We’re approaching our first anniversary with the 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF, and we’re still loving this little roadster. Although it serves mainly as a weekend car, the Miata occasionally turns into a daily driver when we want a palate cleanser. Alongside the Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ, it’s fun personified because of its lightness and agility. The Miata’s driver connection remains a trademark, and it’ll fill you with glee every time you get behind the wheel. However, the Miata also has another ace up its sleeve: incredible MPGs.
You read that right, the 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata has excellent fuel economy. This generation, which debuted in 2015 as a 2016 model, never sacrificed frugality for the sake of fun. Even after the 2.0-liter I-4 got a significant power bump and a higher redline of 7,500 rpm, it remained surprisingly efficient. Early versions, which had 155 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque, were EPA-estimated at 27/34/30 mpg city/highway/combined with the manual. With the automatic, that number became 26/36/30 mpg. Meanwhile, 2019 and newer models make 181 hp and 151 lb-ft, yet the EPA MPG ratings remained identical. With the manual, it’s good for 26/34/29 mpg, while automatic models are rated for 26/35/29 mpg.
2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata: The Real World Says Something Better
You may be thinking the EPA estimates above aren’t that efficient. Certain hot hatches, sports sedans, and coupes with more power have higher ratings. That’s true, but in the real world, the Miata goes above and beyond. After owning four of them, including a 2016 and a 2019, every single fourth-generation Miata (ND for the chassis nerds) sips fuel.
How did Mazda pull this off on a sports car? Simple. Keep the car light. Every configuration except for the RF Grand Touring with the optional six-speed automatic gearbox weighs under 2,500 pounds. As a result, the engine doesn’t have much to lug around. It also has relatively skinny tires and small wheels: 205/45R17s on most trims or 195/50R16s on the Sport variant of the soft top. Put all of these together, and you get a sports car that’s crazy efficient without much unsprung weight to sap all of that precious high-revving power.
Coming into our first year of ownership, the Miata’s lowest fuel economy rating has been 29 MPG. That’s with most city driving and a couple of Angeles Crest runs. Spend more time on the highway, and that number increases. In mixed driving, we consistently achieve anywhere between 33 and 35 MPG, significantly higher than the EPA’s estimates. Go all highway, and the Miata effortlessly achieves upwards of 40 MPG. In fact, on one mostly highway drive, we averaged 45 MPG!
Hypermile a Miata?
You may be wondering, do you baby or hypermile your Miata? God no. We drive the car normally. No, we don’t push it hard all the time. Even then, it’s tough to get this car to guzzle fuel. It’s that efficient. Best of all, the Miata’s philosophy of keeping it light and simple proves you don’t need fancy tricks to achieve incredible efficiency. It’s all about execution and impeccable engineering.
The Miata continues to bring plenty of smiles to our faces. Everyone who drives it can’t stop grinning from ear to ear. Its impressive efficiency proves you can have a fun-to-drive car without sacrificing efficiency. However, just as in previous updates, you must be able to live with the Miata’s compromises, being a small two-seat sports car with a small trunk and an intimate cabin. For those lucky enough to fit one in their lives, you have one of the best driver’s cars on the market, alongside the Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ.
