Some stats:
3 liter inline 6
230hp RWD coupe
0-60 in 5.9
3,200 lbs
Good things first. This car handles unbelievable!. I haven't ever driven a well built miata but I assume this is why people love a car that handles so well. You would never know this car weighs 3,200 lbs by driving it. The car feels perfectly balanced. Turn in, steering feedback and chassis composure combine to make the best handling car i have ever driven by far( haven't driven many).
The car has awesome grip, and stays nice and flat through corners. This thing is absolute blast to drive around quickly in. Again a almost perfect balance of smooth comfortable ride with stiff quick reacting suspension.
Engine:
The inline N/A 6 cylinder loves to rev. Gives good acceleration with a decent amount of usable torque down low. Not as fast as my 335 but downshift 2 gears and the cars gets up and moves. Good highway passing power, with just enough power to keep it fun on surface streets. EPA claims a estimated 28mpg on the highway, I am only getting 20.8 with the way i have been driving it. The 135i i am guessing is a incredible car, the 128 feels quick already with 230hp. This car with 300 would be a beast. And the new 1M with 350hp would be a downright monster, a most likely perfect weekend track car I would love to own.
Transmission:
The car in auto mode does a good job of staying out of thought. The gear shifts are smooth and seamless and the power delivery is linear at WOT from 3k rpm to redline. Downshifting puts the power on fast, and the revs freely fall after a quick upshift.
My loaner came with the flappy paddle gearbox which is a lot of fun, but they are attached to the steering wheel and i found it bothersome to use when turning. I would much rather have them fixed in the column as it was hard to up-shift with the my hand position while turning so i used the gear shifter most of the time in manual mode. My only qualm with the manual mode was it the up-shifted, and down-shifted automatically depending on throttle input.
Exterior:
My loaner came in the Space Gray color. It's a really nice metallic color while not loud or gaudy very nice up close and shows the lines nicely. The shape is a elegant but aggressive. Just enough to not be mistaken as a "girls" car. The lines are clean and leave the car with a good stance, but not in a boy racer batmobile kind of way.
Interior:
Black leather covers most if the interior and everything is clean and functional. It is very tight though. Headroom is scarce even for me at 5'8". The seats are nice and supportive but not very comfortable at first. I have sat in for a long time messing with the controls and lumbar support to get it just perfect. Luckily with all the controls the seats have comfort can be found just after a lot of trail and error.
The backseats are nice but are pretty much there for decoration. From where i sit on the drivers i seat and reach back and touch the back rest of the rear seats. Very small and tight.
CONS:
Very small interior with not much head room. Audio system sucks once again. The stereo sounds better in this car then my 335 but i think this is due to the much smaller interior as opposed to a better sound system. Kinda of a lot of road noise but nothing really intrusive. Again as i have said before this car should come with at least 18in wheels. The stock 17's are nice but some 18's would really give it a much more aesthetic stance. The car itself is not very practical. It would be a great second car but not much interior or trunk room makes it tough if you have any need for cargo.
Overall :
A great car. Easily the best handling car I have ever driven. The engine has a great sound and good power. I would opt for the 135 with 300hp but the 230hp with the 128 is more then ample and a lot of fun. Not very practical but a great drivers car, and I would love to have this car for a track day. In stock form is feels like it would be more then capable to put down some fun laps.
Thx for reading and sorry for the cell phone pics
