You can't see it well in this photo, but our long-term 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata has a new top. It's black, and yes, it's a hardtop. Jay will tell you the particulars about the acquisition and installation of the hardtop in a subsequent blog entry.
For now, I'll just offer a few impressions from my 50-mile overnight visit with the car. To start, our MX-5 absolutely needed a new top. The soft top had begun to self-destruct, as you know, and it leaked water and sometimes came unlatched on the freeway.
In contrast, the new hardtop fits snugly. Top-up visibility is vastly improved. And we now have an extra storage area where the old soft-top mechanism used to be. On the flip side, that new "open hatch" area creates a booming resonance on the freeway as sound bounces off the sides of the hardtop. Oh well. It's still quieter in here than it was under the old soft top; we'll take some decibel readings for you at a later date.
I didn't really miss being able to put the top down while blasting down the freeway at night. But this morning when I walked outside and saw this sky, it bummed me out a little. I took a drive down the coast from Big Sur to Cambria, California, last weekend in a Z4, and the setting sun and salt air are still fresh in mind.
Obviously, the Miata's hardtop can be removed -- we just can't do it on the spur of the moment anymore. I crave that spontaneity, so if I bought a personal Miata, it would have to have a soft top.
bankerdanny says:
11:49 AM, 08/18/10
I don't like the idea of the hardtop for day-to-day use. What's the point of a roadster sports car that can't go topless without tools and a place to stash the top.
I live in Chicago and would have a hardtop for the winter months. But if I lived in sunny SoCal it's convertable top all the way.
tmanz says:
11:53 AM, 08/18/10
agree with bankerdanny, I know the purpose of this car in your fleet isn't so much for cruising around but you've killed a huge chunk of what it has to offer. Now on those perfect cool mornings or evenings you can't just flip the top back.
The Miata has one of the easiest to use soft tops out there and now it is all gone. A bit sad in my opinion.
breadwagon says:
11:59 AM, 08/18/10
The best combination for a daily driven miata is to leave the soft-top bolted to the car and down on that shelf when you have the hard-top on. Then when it's a nice week, leave the hard-top at home, and put the soft-top up when you park. However, since IL's old soft-top was beyond repair, I guess it's okay that you took it off. It would have been cheaper to get a new softop than a new hardtop (unless you guys stole the thing), but it will be interesting to hear what the IL staff discovers about the hardtop. It will definitly change the drivers perception of the car (the car actually feels bigger to me with the hardtop on). Without having a soft-top, you do lose the ability to drive top down whenever you feel like it, which is a huge part of the roadster experience.
Can you guys weigh the soft-top and the hard-top?
smilespeed3 says:
12:09 PM, 08/18/10
Heh, I hope you guys have a hoist or something for those nice days that you want to take the top off. Did you get one of the later tops with a headliner? I hear that makes it a bit less boomy to be inside.
@bankerdanny
FYI the hardtop is very easy to remove - 4 latches and pull. It does however pretty much require a second person to give you a hand because it is so bulky.
felonious says:
01:09 PM, 08/18/10
My future Miata is going to be a PRHT. Well, my wife's is. Mine is going to be a first-gen project car, most likely.
nealibob says:
01:25 PM, 08/18/10
I'm in Chicago, too, so unless I bought a roadster as an extra car, it has to have a hardtop. I know a lot of people take issue with the new Z4's hardtop, but I have been cheering ever since that was announced. A folding hardtop seems like a perfect compromise for someone who wants to drive their convertible year-round in the Midwest. I could live with having to switch between a hardtop and cloth seasonally, but I would rather not.
ed124c says:
02:01 PM, 08/18/10
I have just about lost interest in this car. The hardtop is a big mistake, in my opinion. I guess I am just out of sync with the "youngsters" making the decisions at Edmunds.
I was hoping for new seats and soft top in the same color as the original seats.
Oh well, have fun with your stupid smoky burnouts when you put the V8 into it.
throwback says:
02:02 PM, 08/18/10
Why a hard top? You folks are in California for gods sake.
miraa says:
02:39 PM, 08/18/10
Well, you had a roadster. Now you have a Miata coupe. Oops.
marktmv says:
03:48 PM, 08/18/10
I wish Mazda built a proper Miata coupe! All you roadster fans can keep your scuttle shake and wind-styled 80's hair...
sceptic says:
04:31 PM, 08/18/10
And why would you take a picture like this one? Where you cannot even see the handiwork that you are talking about?
s197gt says:
04:51 PM, 08/18/10
maybe some dynamat?
bankerdanny says:
04:53 PM, 08/18/10
If I were buying a Miata today (and I don't care what Mazda wants me to call it now, it will always be a Miata to me) it would be the retractable hardtop without hesitation. The Z4's top, with it's trunk space eating form, is an embarassment compared to far less expensive Mazda.
The only downside to the retractable roof is extra weight and a modest increase in cost. There is no space penalty and you get superior sealing, sound deadening, and top up security. For me the retractable to is an absolute no brainer.
Smilespeed: even if the removal process is tool free, you still give up the ability to spontaneously enjoy a beautiful day. If IL wanted a Mazda coupe they should have bought a used RX7 or RX8.
desmolicious says:
05:03 PM, 08/18/10
The folding hard top in the new Miata gains only about 50lbs. Not bad.
As for turning this project Miata into a coupe. I don't get it. Why not put a suspension drop kit in the long term Ford Raptor while you're at it?...
yeah yeah I know someone's going to chime in that the hard top doesn't affect performance blah blah blah but it is/was a freakin convertible and now it's just a beat up little tub rolling down the street. I'm sure it smells great in there..
church123 says:
08:24 PM, 08/18/10
If the intent is to make the Miata a track monster, then the hardtop makes good sense. Better aero, safer (even though it isn't really structural like a true unibody coupe, there are legit concerns about soft top support structures in a crash) and generally better visibility.
But if this car is intended to be driven on the street on a regular basis, it really needs a softtop.
scottyscooter says:
04:11 AM, 08/19/10
I think it’s hilarious that the first blog entry for the much anticipated replacement top is supported by a front angle picture where you are completely unable to see it, haha!
I have to agree with many of the other comments; I would probably have stuck with a soft top. To me, the Miata loses its identity when you install a hard top and completely remove the soft top. Miata’s are supposed to be roadsters and this has now been converted into a coupe. I’m still excited and interested to see what is done to the car next…
fundango says:
05:03 AM, 08/19/10
Agree with all of the above. Living in a state with convertible weather pretty much year-round (like California), I definitely would not have gotten a hard top for the Miata.
ttopjohn says:
07:56 AM, 08/19/10
This car has been heading in the direction of a track day toy for a while now, and many tracks or sanctioning bodys require Miata's to be equipped with a hard top. So it makes sense.
But I'd prefer mine to have a soft top.
carl0ver says:
10:13 AM, 08/19/10
the hardtop is amazingly easy to remove, i have done it on my OWN many times
viss1 says:
10:21 AM, 08/19/10
A new soft top is only a couple hundred bucks and does not require professional installation. Would be perfect for this blog.
carfreak13 says:
09:01 AM, 08/23/10
you should have gotten a soft top http://www.gomiata.com/keeautopmxmi13.html