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Therapy on Wheels Copley News Service If everyone drove a Mazda Miata there would be no road rage, all streets would seem to be wide as boulevards, the gas crisis would be merely a gas pain and there would be a parking space at the mall even during the holidays.
Everyone should have one of these tucked into a corner of the garage for regular counseling sessions. It is difficult to be an angry driver behind the wheel of a Miata. Throw back the top, slip it into gear, and before you've gone three blocks, your Miata is sending subliminal messages to take the long way home. No matter that there are 500,000 of these on the road worldwide, people still smile as you breeze past and other Miata owners give a flash of the headlights in a show of brotherly and sisterly love. This generation Miata has a quieter ride with the top up, seats that don't leave your bottom feeling buzzy, and a trunk that will hold luggage for weekend getaways or a couple of beach chairs. For 2001, Mazda added more horsepower, more structural stiffness, modest cosmetic adjustments to the front and rear and a step up to 15-inch tires on base models and 16-inchers for the LS and Special Edition, today's test car. Pricing has continued to creep upward since the Miata debuted in the United States in 1990, but you can get into a base model with 5-speed manual transmission for $21,660. Standard equipment includes power steering, power windows and mirrors, 15-inch alloy wheels, a Nardi leather-wrapped steering wheel, air conditioning, wind-blocker, fog lights and an AM-FM-CD sound system with power antenna. The mid-range LS model starts at $24,410 and adds tan leather seating surfaces, tan top, cruise control, power door locks, 16-inch alloy wheels, limited-slip differential, strut tower brace, remote keyless entry system and a 200-watt Bose AM-FM-CD stereo with four speakers. The 2001 Mazda Miata Special Edition, in British Racing Green, is $26,195, including the $480 destination charge. Special features include a Nardi wood steering wheel and shifter knob, tan cloth-look vinyl convertible top, chrome plated aluminum fuel door, 16-inch polished alloy wheels, wood center console trim, shift lever and parking brake and Special Edition carpeted floor mats and badging. Add $900 for a 4-speed automatic shifter on all models or $650 for the 6-speed manual to upgrade the LS. If you've got the cash, the Limited Edition is a nice package, but you'll still hit the full Miata pleasure zone with a basic, no-worries model. Mark Maynard is driving in cyberspace at mark.maynard@uniontrib.com.
Safety equipment -- Front air bags with passenger deactivation switch, door beams, engine immobilizer. Standard equipment -- Leather-trimmed and reclining bucket seats, air conditioning, remote keyless entry, Nardi wood steering wheel and shifter knob, tan cloth-look vinyl convertible top, chrome-plated aluminum fuel door, wood center console trim, shift lever and parking brake handle, special floor mats and badging, 4-speaker AM-FM-CD stereo with clock, power windows/locks/mirrors, glass rear window with defogger, halogen headlights, fog lights, stainless steel scuff plates. wind-blocker anti-draft panel, power antenna and intermittent wipers.
Base MSRP -- $26,195; price as tested, $26,745 Options on test truck -- Anti-lock brakes, $550
PLUSES -- Sweet driving, low wind turbulence with the top down, mechanical dependability, room in the trunk for beach chairs or weekend getaway luggage and glass rear window. MINUSES -- Hollow sound to the doors when slammed. News Index | Features Index |
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AutoWord Copyright© 2001 Copley News Service |
After a week in the 2001 Miata Special Edition I came to the same conclusion that I always do driving this simple little roadster: It's therapy on four wheels.