Who flies across an ocean just to drive a Miata? WE DO! 🎶 Hey, NC. Are you MX-5? Hey, NC.🎶 2006 MX-5 NC NC! A generation we didn't do yet. Physically, dimensional-ly the largest of the series and also the UGLIEST. Look at those puffy cheeks smushing the headlights in, like a builder who's working a desk job now but still eating like he's framing all day. I'm experiencing an MX-5 in its correct environment and from the correct side of the car. Compared to the 1 liter petrol engines in Ford KAs and Honda Jazzs coughing up and down the lanes, the NC is a powerhouse. But... the MX-5 means different things in the United Kingdom than it does in the United States. In the USA, NCs are bought by 41-year-old men who are still rebelling against their Corvette conservative fathers, even though Dear Old Dad has one foot in the grave. But in the UK, a Mazda MX-5 NC is the go-to rear-wheel drive sports car you buy when you have more than two tuppence to your name. It's like the used S197 V6 manual Mustang you buy as a fun daily. Perfectly reasonable, and predictable as January snow. In the USA, Mazda was pushing the NC up-market and razzle-dazzle, fluff marketing, Ray-Bans, Nautica, Seiko watches, Grey Goose, Heineken, Brookstone, US Virgin Islands, Killington Ski Area, Christopher Cross. Eugghhhh..... Is that what's making Miatas so divisive? It's almost impossible for some people NOT to have an opinion on one end of the extremes. This NC is perfectly inoffensive for what it is. It's like white pizza on four wheels. It's not when you normally get, but it hits the spot. And yet on one end of the dial, you have these Miata fanboys who feel like Mazda can do no wrong, even when ditching the Miata name. And on the other hand, you have the people who feel Miatas come with a reputation for recklessness and hyperbole that's on par with what you probably hear about Mustang owners. But this the third installment in our "MX-5 Trilogy". We've never done the NC Miata before, and while it wasn't originally on our schedule for the UK trip, circumstances made the decision for us, so here we are. So, Ivan's Miata... The engine displacement is 1798cc, or 1.8 liters Ehhhhh.... 4-cylinder, 16-valve dual overhead cam-- You know what? You know this already. Why are we going over this? It makes 126HP and cuts a figure that brings to mind that one strip club in town where the bartender is hotter than any of the dancers. It's accessible, familiar, because this is one of those cars you probably formed an opinion of in your youth without even realizing it. A Miata is what you think rich people drive when you're 14 and don't know any better. It sounds exotic, like the Eastern European girl in your PoliSci class. The name and the implications distract from the reality that she probably uses the same dating apps as everybody else in class. MX-5 Miata NC, sponsored by: the guy whose favorite Rolling Stones song is "Bitter Sweet Symphony". The engine for the 2006 model is 42lbs lighter thanks to its aluminum block and plastic intake manifold and valve cover. "Car and Driver" says it's mounted 5.3 inches farther back. This is dumb. Why does this mean anything? Which means the 50/50 weight distribution is all you're - [reversed speech] - going to talk about at the bar. Ooh, look at you you got a Miata and now you get to talk about how you have a little less legroom because your engine's further close to you. Yeah it's 50/50, but it's not quite, it's in the back. It's like the NC was one gigantic placeholder before they finally got it right with the ND. "It handles." - the end of my bit about how it handles. Ivan's Miata has had some Issues that I never really knew about Miatas. I didn't even know they did this: every time Ivan has to replace the battery, the Miata has to relearn how to idle. This is because removing the battery causes the ECU to reset? I dunno. And then if you want to put the roof up, you have to roll the windows down a bit first. Which makes things awkward and clunky, which means you can pretty much forget about emergency roll-down procedures, unless you have a passenger who feels like helping to shove that roof back while at speed. The fuel release catch is also in the center of the dash for some reason. To say nothing about how this Miata leaks from its drain channel because of the seal fails, so water will pool around the passenger's feet like it's Milhouse's bedroom. Oh, and the seatbelts don't always retract automatically, which isn't that big of a deal, but then you gotta factor in that Ivan had to put in a bonnet due to a persistent rattle at high speeds. I feel like it cycles into the criticism that this generation of Miata wasn't as soundly made as its forebears because so much had changed from the original era. This is when the Miata name was first phased out and we had a car that looked to compete with the RX-8 by going lighter, stiffer, and even leaner in some places. But is it more powerful? Nope. Does it really handle that much better than other Miatas we've driven? Nope. An NC is a floppy, bigger NB. Is your dick really bigger after that 'janking' thing (or however it's pronounced)? [See: jelqing] Is the NC more poised than the lemon-strong NB? If you believe it, it is. But my butt-dyno and your stopwatch says otherwise. I think you're just jamming that wooden school ruler you stole into your groin pudge just a little bit more to give yourself a false start line, and that extra inch for all your effort. But this was the only car in the UK I had no anxiety about