The Mazda Miata, the internet's car answer to everything. I mean Miata is even an acronym that stands for Miata Is Always The Answer. For years I've been reading about how the Miata is just the greatest. It's an affordable fun sports car and it really looks the part. There hasn't been a bad generation of them. Personally I'm not a huge fan of the NB (2nd generation) but I haven't driven it, so I could be very wrong. I've watched countless videos about the Miata and the more I've thought about it, the more I've been considering one as a future car. Recently a brilliant ad came out that highlighted the life of a Mazda owner where he started and ended with a Miata and that was when I knew I had to own one eventually. But of course, the problem is I've never driven one. My Dad's lease is up in July and he has been looking at getting a new car, and of course me being the only one in my family who enjoys cars and researching them, he has been relying on me. After a few days of extensive research I had the list narrowed down for him. At the top of that list is the Mazda6. My dad wanted to check it out and I realized I had the perfect opportunity to have my first Miata experience. I would have preferred to drive either an NA (1st generation) or the brand new ND, but all the dealer had was the NC. The NC while the most modern (so far before the ND comes on sale) has been knocked a little bit due to the fact that it seems a little bloated compared to NA and therefore I had a little bit of a lower opinion of it. The impressive thing I remembered before driving it was featured in the "Perfect Weight Distribution " ad and maybe it was still going to be the full Miata experience... It finally came time to drive it. I had (sadly) told the dealer to get me an automatic and I just hoped I could still enjoy the car. He pulled up with a silver soft top sport model. I couldn't believe it. I had never looked at a Miata quite like I was at that point. I think it was the fact that I was actually going to be driving it. I walked around admiring the beautiful machine. It seemed a little smaller than I thought but I wasn't going to let that stop me from enjoying the car. I opened the door and slid into the seat. Instantly I felt a connection with the car. It was like the interior of the car was designed just for me. The seat, the mirrors, the wheel, the pedals were all placed in the perfect place and was very comfortable. I've never been in a convertible before and I thought it would bother me, but I had no complaints. I then noticed the paddle shifters on the steering wheel and I became even more excited. I put it in manual mode, tapped the shifter to 1st and we were off. I shifted a little early to keep the revs down but still the way the car drove and sounded was an experience that couldn't keep me from smiling. I was still a little nervous as I prepared to turn left out of the dealership. I wasn't sure of the speed limit at first so I didn't really push the car that much.
We ended up on a country highway and that's when I decided to be a little bit more daring. Soon enough I had cycled through the gears and was in 4th going 65 in total confidence. The ride was very comfortable and it hugged the road wonderfully. The road was a little wet but that didn't worry me even under braking. After a little bit I pulled into a gas station to turn around and also put the convertible top down. I turned left to get back on the main road and hit the gas but this time the wind was blowing in my hair a little bit. It was at this moment where everything made sense. I was hit with visions of road trips and canyon drives. I just felt free. My mind cleared and all my worries didn't exist for about 11 minutes. I began to understand what the Miata was all about. It was when driving made sense. It was when cars made sense. I haven't stopped smiling since. (Is it too early to say I'm in love?) Some say that driving is just getting from point A to point B but others say that driving is the point. The latter couldn't be more true.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Austin "Apex" SteeleSports. Cars. Sports cars. Archives
January 2018
Categories |