2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Just Won Best Performance Compact Award In Texas

The 2016 Mazda Miata has won the Texas Auto Writers’ Association’s (TAWA) award for Best Performance Compact. This is one of the toughest of the 17 different categories the group presents awards in. To win, the Mazda Miata had to overcome performance cars from such brands as Volkswagen BMW, Fiat, and Alfa Romeo. The Miata also stood out by earning the highest value score of all the 53 finalists in the event.

All-new for 2016, the Mazda MX-5 Miata is now a faster car than many performance cars, a departure from its past abilities.
- Click here to see a list of the performance cars a Miata can beat

However, it is the modern touches applied to a fun to drive roadster design that makes the new Miata so special. Nic Phillips, TAWA president, explained the win for the Miata, saying, “The Mazda MX-5’s combination of exterior, interior finish, delightful performance and overall appeal equated to one of the highest scoring vehicles in any category in this year’s Roundup, and just short of the overall Car of Texas award. To say the journalists were impressed is an understatement.”

- Check out some awards the Miata won before it was even launched
Coming in second to the 2016 Mazda Miata was the Volkswagen GTI, a vehicle which is hard to beat in this segment. Mazda also took home a second place win. Its Mazda3 Grand Touring 5-Door (hatch) was the runner-up to the Honda Civic Touring.
For the full list of results, please visit TAWA’s website. Photo courtesy of Newspress USA and Mazda.