What is the Best Miata Year?

With over two decades of the Mazda Miata, there are a lot of model years to evaluate.
Written by Alexandra Maloney
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Ever since the Miata debuted in 1989, the car has seen immense success as an affordable, lightweight sports car.
Mazda
has been iterating and improving on the car for over two decades, and along the way there have been some great model years. 
Here,
Jerry
, your favorite
super car app
, reviews the best Miata years of all time. There’s a lot to choose from, with Mazda cranking out new models almost every year since 1989. Which is your favorite Miata year?

1989 Mazda Miata

To kick off this list, we have to start with the original 1989 Mazda Miata, because of how it changed the automotive world forever. As
Driving
points out, during the time the Miata debuted, the world of sports cars was dominated by fancy, exotic technologies. The original Miata took the sports car in a completely different direction with a rotary engine and lightweight body. 
The 1989 Miata supported 14-inch wheels and a four-cylinder engine carrying up to 116 hp. It was fast yet controllable, and a totally novel idea for a sports car during the time, which earns the original Miata a spot at the top of our list.
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2004 Mazda Miata 

A great, but relatively older, model of the Miata is the 2004 year model. This car tops
Auto Guide’s
list of Best Mazda Models of All Time, largely because it’s the most powerful Miata ever produced. The 2002 Miata supports a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine that carries 178 hp and 166 lb-ft of torque. 
Beyond the power the car provides, it had wider tires, a great suspension, 17-inch rears, a rear spoiler, a strut tower brace, and tons of other incredible features. The 2004 Mazda Miata was truly the whole package.

2001 Mazda Miata 

You might be starting to notice a trend on this list, and that’s the fact that older Mazda Miata models are often regarded as the best time for the car—and 2001 was no exception. While it was smaller with minimal cargo space,
WVDot
notes the car made up for that with its extensive trim options and an engine that supports up to 142 hp. Although this car was different from previous Miata models, it still did great in terms of sales. 

2016 Mazda Miata Club Edition

A newer model of the Miata makes the list for being the first in a new generation with promising upgrades. The fourth generation of the Miata was four inches shorter and 220 lbs lighter than any previous generation.
MotorBiscuit
reports the fourth generation of the Mazda had a slight aero kit, better suspension, plus bigger brakes and wheels.
When the 2016 Miata debuted, Mazda had already sold close to a million Miatas over the course of 25 years. But, the fourth generation’s upgrades proved to be what people wanted in a sports car and the sales continued to rise.

1999 Mazda Miata 

The second generation of the Miata came out 10 years after the car initially hit the roads, and makes the list because of the innovation Mazda showed with this generation. 
Autotrader
reports the 1999 Miata had fixed headlights, a glass rear window, a more stylish exterior, and a slightly faster engine. The 1999 model marks the second generation of the Mazda Miata and indicated the car was a force to be reckoned with—one that could, and did, stand the test of time.
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