As long as there has been more than one version of the Miata, there have been people arguing about which Miata is best. The NA is the purest and simplest, so it must be the best. The NC is affordable yet modern, so it must be the best. The ND is the newest and best-performing, so it must be the best. Every version of the Miata is great in its own way, so you could make an argument for any generation to take the crown.
Of course, choosing any of the above Miatas would be choosing the wrong one. There is one version of the Miata that stands above the rest, delivering the perfect blend of purity, ease of use, affordability, modernity, performance, and yes, even beauty. And that Miata is the NB.
After having driven dozens of Miatas of every generation over my nine years in the business, and owning an NB for the past year, it’s clear the second-generation MX-5 Miata, sold between 1998 and 2005, is the ultimate expression of Mazda’s iconic roadster.
The Driving Purity
One of the NB’s best attributes is its NA bones. Immediately giving props to the previous-gen car might sound weird, but because the NB is largely based on its predecessor, it didn’t grow much in size or weight (the Miata gained around 200 pounds in the switch from NA to NB, thanks to added chassis stiffening and other useful reasons I’ll mention later).
Because of this, the NB drives incredibly well. The balance of the chassis and the feel of the steering are, like the NA, some of the absolute best I’ve come across, anywhere. The shifter is as close to perfection as you’ll find in any car under six figures. The pedals are aligned perfectly for constant, comfortable heel-toe action. As wonderfully as the NC and the ND drive, they just can’t match this car. Even after driving numerous sports cars from brands like Porsche, BMW, and Toyota, I always seem to refer back to an NB for a true gauge of what a good sports car should be. It’s an excellent reference point if you drive a lot of different cars like I do.
Does the NA drive slightly better than the NB? Maybe—I’ve never driven two stock examples back to back, so it’s tough to tell (I have driven NA and NB Spec Miatas back to back, though, and I much preferred the NB). The NA’s lighter weight would suggest it has the edge, but I also feel like the NB is more dialed, despite its extra heft. My point is, the two drive closely enough that, to me, it’s always worth springing for the NB. It delivers the same (if not an extremely similar) driving experience, but adds a whole bunch in the world of livability. With used prices hovering at similar numbers for both cars, it’s tough to choose the NA.
It’s Just Nicer To Live With
Even if you prefer the design and the lightweight purity of the NA, there’s no denying the NB is just a way better car when it comes to day-to-day usability. The interior is more modern and cohesive, and later versions got usable cup holders built into the center console (compared to NA cupholders, which are too shallow to hold anything other than the smallest McDonald’s soft drive cup). The steering wheel is a sweet three-spoke Nardi item that’s far better to hold than the NA’s wheel, which was just a gigantic square-shaped airbag with some leather attached. (The base-model NB also briefly got a four-spoke wheel before being phased out, but we don’t talk about that.)
There’s a little net behind the seats on the rear bulkhead that’s useful for holding stuff, and the trunk is far more spacious because Mazda figured out how to store the spare tire and the battery correctly. In the NA, the spare tire bulges out into the storage space, while the battery takes up all of the space under the right rear quarter panel. In the NB, both the tire and the battery are tucked under the carpet floor.
While you could option stuff like air conditioning and cruise control in the NA, that tech is far more common in the NB, and, in my experience, more likely to function properly (presumably since NBs are just newer cars). Believe it or not, the earliest NAs are now 36 years old. Age takes its toll on everything, from bushings to plastic panels to electrical connections. Because the NB is newer, it’s less likely you’ll have to deal with repairing that sort of stuff (all other factors, like previous owner care, being equal).
The NC and the ND are, of course, even more pleasant to live with day-to-day, but like I said earlier, they can’t match the NA or NB’s transcendent driving experience. The NB delivers that perfect blend between modern usability and lightweight excellence in a way the NA can’t.
Three Excellent Engine Choices
It’s not just cabin niceties where the NB shines. It’s also far more pleasant to use in modern traffic. Early versions of the NB used the NA’s 1.8-liter inline-four equipped with a new cylinder head, netting seven extra horsepower, for a new total of 140 horses. That might not sound like a huge jump, but it meant a 7.9-second 0-60 time in Car and Driver testing—0.3 seconds better than any NA it had tested previously. In a small car, every horsepower counts, especially when it involves merging onto 80-mph highways.