driving. It was all familiar on the inside. And it was the one I drove the most aggressively because I knew there would be no surprises. And that's what the NC is: no surprises. In Ford terms, this is the modular 3-valve that followed the modular 2-valve. Yeah, okay... But we still missed the 5-0. For better or worse, the NC is one of these cars that has developed a vocal community of opponents over its lifetime. Is it gatekeeping bros who don't want their corporate Track Day retreat ruined by slams shifting Forza addicts? Or is it people who feel they've been burned by a car and brand they were once loyal to, like a Nice Guy getting burned by The Girl Next Door? In the movie, the guy gets the girl by showing loyalty and sticking it out with her throughout all the bad boyfriends, so that she eventually comes to the realization that the perfect man was right in front of her this entire time. But life isn't a movie. Eventually the guy is going to get tired of pretending he has platonic motives and he's going to make a move or keep making things more and more awkward, to the point that she doesn't want to maintain the illusion of a friendship anymore. They stop hanging out and the girl moves on, but the Nice Guy doesn't. He spends his days trying to figure out what he did wrong, how she found out, which one of her friends told her how he really felt. But, dude... Dude. She always knew. But you were too thirsty. And the thirstier you are, the higher the risk that you're going to be resented for it. And that's kind of the story with the "Anti-NC Miata" movement: for as much as there are people who generally just don't like having a relatively inexpensive, open-top car that you can treat like a travel toothbrush on the racetrack, there are just as many people who hate MX-5 NCs as a reaction to the enthusiasm of MX-5 fanboys. Ultimately, it creates this weird vortex of people who probably share the same interests, but can't get along. Because I guess the only thing more hated than fake manual gearboxes is the feeling of people moving in on your territory. 🎶 Hey MX-5! 🎶 🎶 You're looking sexily alive 🎶 🎶 But are you still Miata? 🎶 🎶 Or are you just an MX-5? Hey, NC. 🎶
I get the feeling it's gonna be an Alfa Romeo Mito in the next few, saw one in the background of a shot.
I've never been able to figure out if I like or dislike the look of the NC. Sometimes I see one in the right colour at the right angle and I think that it's a nice looking roadster, but I just can't get used to the front end from certain angles and it looks fatter than the other Miatas.
I have a 2009 NC and most of the problems he lists were gone by that year (facelifted in 2008).
Still have to roll the windows down a bit but (I think) that's so that no water can get in the window seals. Also the driver side seatbelt doesn't retract all the way which is kind of annoying at first but I'm used to it now.
2.0-litre model has the advantage of being a good bit faster than the older mx-5 gens, the 1.8 doesn't really have that.
The NC doesn't deserve the hate it gets
Well that was a bit mean
That review seemed unnecessarily salty. As an NC owner I don't know why they are so maligned, but I think Mr. Regular is judging the platform unfairly. I wonder if that's because either (a) it's a UK spec or (b) 2006 was the first year for the NC and maybe it has issues. In the case of (a), the fact this Miata only makes 126hp has to be a big part of it. My 2008 NC makes 167hp. 40 horsepower is going to make a world of difference in a car that light. And in the case of (b), my NC is incredibly well put together and well-built, even after ten years. I don't have any of the leaks or rattles or other issues the owner of the UK-spec one has. It's been rock solid.
Still, though, the hate the NC gets is baffling to me. I've always thought the NC provided the best of both worlds. For all the shit it gets about being a "pig" (which is ridiculous), it still handles incredibly well, it has some modest creature comforts that weren't available before (i.e. heated seats), and this specific owner's NC aside they are still incredibly reliable. When I change the oil after 8000 or so miles, it's still got a gold tint to it. I've seen dirtier oil in most cars after only 1000 miles.
I have literally no idea what he was talking about with the roof, either. I regularly will put the top up or down while in motion at speeds up to 35-40mph. By myself. No passenger. Just reach back there, hit the release, and grasp firmly, and you can bring that top right back up at speed. Probably wouldn't want to be doing it on a windy day or at >40mph, but I've done it many times. With one hand.
Anyway, I just don't get it. The NC Miata is a great car. Full stop.
I feel like the fact that mr regular went to the U.K. And didn't drive on the roads is making him lose some of the cultural impact of the cars. He doesn't get anyone looking at him judging his car, like he does with the police interceptor and Elise videos, he doesn't live in the U.K. So he doesn't have the same familiarity with the cars to trusty tell what they're about. As much as I love his new videos, I get the feeling that they don't have as much impact as his American reviews.
I want my next car to be a Miata. I love the little guys.
The NC sucks, it's a really shitty car, nobody wants it. I can't believe Mazda let such a bad car through the design process. Everyone should get the NA, NB, or ND, way better cars than the NC.
Source: someone who wants to buy a NC for really cheap in a couple years.