We recently spent a week with the MX-5 Miata RF Club, finished in a beautiful Deep Crystal Blue Mica, and found ourselves smiling almost every time we climbed behind the wheel. During our week together, the Miata handled all the normal duties we ask of a vehicle — trips to work, running errands and the everyday driving that makes up most of our time on the road.

But it was when we pointed the little Mazda toward Provo Canyon for a leisurely Sunday Drive that we really began to understand what makes the Miata such a special car.

The destination was Heber, but getting there was really only part of the fun.

The MX-5 Miata has always been about the experience of driving rather than simply getting somewhere. The RF, with its retractable hardtop design, adds another dimension to that experience while maintaining the lightweight, two-seat character that has made the Miata a favorite among driving enthusiasts for decades.

A Miata that looks the part

Mazda’s design philosophy is easy to see in the MX-5.

The company calls its design language Kodo, a Japanese philosophy centered around creating a sense of motion and life even when a vehicle is standing still. That idea works particularly well on the Miata because there isn’t much excess to hide behind.

The MX-5 is small, low and purposeful.

Our Deep Crystal Blue Mica test car looked especially good as the sunlight changed across its sculpted body. The long hood, short overhangs and compact cabin give the car classic sports-car proportions, while the modern lines keep it from looking like a retro recreation.

The RF adds a distinctive appearance with its retractable hardtop. With the roof in place, the MX-5 has the look and feel of a small coupe. Open it up, however, and the experience changes immediately.

That versatility is one of the RF’s biggest attractions.

It provides the security and appearance of a hardtop when you want it while still giving you the open-air experience that is such a big part of the Miata formula.

Small car, big personality

Getting into the Miata after spending time in larger SUVs and crossovers is almost comical at first.

Everything is lower. The cabin is snug. The windshield seems much closer. You sit low to the ground. And there isn’t a lot of unnecessary space between the driver, passenger and controls.

And that’s precisely the point.

Mazda has long talked about its approach to human-centric engineering. Rather than simply designing a car and then figuring out how people will interact with it, Mazda studies how humans naturally move and tries to make its vehicles feel like an extension of the person driving it.

The company refers to this philosophy as Jinba-ittai, a Japanese term describing the harmony between horse and rider.

In the MX-5, that philosophy becomes much more than a marketing phrase.

The steering wheel, pedals, shifter and driver’s seat all seem to work together to make the car feel intuitive. You don’t have to think about what the car is going to do next. You simply drive it.

That connection is one of the reasons the Miata continues to stand apart in a world where vehicles are becoming increasingly large, powerful and technologically complicated.

The club is about the drive

The Club trim is particularly well suited to someone who wants the MX-5 for what it does on the road.

There is nothing wrong with luxury, but the Miata doesn’t need a long list of gadgets to make driving entertaining. Its greatest feature is the way it responds when you turn the steering wheel, press the accelerator or shift gears.

The lightweight nature of the car is immediately noticeable.

You don’t need enormous horsepower numbers to have fun when there isn’t a lot of vehicle to move. Instead, the Miata encourages you to carry momentum, choose your line and become involved in the drive.

That became especially apparent as we headed up Provo Canyon.

A Sunday drive worth taking

The road from Provo to Heber is one of those stretches of Utah highway that makes it easy to understand why we call our column “Sunday Drive.”

The scenery is beautiful, but the road itself provides plenty of opportunity to see what a vehicle can do.

We weren’t looking to set any speed records. This was a leisurely Sunday drive, giving us the chance to settle into the Miata and really experience how it behaved on canyon roads. The MX-5 proved to handle just as advertised.

The steering felt direct, the chassis stayed composed through the curves, and the car seemed eager to change direction. Because the Miata is so compact, the road doesn’t feel as wide or distant as it can from behind the wheel of a larger vehicle. Instead, you feel connected to it.

Turn into a corner and the MX-5 responds without drama. The car feels balanced and predictable, encouraging you to enjoy the road rather than constantly reminding you that you’re operating a machine.

That is perhaps the best description of the Miata: It doesn’t feel like you’re operating a car as much as you’re participating in the drive.

As we climbed toward Heber, the Miata seemed perfectly at home winding through the canyon. The combination of its small footprint, responsive handling and low seating position made every curve interesting. And that’s what we enjoyed most.

Everyday Miata

While the canyon drive was certainly the highlight of our week, most of our time with the MX-5 was spent doing exactly what most people do with their cars.

We went to work.

We ran errands.

We drove around town.

And that experience reminded us that the Miata isn’t simply a weekend toy. It can be used as everyday transportation, provided you understand what you’re buying.

The two-seat configuration obviously limits practicality. If you need to haul several people, a load of groceries or a couple of grandchildren, the MX-5 probably isn’t going to be the first vehicle we recommend.

But for one or two people, it can be surprisingly enjoyable as a daily driver.

The small size makes it easy to maneuver and park, and the simple, driver-focused cabin means you don’t spend much time wondering where you’re supposed to find something.

Of course, getting in and out requires a little more effort than climbing into a crossover. At our stage of life, that’s something we noticed every time.

But once you’re seated, the low driving position is part of the experience.

At the end of the week

It is easy to look at the automotive world today and wonder where a small sports car like the MX-5 fits. We have SUVs, electric vehicles, hybrid powertrains, three-row family haulers and pickup trucks that can do almost everything.

The Miata doesn’t try to compete with any of them. Instead, it focuses on something increasingly rare: making driving itself the reason to get behind the wheel.

After a week with the 2026 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Club, we found ourselves looking for excuses to drive it. That’s the magic of the Miata.

Base price: $41,900

Destination charge: $1,235

Price as driven: $43,135