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2022 Mazda Miata debuts with Kinematic Posture Control brake torque vectoring

It also ditches the automatic transmission option on all but the Grand Touring trim level.

Kyle Hyatt Former news and features editor
Kyle Hyatt (he/him/his) hails originally from the Pacific Northwest, but has long called Los Angeles home. He's had a lifelong obsession with cars and motorcycles (both old and new).
Kyle Hyatt
2 min read
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The good news is that it's still Miata time.

Mazda

Mazda's fourth-generation Miata is still kicking for the 2022 model year. While that makes us happy -- Miatas are wonderful cars made of pure joy – it's not exactly getting huge, world-altering changes out of the deal, according to an announcement Thursday.

Of course, while the changes aren't massive, there are a couple of good ones. Chief among these is the addition of something that Mazda is calling Kinematic Posture Control. If you're like me, you read that and assumed it meant the Miata is getting some wild self-adjusting seats, but nope, that's not it at all. Instead, it's Mazda's take on brake torque vectoring. What is brake torque vectoring? It's where a vehicle uses its ABS system to apply braking force to a single wheel to help encourage sharper cornering. Mazda is also using it to negate some body roll, which is neat, too.

Other significant changes include Mazda's decision to make the Miata's six-speed automatic transmission only available on the top-level, luxury-focused Grand Touring trim. This means that the Miata Sport and Club trims are now manual only. We're not mad at this in the slightest since the excellent six-speed manual is the only way we'd want to experience this little roadster.

So, what do all these changes add up to in terms of cost? The good news is that things aren't dramatically more expensive than on the 2021 cars. The base Miata Sport with its black soft-top roof will start at just $28,315, including Mazda's $1,015 destination fee. That's an upcharge of $490 over last year, and part of that comes from a $20 increase to that destination fee.

The Club trim starts at $31,815 and goes up to $36,315 with the Brembo BBS Recaro package. The Club with that added performance pack also marks the first level at which you can get the folding hardtop RF model, which starts at $39,215. The Grand Touring model starts at $33,315 with the automatic, but that goes up by an extra $500 if you want it with the 6MT. Add another $2,700 for the RF model.

Mazda expects the 2022 Miata to hit dealers this winter.

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