Mazda has confirmed pricing and options packages for its 2022 MX-5 Miata. The Miata has been around for decades and is one of the best-handling sports cars on the market. It has grown significantly since it first debuted in the US in the late 80s. However, despite getting bigger, the vehicle still maintains its balance, lightweight, and power-to-weight ratio.
The Miata is only offered in rear-wheel drive, and all versions use the same engine. The engine under the hood is the Mazda Skyactiv-G 2.0-liter engine making 181 horsepower and 151 pound-foot of torque. Most 2022 Miata models are offered with a six-speed manual only. However, the Grand Touring trim is available with an automatic transmission featuring paddle shifters on the steering wheel, but it does come standard with the six-speed manual.
The Miata has focused on being a light sports car since the beginning. Mazda has never given the Miata massive amounts of horsepower. It has always been a driver’s car focused on handling. Despite modest power levels, the Miata is quite fast on the racetrack in the right hands. There are entire racing series devoted specifically to the Miata. Anyone who has experienced a track day at a racetrack around the country has likely encountered a Miata lapping the track quicker than anyone thought possible.
Mazda employs the “gram strategy” that focuses on every detail, minimizing unnecessary weight without impacting safety or design. The major reason the car has grown so much compared to the first generation Miata is safety equipment and regulations. Mazda uses aluminum in the powerplant frame, front fenders, hood, and trunk lid to keep the vehicle as light as possible.
Its focus on reducing weight as much as possible extended to shaving millimeters off various metal bits around the car and skipping foam in the sun visors. Standard features on all versions of the car include antilock brakes with electronic brake force distribution and brake assist. In addition, all trim levels get front ventilated disc brakes, rear disc brakes with aluminum calipers, and low inertia dual-mass flywheel allowing the engine to rev freely.
Miata also gets double-pinon electric power assist steering, front and rear stabilizer bars, front double-wishbone suspension utilizing aluminum arms, and a rear multi-link suspension with aluminum bearing support. The suspension also relies on monotube dampers front and rear. One new technology for the Miata for 2022 is something Mazda calls Kinematic Posture Control (KPC). KPC is a technology meant to improve precision during high-g corners.
KPC is a technology that adds no additional weight to the car and applies slight braking to the inner rear wheel during high-g cornering. Applying the brakes during the quarter pulls down on the car, helping to suppress body roll and improving steering response. The system also uses stronger braking when accelerating through corners to help improve the limited-slip effect.
The entry-level version of the car for 2022 is the MX-5 Miata Sport. This version is available only with a black soft top and features dual front airbags, side-impact airbags, and side-impact door beams. Mazda also integrates its i-Activsense safety features, including Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Smart City Brake Support, and Lane Departure Warning. Blind spot monitoring might seem like a waste in such a small vehicle, but convertibles tend to have significant blind spots due to the design of the soft top and relatively small rear windows.
The vehicle will be available with a new color called Platinum Quartz Metallic. Other standard features include metallic black 16-inch aluminum wheels, dual exhaust, LED headlights and taillights, gloss black door mirrors and high mount brake light cover, daytime running lights, variable intermittent wipers, and rear glass window with defogger.
The interior offers a seven-inch touchscreen display controlled by the steering wheel, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto support. Cloth bucket seats, six-speaker audio system, dual USB inputs, keyless entry, climate control, removable cupholders, power locks, and power windows are all standard. Sport is offered only with a six-speed manual starting at $27,300.
The most expensive 2022 Miata is the Club with Brembos and BBS Recaro Package. This version of the car is also offered exclusively with a six-speed manual and is available in soft top or retractable fastback versions. The soft-top version sells for $35,300, while the retractable fastback (RF) sells for $38,200.
It’s essentially the same car as the regular Club but adds Brembo front brakes with red-painted front and rear calipers. The car gets dark gunmetal 17-inch BBS forged wheels and heated Recaro sport seats. This version of the car also receives an aerodynamic kit that features gloss black side sill extensions and a rear bumper skirt. Buyers who opt for the RF get a hand-painted black roof.
he Club is the version of the car that many driving and track day enthusiasts want most. This version adds Bilstein dampers, a front shock tower brace, and gets a limited-slip differential. A limited-slip differential is an important piece of technology during hard driving, such as on the racetrack, which keeps the inside wheel from spinning in hard cornering.
Club gets wireless Apple CarPlay and SiriusXM satellite radio for its Bose nine-speaker audio system with subwoofer and headrest speakers. Other tidbits include gloss black front air dam, rear lip spoiler, and seatback trim. Sport buyers get black metallic 17-inch wheels, LED daytime running lights, trunk lid-mounted shark fin antenna, and a body-color high mount brake light cover. The Club interior features black cloth seats with light gray stitching and vinyl leather material. The Club model is only offered with a six-speed manual and soft top starting at $30,800.
The Grand Touring version of the car has the same performance and dynamic features as the regular Club while adding more comfort. Additional safety features include an adaptive front lighting system, high-beam control, and traffic sign recognition. The gloss black front air dam and spoiler from the Club are eliminated in the Grand Touring version.
Grand Touring buyers get 17-inch dark silver alloy wheels and body-color heated door mirrors along with an auto-dimming driver’s door mirror and door sill trim plates. An auto-dimming driver door mirror means drivers won’t get blinded by vehicles shining lights in the mirrors from behind. Headlights have automatic on-and-off functionality, and the windshield wipers are rain-sensing.
Grand Touring comes standard with black leather seats, but Mazda offers Terracotta Nappa Leather for 2022 as an upgrade that costs $300. While the Club had dark interior accents, the Grand Touring gets bright silver along with heated seats. Also standard is the Mazda Navigation system, automatic climate control, auto-dimming rearview mirror with HomeLink, and a three-year SiriusXM Traffic & Travel Link subscription. Grand Touring is the only version available with an automatic transmission. Interestingly, the automatic is cheaper than the six-speed manual.
The automatic transmission version starts at $32,300 for the soft top or $35,000 for the RF version. The six-speed manual starts at $32,800 for the soft top or $35,550 for the RF.
