2026 Mazda MX-5 RF Review: Is a Miata With a Heavy and Pricey Hardtop Still ‘the Answer’?

Unless you’re trying to move a couch, I’m convinced it’s impossible to have a bad time in a Miata. So when they say “Miata Is Always the Answer,” I get it—but after a week behind the wheel of a fully specced 2026 Mazda MX-5 RF Club, I had some questions of my own. How would it stack up against the 2002 NB I used to own? Is the retractable hardtop actually worth the premium? Would I take this over a Toyota GR86? With the top down 99 percent of the time, I eventually got around to answering all three.

I’ve been a fan of the ND generation since it launched, and I was especially excited to spend time in the RF. I’ve owned my share of convertibles, including a second-gen MX-5, and a soft top always struck me as a maintenance item—light, foldable in seconds, but still prone to ripping and fading over time. Hard tops solved that on the first- and second-gen cars, but they were a pain to install solo, and you had to store them when they weren’t on the car. The third-gen NC finally split the difference with a power-retractable hard top, giving you the top-down experience without sacrificing a quarter of your garage to an unused hard top. The ND carries the PRHT torch, and it looks damn good doing it.

So here’s a 2026 MX-5 RF Club, dressed head to toe in every performance option Mazda offers, sent to answer a decade of ND Miata RF questions in one week of San Diego backroads and daily errands.

The Basics

The RF has been part of the ND lineup since 2017, giving buyers the choice between a classic soft top and this power-retractable hardtop that turns the car into a proper coupe at the push of a button. My tester came in the enthusiast-focused Club trim, loaded with the standard Brembo/BBS performance package. For non-RF models, the Brembo/BBS performance package is a substantial $ 5,050 add-on.

The ND generation is over a decade old at this point—it launched all the way back in March 2015—and its looks still hold up today. It’s sharper than its predecessors, with a pinch of aggression I always felt the Miata needed, and the retractable hardtop leans into that look so convincingly that people who don’t know anything about Miatas would swear this is just a coupe. One of my passengers found this out the surprising way: I intentionally didn’t retract the top for most of our drive, and when I finally did, her mind was blown. Details like the Aero Gray paint and front air dam complete the athletic effect.

Inside, the MX-5 shows its age gracefully. Alcantara covers most of the cockpit, carbon-fiber-style trim wraps the window controls, and a tasteful mix of matte plastics and piano black creates a fully intentional interior. Then there’s the steering wheel—synthetic leather, emphasis on synthetic—and it’s my one asterisk on an otherwise excellent interior. My right hand is wrapped around a genuine leather shift knob; my left hand, by contrast, is holding something that feels noticeably cheaper. In a fully loaded MX-5 pushing into the low $40,000s, that’s the only thing keeping this interior from being a 10/10.

Driving the 2026 Mazda MX-5

We all know the equation by now: lightweight, low power, high-revving. The ND makes 181 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque from its 2.0-liter four-cylinder, and in RF trim with the six-speed manual, it weighs in under 2,500 pounds. Power goes to the rear wheels through a limited-slip differential, which is the cherry on top of a formula that hasn’t needed any fixing since the pop-up headlight days.

As a daily commuter and errand-runner, the MX-5 turns any occasion into an experience—or rather, it has you looking for occasions to turn into experiences. I’m admittedly spoiled in San Diego, where the top can come down almost year-round, but even on a gray day I can picture myself retracting it just for the vibes. In fact, I never once skipped a top-down evening drive with the heater cranked—a ritual I learned from S2000 friends.

Driving something this light is liberating. It’s the automotive equivalent of a summer outfit: shorts, a flowy tee, breathable sneakers that can take a beating. There’s a freedom in shedding restriction, in feeling more air and less mass between you and the road. 181 horsepower and 151 lb-ft feels like the right amount for a car this light, though I wouldn’t say no to another 10 of each — but then, who would? The powerband lives in the midrange, which keeps things usable but leaves you wanting a bit more grunt up top. That’s been consistent across every generation of Miata I’ve driven, so at least it’s a familiar shortfall.

