>> How long does it take to appreciate the best piece of tech on the new Mazda Miata [assumed spelling]? About 12 seconds. That's how long it takes for the retractable hardtop to go from fully closed to fully open. Let's check that and the rest of the tech.
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While we're here, let's start with that top. The Miata retractable is a very well designed drop top car. Now you're gonna be driving like this a lot because you won't be afraid of taking the top up and down. It's power and it's easy. You've got two buttons here on the top of the dash that go one direction or the other. There's a single central point locking hasp right here, so there's no need even to reach across the header bow to button up the latches like on some older cars. Seventy seven pounds is all Mazda says the entire apparatus weighs, composite, steel, motors, all the parts and when it's down, it doesn't obliterate the trunk. You still have a full trunk. Well, as full a trunk as you ever have on a Miata. This is a sports car, pure and simple. And I underline simple. We do have a number of audio system options to chat about though. The base audio system in all Miata's is AM/FM, single cd, 4 speakers. But our car's a Grand Touring. It's got the highest of 4 trim levels of the Miata family so we have 7 speakers around the cabin, there's also a middle system on some of the lesser models with 6 speakers. It's a little bewildering. The cd situation is interesting. Even this high trim car, it comes with a single disk cd player that plays standard audio cd's only. You have to option up the in dash 6 disk if you wanna get 6 disks and MP3 slot ability. No aux jack anywhere, so you better love the cd's you bring or you're after market MP3 player technology. On our vehicle we have some audio controls on the steering wheel. They're standard on the Grand Touring, optional on some lesser models and not available at all in the base model of the MX5 Miata. Now satellite radio. As I mentioned, the audio systems are satellite radio capable, but that doesn't mean that they can get satellite radio immediately out of the box. You have to option up the actual Sirius tuner module as an option on the build sheet when you wanna get that function in this car. So don't be fooled by seeing the sat button. That doesn't mean your new MX5 Miata has satellite radio installed, you have to have ordered that. Now the big question when you're considering an MX5 Miata is how does it compare to the arch rivals, like the Honda S2000 or the GM twins, Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky. We reviewed all those cars recently and here's how I'd describe it. The S2000 feels more stern, more serious. Sharper. On the other hand, the GM cars feel a little bit less refined and their engines feel more truck like than this one. So the Miata seems to represent a nice middle ground. Sharp inputs, definitely a tossable car but it doesn't punish you in every day driving. Specifically, 2 liter in line 4 is the only engine across all MX5 Miata's. It does 169 horsepower, about 140 foot pounds of torque, so it's a spinner, not a stump puller. Our car has a 6 speed manual, though we could have also gotten a 6 speed automatic with paddle shifters for another grand or so. Some of the lesser Miata's, lower trim levels, have a 5 speed manual or you can option the automatic. Okay, let's price out our '07 MX5 Miata. 27,115 base, but before you swallow too hard, remember that gets you the Grand Touring, the top of the line model and retractable top. On top of that we have a package for 1250. That brings us high intensity discharge headlights, a perimeter security system, limited slip and dynamic spin control and the advanced keyless entry technology. Plus, another 500 on the sheet for the sport suspension, including those Bilstein [assumed spelling] shocks.
