LOOKS

If you’ve never seen a Miata, I’ll sum it up quickly -- it’s real tiny. Two people fit in, and barely.

There’s a long nose up front, two tight seats for you and your lucky passenger, and a tiny bumper on the rear, with mostly just the road behind you.

There’s not a lot of leg room. And it’s not for extremely tall people (unless the top is down of course).  The soft-top convertible is put up and down manually (by hand), and is very easy to operate.

Outside, the Miata is beautiful, but my main concern with the look of the Miata is poor interior design. The cup holders are hard to reach, there’s little to no storage space inside the vehicle and it’s just not very user-friendly overall. I’m guessing Mazda was too busy focusing on the drive quality to think too much about these things.

ENGINE, HORSEPOWER

The 2016 Miata offers a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine … 155 horsepower and 148 lb.-ft. of torque. Those don’t seem like large numbers, but sometimes it’s not all about specs, it’s about the vehicle surprising you with what those numbers can mean.

You can either get a 6-speed sport mode automatic transmission with paddle shifters (which I had on my test vehicle), or you can choose a good old-fashioned manual transmission (the option most buyers are likely to choose -- as most of the Miata's typical crowd only considers it driving if you have a manual).

Either way, you’ll have tons of fun driving the Miata-- especially with the top down. There’s something intrinsically calming and freeing about driving a convertible. You’re one with the road, wind and sky -- not cooped up in a little box like all those other cars and trucks on the road. Not quite at the level of a motorcycle rider, but heading in that direction. It just feels right.

The Miata can be a bit noisy with the top up, but nothing too terrible or annoying. And of course, it’s rear-wheel drive. This is the kind of vehicle that people buy because they love to drive. Period.

When a vehicle is small and light and well-designed like the Miata, it just moves better. The Miata responds superbly to the driver’s commands, and you’ll enjoy driving it so much you’ll want to take the long way to get where you’re going.

There is almost no storage space (you might be able to fit a backpack), so it’s definitely not a grocery getter. The kids aren’t getting in here either. Whether it’s driven to and from work and that journey becomes a time you can enjoy each day, or you save it for the weekend and whatever country roads might be near you, the Miata is aimed at drivers who enjoy their journeys -- not people who simply want to get from point A to point B.

TECHNOLOGY, SAFETY
With a vehicle like the Miata, it’s impossible to be able to offer all the safety and tech options you’d get on something like a large SUV, but you do get some helpful features.
Lane departure warning system comes on higher trim levels, as does Mazda’s navigation system, a 7-inch touchscreen, and rain-sensing windshield wipers.

MPG
The official fuel mileage numbers on the Miata are 27 city/36 highway/30 combined, though this is one of the rare vehicles where actual testing often finds better mileage is being logged (especially on manuals).

PRICE, BOTTOM LINE
My test vehicle had some upgrades and came in just over $32,000; but the base price starts about $25K for the 2016 Miata.

A vehicle like the Miata is by nature a niche product; not everyone can fit a convertible two-seater into their lives from a simply practical approach, and even most of those who could get one might not be available to afford one.

But that’s where the Miata has an in -- it is affordable and it’s not the unattainable Holy Grail that so many sports cars are to the readers of automotive magazines who can only gaze at them in longing.

If you live in a climate where a convertible is feasible, or simply want a summer vehicle in the not-so-nice climates, you could do a lot worse than the 2016 Miata, which is simply a blast to drive (literally and figuratively).
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Matt Myftiu can be found on Twitter @MattMyftiu.