Reverse triggers the backup camera, which turned out to be more of a necessity than I expected. The RF’s “B-pillar”—really the fixed shell that houses the retracting roof mechanism—creates a real blind spot over your rear three-quarter, and the camera only partially makes up for it. Give your shoulder an honest look before merging on the freeway. My biggest complaint of the whole week, though, was the throttle. Compared to my NB Miata or 240SX’s drive-by-cable throttle, the ND’s drive-by-wire system introduces a noticeable delay—most obvious off the line and on downshifts. Going from fourth to third, for instance, I had to stab the throttle all the way to the floor just to get the rev-match into the right range. Annoying at first, but something I came to terms with by the end of the week. I’ll also note that I want more sound. I understand not wanting to annoy anyone who drives this car daily, but even at full throttle, the MX-5 remains quieter than I’d like. An OEM sport exhaust option would go a long way.

Where the RF earns its keep is in the twisties, and where it also starts to reveal some compromises. The Brembo brakes deliver a confidence-inspiring, progressive pedal feel, but given the badge, I expected a stronger initial bite—nothing a more aggressive pad compound couldn’t fix. The Bilstein suspension tells a similar story: it’s perfectly compliant over the street, the highway, and rough pavement, but I wanted more aggressive damping in the corners. As it sits, cornering feels smoother than the rollercoaster-like body control I’d expect from a car wearing this much hardware. Aesthetically, the fully equipped MX-5 rides a touch high for my taste. From the side, it’s practically begging for one more inch of drop straight from the factory.

That hardware isn’t free, either, and I don’t just mean in dollars. RF models run roughly 100 pounds heavier than their soft-top counterparts, and 100 pounds is still 100 pounds the 151-lb-ft engine has to haul around. If you’re planning to actually track this car, save the $8,000 premium and the extra weight by buying the non-RF Club instead.

The Highs and Lows

You never realize how special it is to own a convertible until you notice that literally everyone you give a ride to says they’ve never been in one, and seeing their reaction was the best part of the whole test. Retracting the roof at the push of a button never stopped being a party trick—the 13-second cycle time will test your patience if you’re used to a soft top’s three-second manual fold—but it’s worth the wait every time. Top down, the excellent nine-speaker Bose system blasting, this is the best grocery-getter in town.

The lows all trace back to the same source: the RF’s roof is a compromise dressed up as a solution. Going in, I was excited specifically for the RF’s ability to flip between open-top and coupe in seconds, and that part delivers. What I hadn’t clocked is that the open-top experience itself is only about half of what a true soft top gives you due to that fixed B-pillar shell. It’s closer to a T-top than a real convertible. Combine that with the previously mentioned blind spot, a synthetic-leather steering wheel, and Recaro buckets that hug you a little too tight for longer highway treks, and you have the extent of my lows for an otherwise outstanding ride.

Fuel Economy

To no surprise, the lightweight 2.0L MX-5 is a fuel sipper compared to pretty much any other sports car on the market. It’s rated at 26 mpg city, 34 mpg highway, and 29 combined. During my testing, I clocked 27 mpg combined—mind you, I was wringing out the gears every chance I had. That beats the MX-5’s closest competitor, the GR86, which gets an EPA-estimated 22 to 24 mpg depending on transmission.

Value and Verdict

So, the questions I started with. Compared to my old NB, the ND RF is the most sophisticated version of the Miata yet, while still retaining the same handling dynamics the MX-5 has had since birth. Is the RF worth it over the standard soft top? Only if the hardtop’s practicality and looks really stand out to you.

Again, the standard Brembo/BBS package on RFs helps justify the $8,000 upgrade. And would I take this over a GR86? I’d say it depends on whether you’d rather have rear seats or a top-down function. Let’s be real, though—the GR86’s 2+2 layout has rear seats so useless it’s basically a two-seater anyway, same as the MX-5. Still, I’m not quick to dismiss the usability of those seats. I love being able to throw things onto a rear seat, and the GR86 offers more legroom and reclinability than a Miata ever will. The MX-5 is a genuinely tight fit the closer your height gets above 5’10. One thing is for sure: coexisting with your environment, top down and music blasting, will always be a vibe.

Cadillac provided The Drive with a seven-day loan of this vehicle for the purpose of writing this review.

2026 Mazda MX-5 RF Club Specs

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