6 hum, but will howl when you press the throttle. In my opinion, the best part about this engine is how it responds when you take your foot off the gas. All sorts of burbles and pops spew from the exhaust in a beautifully mellow stuttering of exhaust gases. The Nissan’s Brembo brake package was always eager (maybe too much at times) to stop the car. The upside of such touchy brakes is that they’re capable of grabbing the big discs and hauling the Z down to a legal speed quickly. That’s especially important, because the Z likes to hustle around, regardless of the speed you should be doing.
As far as two RWD, manual transmission convertibles go, the Miata and the Z couldn’t be much further apart. The Z, which cost $34,770 new, seems appealing at just under $25,000, and undercut the Miata’s price by nearly $6,000, but it came with no warranty (being used), and had 9,200 miles at the hands of some unknown driver and mysterious terrain. Then there’s the performance difference, as well as the flashy looks of the Z versus the Miata’s more reserved, but still endearing appearance. In the end, they’re both extremely fun, even if they aren’t incredibly practical (notice how I didn’t even mention trunk space? It’s hardly worth it). It all comes down to the peace of mind of a warranty, the possible savings from a used car, and what kind of performance you’re looking for.
The Nissan is a large, growling lion next to the playful kitten Miata. Which cat do you want to play with?
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