2008 Mazda Miata MX-5

Check out our Used Mazda Miata Inventory!!!

2008 Miata Overview

Eighteen years after its late 1989 introduction, the Mazda Miata still puts a big grin on our faces. The Mazda MX-5, as it's now called, has been thoroughly updated twice, including a full re-design for 2006, but its lighthearted spirit remains intact.

This is a car to love, a car that delivers what the English sports cars of the 1950s and 60s promised but never quite managed: a delightful, supremely capable, well-engineered driving experience in a vehicle that starts every time and runs seemingly forever, with near-faultless Japanese quality and reliability.

2008 Mazda Miata MX-5 Trim Options

  The 2008 Mazda MX-5 comes in two body styles: convertible and Power Retractable Hard Top (PRHT). All MX-5 models are powered by the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Three transmissions are offered: a five-speed manual, a six-speed manual, and a six-speed automatic. The engine is rated at 166 horsepower, or 163 hp on automatics.

The least expensive MX-5 is a Special Value model, available by special order through one of Mazda's regional offices and designed to provide the basis for building a race car. The SV comes with a five-speed manual gearbox, 16-inch aluminum wheels, cloth upholstery, various interior storage pockets and bins, an AM/FM/CD sound system with four speakers, power mirrors, dual front and side airbags and, for 2008, a tire pressure monitor and driver's-side seat-height adjuster.

The MX-5 Sport comes with the vinyl soft top, the five-speed manual gearbox, cloth upholstery, air conditioning and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and 16-inch aluminum wheels. A tire puncture repair kit fills in for a spare tire as it does on all MX-5s. The Sport convertible hardtop comes with a manual gearbox.

The Sport automatic comes with the Activematic six-speed transmission. The Sport automatic is only available with the soft top. A Convenience Package consisting of cruise control, fog lamps, keyless entry system and power door locks comes standard on the automatic.

The Touring model with soft top comes with a six-speed manual gearbox or six-speed automatic and adds fog lamps, power door locks, keyless entry, steering-wheel-mounted cruise and audio controls, and an in-dash six-CD changer. Handsome 17-inch aluminum wheels mounting 205/45R17 tires fill the wheel openings, and run-flat technology is available. The Touring convertible hard top is similarly equipped and comes with the six-speed manual or automatic. 

The Grand Touring with a six-speed manual gearbox or automatic adds heated leather seats, faux leather door trim, a nicer cloth soft top, and a Bose AM/FM/CD system with seven speakers and an in-dash 6CD changer. Order the rich-looking tan leather and you get tan door panels to match. The Grand Touring convertible hardtop is available with the six-speed manual or automatic.

  Miata Interior Design

The MX-5 is roomier than it looks. This latest generation Mazda MX-5 grew in all dimensions and it is more accommodating than before, but it's still a snug fit for full-figured or tall sports car lovers. Rearward seat travel was extended by about an inch, and you can feel it. Before, on pre-2006 MX-5s, a six-foot driver would adjust the driver's seat all the way back. Now there's a notch or two left in the travel. The car's expanded girth yielded an additional 1.4 inches in hip room, and it too makes a difference.

Overall, interior quality and appearance are way better than any past MX-5 Miata would have led you to expect. Fit and finish is tight and smooth. Trim panels on the center stack fit flush and look expensively made. Materials are mostly impressive grade; the shiny black trim across the width of the instrument panel has the high-end look of black lacquered furniture. The headliner of the hardtop's roof is finished in a hard flat-black textured covering that, if not luxurious, is certainly tidy.

First Drive 2008 Miata

The MX-5 is a blast to drive. A highly responsive throttle sending 166 horsepower through a responsive six-speed gearbox give it a nice kick in the back end. The wide track and low center of gravity enable it to corner flatter than should be possible. With balance so close to perfect with two people on board; and with the sporty, asymmetrical-tread tires on the Touring and Grand Touring models; the MX-5 holds its line through corners like it was highway striping paint.

  Quick, left-right-left transitions on a winding two-lane running along a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the Big Island of Hawaii succumb to nearly perfect steering response: light but not twitchy, with good feel regardless of the speed. Crank in more steering to keep it off the rock wall on the outside of a tight switchback, and the rear tires step tentatively sideways. A touch of counter steer and a soft feathering of the gas and the tires stick again, and away you go. What a rush. This is with the electronic stability control deactivated. With it active, it's still fun, just not as much.

2008 Miata Conclusions

The Mazda MX-5 Miata remains the quintessential affordable two-seater, and holder of the sales record for convertible sports cars. The latest generation is spectacularly good, both sweetly rewarding to drive and an excellent value. Compared to the Pontiac Solstice, the Miata is "quicker, more agile, more refined, quieter, roomier, more comfortable, [and] better looking." says Car and Driver The available retractable hardtop is ingenious and extends the MX-5's allure. The Miata formula has been copied, most recently by the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky. They're good, but the MX-5 is more fun to drive. The all-around capability and grin-per-mile factor of the MX-5 remains what all affordable, two-seat roadsters will continue to be judged against.