My first car was a (very) used ’68 Fairlane 500 with a three-speed shifter mounted on the wheel. I’ve been a sucker for shifts ever since. Aren’t you?
I’ve also been a sucker for the MX-5 since my first tester. This was my 22nd model in as many years and they’ve never made an embarassing one. Just how long have they been making Miatas? When that peanut car launched in 1989, “Seinfeld” and “The Simpsons” had both launched.
But unlike so many cars (and haircuts, and clothes) from the 80s and 90s which seem a tad ridiculous to us today, the MX-5 Miata has never had an awkward stage in those 33 years, and the 2022 model is still one of the funnest, smartest and affordable convertibles available.
As to the challenger, the 2022 Toyota GR86:
It’s gorgeous from all angles but its strength is in its handling, especially when equipped with (optional) high-performance summer tires. This year brings us a 2.4 litre engine capable of blasting you from 0-60 in about 6 seconds, and a naturally aspirated boxer engine means there isn’t any turbo and you don’t miss one. The drive is spirited and alive, as it should be, as well as balanced and responsive and a pleasure.
Let’s see who wins in each category.
Price: GR86
2022 Toyota GR86 Premium: $30,300 MSRP $32,658 w/all options
2022 Mazda MX-5 $35,000 MSRP $36,610 w/all options
You’ll probably have an easier time laying hands on an MX-5, though, than the ultra-hot, ultra-new, ultra-praised and ultra-worshipped GR86. There are also a substantial amount of used Miatas out there.
Mileage: MX 5
MX-5: 26 MPG city, 34 highway, 29 combined
GR86: 20 city, 27 highway, 22 MPG combined
Much depends on your foot, of course, and your terrain. But the MX-5 never got a move on in low gears without tons of accelerator pedal, and I just took to driving it normally rather than pretending I had any kind of ferocity under the hood, and thus my mileage was good. The GR86s beg to be hammered, and one hammers, and one suffers at the pumps. But that’s the idea, boss.
Connectivity: GR 86
With speed of connection being the only criteria to win this test, Toyota had it in the bag at 47 seconds to sync my Droid with the sound/phone system. I had MX-5 for seven days and it never connected me after repeated attempts. and I did without it. Both cars have great heat. I did not use the Nav sys on the GR86, and the MX-5 was not equipped with one.
Body: GR86
The MX-5 is gorgeous, of course, but the GR86 nudges ahead with its bulging curves and angular lines, and it got comments from strangers, whereas no one made a peep about my MX-5.
Interior: GR86
The GR86 provides a reasonable amount of interior space for its size. My passenger in the MX-5, however, is 5’8 and she had to fold her legs sideways to fit, so forget the MX-5 if you’re a tall drink of water.
Engine: GR86
In this case, “GR” stands for “Grrrrr.” It packs a 2.4 litre, 4-cylinder Boxer DOHC engine making 228 horsepower, whereas the MX-5 has a dinky-winky 2.0 litre, DOHC, 4-cylinder engine making 181 HP.
Shifter: MX-5.
I found the MX-5 shift smaller, tighter and better able to communicate with my hands and feet. I found the GR86 shift a pleasure but also ever-so-numb by comparison.
The Drive: MX-5
The MX-5 is small, light, nimble and handsome, and so is its handling, acceleration and braking. This is true in parking lots, in your driveway, on your street or on the freeway late at night when you fly.
I felt, with the GR86, that I wanted to bond with it more than I did after a week of blasting up mountains, around turns, on straightaways and coming home at night wanting to feel like you just left Great Adventure. It is sweetly nervous, it is a more brutal machine by far, but just not as much fun as the MX-5.
Winner: MX-5.