Mazda gave the NB a refresh in 2001 that made the engine more appealing, adding variable valve timing on the intake side and slightly more compression (10:1 versus 9.5:1 for the outgoing four-cylinder). The result was 155 hp and 125 pound-feet (six more lb-ft than before). My 2003 Special Edition model uses this engine, and I absolutely adore it. Having also owned an NA Miata, there’s a measurable and incredibly useful difference between the two powertrains when it comes to low-end torque and overall delivery. With the NA, getting up to highway speeds meant flat-footing the throttle and several trips to redline. With my NB, though, merging with faster traffic is a breeze.
It also helps that my car has the NB’s available six-speed manual. While NAs could only be had with a five-speed (or a four-speed auto), buyers could opt for an extra forward gear in the NB starting in 2001, which rests in the gate you’d normally find reverse on the five-speed. There are endless threads online arguing about which gearbox is better, so let me save you the trouble: Though it’s a little tricky to find reverse sometimes, I find the six-speed equally as pleasant as its five-speed counterpart. Slotting into each gear feels exactly the same, and I have no trouble finding gates, whether I’m shifting leisurely or divebombing into corners and heel-toeing like my life depended on it. According to Road & Track, the six-speed is geared slightly shorter, which means it’s quicker to accelerate (as proven in Car and Driver’s instrumented test of the car in 2001).
Towards the end of its lifecycle, Mazda gave the NB a trim with a turbocharged engine, the sought-after Mazdaspeed Miata. Thanks to 8.5 psi of boost, the car was rated at 178 hp—23 more horsepower than even the early ND Miata. It also got a host of suspension upgrades, including bigger sway bars, stiffer springs, and retuned Bilstein shocks. One of our awesome contributors, Emme Hall, owns a Mazdaspeed Miata and argued last year why she wouldn’t trade it away for a brand-new model. Though I’ve never driven one myself, I’d probably hold the same position. In addition to being cool as hell, they’re also pretty rare; Mazda built just 5,428 examples out of the one million-plus Miatas built since its introduction.
Then There’s Those Looks
Okay, this is one area where I might concede the NA (and maybe even the ND) might have a leg up on the NB. When I first started getting into cars, I dismissed the NB based on its looks alone—the early car’s resemblance to a catfish is uncanny, after all. But it’s grown on me deeply after having owned one. The more I look at mine, the more it reminds me of the first-generation Dodge Viper. That’s no coincidence, according to Road & Track. While the late Tom Matano led the design work for the NB, a designer named Ken Saward actually worked on both cars:
Saward was a member of the design team for the first Viper concept, where he did a lot of work on the car, including the interior. Mazda hired him before it went in to production in 1989, where he started working on the Miata. Saward was a key member of the team responsible for the redesign of Mazda’s first roadster.
The redesign eliminated the admittedly very cool round pop-up headlights, which was a shame. But it also brought a number of aero improvements, some of which might actually be responsible for why I prefer how the NB drives. From Car and Driver’s original road test:
We like the overall shape better, and so does the airstream; the drag coefficient drops to 0.36 from 0.39. In a deft bit of aero tailoring, lift has been reduced in front and slightly increased at the rear, so that both ends of the car now lighten their tire loads at nearly the same rate as speed climbs; handling changes less with speed now.
I had a 96 NA M spec for 7 years. Drove the snot out of that little car. I love it and miss it dearly. But I am pushing to get a NB next for all the reasons that you wrote about. Same basic architecture as the NA but more refined. Prices are not far off from a NA if not a little cheaper in my area which also helps
I am late to the party, but as someone who has owned 7 NB and one NA(but driven many) you could say I have a type. Three of those NB were Mazdaspeeds. I currently own an 04 Mazdaspeed, 99 Miata(turbocharged for the last 7 years), and a 64k mile 91. My Mazdaspeed makes in the neighborhood of 350whp and is a rocket. I also don’t think it is coincidence that a lot of NAs swap to NB parts.
Great article! I’d like to eventually own a Miata at least once, of course based on all that “it’s always the answer” ha ha…but they really do sound like such fun cars and this was very informative. I do love pop-ups, but that’s not a deal breaker so if I were to get one it would be an NB. I love that one in light blue in the photo. They hardly look cat fishy to me at all compared to other cars, especially that particular 90’s Camaro that wins for being the most catfish looking
I refrained from commenting here, but I’m glad that the overall consensus is that “NE” Miatas are the best at their time. The NA reinvented the long lost genre, the NB added what most buyers wanted, the NC modernized the chassis and made it more capable, and the ND refined it. What’s most impressive is it stayed true to what it was good at in a quickly changing world. With luck we can say the same thing about the real NE Miata again whenever it’s been on the road for 5 years, yet it’s guaranteed every fan will immediately hate it because they changed “xyz” thing about it.
