MX-5 Miata: How Mazda Created an Icon
Let's test drive and discuss the 2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata 35th Anniversary Edition! And thanks to @MagnaInternationalTV for sponsoring this video!
This model celebrates 35 years of the car that changed the automotive industry forever. The 35th Anniversary Miata (or 35AE) is the one we all know and love: a fourth-generation Miata with a 6-speed manual transmission, special Artisan Red Metallic paint, a tan interior, and a starting price of $36,250. There is no automatic transmission in America, and there is no hardtop or RF. In the United States, the 35AE is a soft-top convertible only.
This car debuted before the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, and while there, we did a full tour of the car. (Have you seen the highlights from the Mazda MX-5 Cup race at Daytona this year? If not, you should.) Later in the year, we got one to drive. I figured because we've reviewed a lot of ND3 Miatas on this channel, I'd use this video to talk to two Miata experts: the father of the Miata, Tom Matano, and Mazda USA's current design head, Jacques Flynn.
The first-generation Miata is known as the “NA.” It debuted at the 1989 Chicago Auto Show for the 1990 model year, and it had a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine, 116 horsepower, a VERY light 2,200-pound curb weight, and a 50-50 weight distribution. Miatas became known for their simplicity, driving joy, reliability, easy maintenance, and low-horsepower engines (in a good way — a lot of horsepower isn’t necessary for a lot of fun).
The NA lasted until 1997, and over time, it got safety upgrades and horsepower boosts into the 130s. Succeeding it was the NB, which ran from 1999 through 2005. It debuted with 140 horsepower and no pop-up headlights, and it has that timeless 2000s styling.
The NC Miata debuted for 2006 and stuck around for a decade, and this is perhaps the least-liked generation of the car — wrongfully, in my opinion. People called it “girly” and “a boat,” but boats can be light and fun too.
The ND Miata arrived in 2016 with 155 horsepower, a six-speed manual or automatic transmission, and fuel economy of 30 mpg combined. Mazda cut the weight drastically from the “boat” generation, and you could get an ND in the 2,300-pound range.
That car became known as the ND1. In the following years, Mazda brought out the ND2 — a Miata with 181 horsepower — and the ND3, which still made 181 but had a lot of drivability tweaks. This is an ND3.
Across generations, the Miata has kept the same philosophy: horse and rider as one. Each generation is a slight upgrade over the old model, without abandoning the core principles of the car. If you watch any comparison test, they’ll tell you that.
In this video, we’ll go through special editions of the MX-5 (like the Mazdaspeed model, which I own two of), and we’ll go through anniversary editions. We’ll start at the 10th Anniversary Edition, hit the 20th Anniversary Edition after that, then the 25th Anniversary Edition, then the 30th Anniversary edition, then the 35th.
If you want to watch a full review (or two!) of the ND3 Miata, I have multiple videos on my channel.
Thanks for watching my YouTube channel. Enjoy the drive (and the video)!
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