I drive a NC touring Miata,
I drive a NC touring Miata, this is my 3rd Miata going from the early NA. I recently test drove the ND Miata and was not impressed at all in comparison with My NC. Power appeared only similar, the engine in my opinion was not as good as the 2liter Ford engine on the NC. Mine revs more freely and eagerly to 7200rpm and also seems more torquey. The shorter wheelbase and the cramped confined interior I didn't like. Due to the lower weight it felt much more darty and unrefined with cramped interior in comparison to my great NC; and no glove box and a smaller trunk, plus cup holders that you have to physically manually put in place! I have the NC with the electric hard top, and it just feels so superior and handles great with an excellent smooth ride with minimal body roll in comparison. All I have done to improve the handling, ride, and power is as follows, which has transformed the car with minimal cost involved. Koni shocks and ugraded springs, stiffer sway bars, and a full stainless steel free flowing exhaust system with four branch manifold, and that is all. Just a couple of days ago I went and test drove the new Fiat 124spider (the already so called "Fiata"). I was even more so totally disappointed with the driving of it in comparison with the ND Miata I recently drove! Let me just say, I love the styling, far more than the ND but that is just personal taste. But again, in comparison, the ride was poorer, less smooth, particularly in comparison with my NC, but that 1.4 turbo engine was horrible. Unless you floor it, it is gutless under normal driving conditions, the only time I got any power was when I floored it, and then there was turbo lag, and that higher torque figure didn't show at all until you really put your foot down, and then again, to my surprise, it didn't feel nearly as responsive or fast accelerating as the ND or my NC. The handling was very good with minimal body roll and better in this respect that the ND Miata, but no better than my NC. When I got back in mine and drove home, it fealt like "night and day"!! In every area mine felt superior and more refined, faster, more torquey and responsive, far better throttle response, less cramped, more storage space, a glove box, superior steering feel, and superb handling.
What can I say further? For me, having tested both, and thus all three back to back, in summation, the ND is a far better to drive sports car, far more engaging for the enthusiast than the Fiat. The Fiat looks great but the engine really lets it down with very poor throttle response and really lacking good linear power unlike the other two. All in all I will def stick with my NC with the electric all weather hard top, and with the few excellent modifications above, is, in my humble opinion, the best of the bunch, with def the best power train and feels so much more refined - I was shocked and surprised to say the least. Just to confirm, I am a long time Miata owner having owned 3, and now driven them all inc the Fiata, but give me the NC touring package any day and spend just a modest amount on the few improvements I made to mine and you will own one of the greatest affordable sportscars ever!