Love my 2003 Shinsen Edition. I was surprised at how buttoned down and stable it drives. Not darty or nervous, but still super agile and tossable. I like the NB because it’s one of the last ‘analog’ cars in that there’s no throttle-by-wire or screens. And I agree that it’s my favorite-looking Miata – classic but handsome. Maybe just because I came of age around the millennium. Anyway, I love my Miata! Feels great to drive and enjoy but low stress because they’re not rare and have great quality. I had a 2000 BMW M Coupe previously that I never drove because of the hassle, worry, costs, etc. Though I loved that car, I love owning the Miata way more.
Love all the Miatas, but at 6’6″ and 220 lbs., I only fit in the NC.
Hat tip to Miata for continuing to offer an affordable sports car for all these years. And unlike the current trend toward offering bunkers-on-wheels, you actually still can see out of a Miata.
You could floor mount a seat and it would probably be doable. I know of at least one person that size who owns NA and NB and that’s their standard practice.
I have a NA, and I’d rather have a NB. I got my NA back when they were dirt cheap throw away cars for under $3k, and an NB was a couple of grand more. Track NBs look better with the full 9LR Aero Kit, but NAs look better with just a hard top which I have. Keeps me from spending more money which I guess is nice.
I found a super cheap ’90 NA in 2020, the year of the Suck. I had just sold my WRX toy to pay for a roof repair, and everything had gone to crap.
That little toy was so much fun. I’m not a convertible fan but if I could have found a hard top for reasonable $ (& it wasn’t bottomed on cheap coil overs), I’d still have it. So simple, so analog. Crank windows. Maybe ABS? I forget.
Agreed, NB is the best Miata. I consider it the best looking one as well.
ND had a chance, but they made the rear too weird looking, and that stupid tacked on screen.
Signed,
My 2001 Special Edition
I had an NA a long time ago. It was put into the junkyard by a beige Camry that made an errant left turn in front of me. It was sad, but the little money I got helped me get into my first Volvo wagon right around the time my first son was born. I am thankful for a progression that made a lot of sense.
I still think about it and I’m looking forward to an NB in the coming years. Prices are pretty low and it is the level of complexity that I’m comfortable with working on myself.
I love the light blue NBs with the small wheels. Not sure why, but that combo really works for me. The question becomes do I tinker with it, make it go faster or just leave it the hell alone and appreciate it for what it is. Adding a turbo and switching to something like a Megasquirt seems like fun, but I don’t want to end up with a fussy piece of junk that I will regret and will have to work on endlessly.
I suppose I’ll find out next fall when I plan to start shopping. I like buying cars like this as it gets cold out. Everyone who couldn’t sell theirs across the summer seems to want to unload them before winter rather than have to store it another year.
Just this past October I got my first ever Miata, a 99 NB with 38K miles, Supercharged, NO2 ready, high performance exhaust. A new chapter of my life opened up, this thing is a bullet and it just give me so many smiles.
The way it drives, the way it goes forward, it doesnt even have ABS and I never locked those wheels, a lot of traction. Im about to sell my Honda Insight Gen 1 and start looking for a NA
I had a crystal blue (like the last photo) 2001 for over 20 years. Learned how to drive on it and it took me through all my most formative moments. I’ll likely never love a car more than I loved that Miata.
However – as good as the NB is (and it is excellent), the ND has it licked in every objective and subjective way.
The triumph of the ND is that it keeps absolutely everything that made the NB great and only improves upon the areas where the NB is lacking.
It’s fine to remember the NB fondly (I certainly do!), but it’s only the second best Miata, at best.
I’m on Miata #5, and the only one I never wanted was the fish faced NB. Appreciate it, particularly from the rear 3/4 view, but only its mother could love that front end.
I love the NB, I learned to drive stick on it (I’m ruined for other manuals) as my dad has had one since I was 10, well two technically seeing how I rolled the first in college, both ‘99s. But I do have a hard time fitting in them. When I was in my 20’s I couldn’t care less but now…well I drove an NC back to back with my dads and on fun backroads they both felt just as good, I can’t tell the difference in drive everyone talks about. And my leg wasn’t cramping. But the NB is certainly prettier, it’s probably what I’d recommend to any normal height person looking for a cheap sports car.
As the owner of a ’99 NB – Which I purchased brand new on September 1st, 1999, and have lived with for 26 years, I wholeheartedly agree with the opinion that the NB generation is the best generation.
NBs are the best…when they shed their skin and turn into an Exocet.
I’ve had both. And while the NB did have a lot of performance and usability improvements, it is not as charming as the NA. The NA had a lot of ’boutique’ touches. The NB looked like a bean counter went through the whole car. The NA had special touches like the chrome tubular door handles, the bi-folding sun visor, headrest speakers, airfoils on the wipers, and the aforementioned pop up headlights. The seat is also better. The original NA seat had deep pleats between the side bolsters and the middle seating area, and there was good thigh support. The NB seat looked like any other mass production car seat with no thigh support and less obvious side bolstering. They eventually fixed the seats in the later years of the NB. But the early NB just had horrible seats.
In fairness, the NA was bean counted as well. All NAs after 94 lost the bi-folding sunvisors and changed cloth trim seat shape to the “bullnose” version which lost some thigh bolstering. Also all lost the true mechanical oil pressure gauge.
I had an NB and now have a NA. I love them both. Both are black, not my first color choice for any Miata. The NB seems/feels just a bit bigger/heavier, has a nicer (more put-together) dash, and I always liked the subtle fender bulges… they gave the car (IM non-objective O) a very faint whiff of Shelby Cobra. The bit of extra weight and refinement give the NB a bit more ‘modern car’ feel versus the NA.
The NA feels a bit lighter (to me) and is also a bit louder inside at speed. I love the simple pop-up round headlights: how they look from outside the car and from the driver’s seat. I almost always leave them up, which probably annoys some people (they’re not on, just up since Mazda kindly provided a button for that). The trunk holds less too, but is fine for a daily/trips for two.
The exact same factory hardtop fits both the NA and NB. Don’t forget to unplug the wire powering the rear defroster before you lift it off.
C3 corvettes had a button for lamps up too. For washing? Up for winter- if frozen in position you are not screwed (down -in winter- in the dark would make for a bum evening)?
I had a ’69 Stingray convertible a million years ago and don’t recall that, but am happy if it existed. That car got 7 MPG and the top fit so loosely that I could stick (my admittedly skinny teenage) arm in over the raised window if I locked the keys inside.
my ’76 had one. Black plunger. Below the IP – between the legs
This isn’t actually true, as the 1999 10th Anniversary Editions all had 6-speed manuals. I had one.
The 10AE is peak Miata in my opinion. It came in a gorgeous blue color, and was essentially spec’d as a naturally aspirated Mazdaspeed, with the Bilstein suspension, better brakes, and Bose sound system. I absolutely loved mine and still regret selling it.
.
Triple blue for the win. That blue/black Nardi wheel is just gorgeous
I imagine, for sheer modernity and power, that I’d prefer an ND. And I’m guessing they’re still great in the corners.
But having never driven any, it’s all just speculation.
They are. Not that I’ve driven any Miata (my knee started to get real bad and I passed on the NB I was looking at many moons ago), but several people at work drive NDs and they’ve all owned multiple generations of Miata. Most of them prefer the ND for being easier to live with, but they still handle well. Throttle House did a review of them a while back.
I contemplated an NC with the auto because they were dirt cheap, but got my 3 because the Miata was just too small.
The NC, especially pre-facelift, is by far the prettiest. Fight me.
I’d feel bad fighting someone who is clearly a few cards short of a full deck (and I’ve owned an NC1 for a decade).
I didn’t like the NC2 when it debuted because of the goofy smile. But then I drove one and suddenly I didn’t care. So I bought it. After a while I decided it was appropriate, as it matched the expression on the driver’s face. I still miss that car…
I love the NC1 style and stand with you. The interior was a bit meh with the ribbed armrest areas though and were better in the NC2/3, but the NC2/3 try to hard to have aggressive styling for something that I feel is meant to be adorable.
I don’t have a problem with the NC in general, but it’s definitely not the prettiest of the bunch.
I won’t fight you, since “Winning Blue” was only on the NC1 and that’s the pretty one I have.
The word of the day is ~Rubenesque~
I think the NE Miata is best. I’m blindly optimistic and think it’s finally going to get it right.
There, now everyone can just scoff at my objectively terrible take instead of telling you why the NA is better.
I mean, optimism is a good trait. I don’t think it’s an objectively terrible take.
I mostly figured people would take issue with “finally going to get it right” more than picking the next Miata. No matter which gen you like, it’s hard to say Mazda hasn’t gotten them right.
Before I bought my ND the other big contender was a Mazdaspeed NB in orange with only 15k or so miles. I really don’t think you can go wrong with any gen Miata.
Correct. They are all fantastic. Arguing which is best is a perfect example of splitting hairs.