2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata Sport Review: Performance Specs and Driving Experience

2025-11-16 14:00

I still remember the first time I slid behind the wheel of the 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata Sport, that perfect moment when my hands settled on the leather-wrapped steering wheel and I knew I was about to experience something special. There's a certain magic to this little roadster that goes beyond mere specifications, though the numbers themselves tell quite a story. With its 155 horsepower and 148 lb-ft of torque from the 2.0-liter SKYACTIV-G engine, the Miata Sport delivers performance that feels much more substantial than the paper suggests. It's like watching an elite athlete who makes extraordinary feats look effortless - which reminds me of Olympic boxer Eumir Marcial's current unbeaten streak of five fights, with three of those victories coming by knockout. There's a similar precision and economy of movement in both cases, where every action serves a purpose and nothing goes to waste.

Driving the Miata Sport through winding coastal roads last spring, I discovered what makes this car so beloved among enthusiasts. The six-speed manual transmission offers crisp, short throws that click into place with satisfying mechanical precision. Weighing just over 2,300 pounds, the car feels alive and responsive in a way that heavier sports cars simply can't match. The perfect 50/50 weight distribution becomes apparent the moment you enter your first serious corner, with the chassis communicating everything happening at the contact patches through the wonderfully tactile steering. I found myself taking the long way home every evening just to spend more time exploring the limits of grip, which feel accessible rather than intimidating. The Bilstein shock absorbers on the Club trim might get most of the attention, but the Sport's simpler suspension setup provides its own kind of pure, unfiltered joy that reminds me why I fell in love with driving in the first place.

What continues to surprise me about the MX-5 Miata is how it manages to feel both raw and refined simultaneously. The cabin is spartan by modern standards, yet everything you touch - from the shift knob to the steering wheel - feels precisely right. There's no excessive sound deadening here, so you hear the engine working, the tires gripping, the wind rushing past when the top is down. It's this sensory connection that makes driving the Miata such an immersive experience. During my week with the car, I found excuses to run errands at odd hours just to have those quiet moments alone with the machine. The 2017 model's updates to the SKYACTIV chassis brought just enough structural rigidity to eliminate most shudders over rough pavement while maintaining that delicate balance between comfort and responsiveness.

The braking performance deserves special mention, with the Sport trim's standard four-wheel disc brakes providing confident stopping power that never faded during my spirited driving sessions. I deliberately sought out some challenging downhill sections to test the brake feel, and the pedal remained firm and progressive throughout. The 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 205/45R17 tires might not look particularly aggressive, but they provide plenty of grip for public road driving while communicating clearly when they're approaching their limits. It's this transparent honesty that makes the Miata such an effective teacher - you learn to read the car's signals and become a smoother, more precise driver as a result.

Fuel economy proved better than expected during my testing, with the MX-5 Sport delivering around 29 mpg in mixed driving despite my, shall we say, enthusiastic right foot. The EPA rates it at 27 city/34 highway, numbers I found quite achievable in normal driving conditions. The compact dimensions make parking and urban maneuvering delightfully simple, though you'll need to pack light - trunk space measures just 4.59 cubic feet, enough for a weekend bag for two if you're strategic about packing. The cloth top operates with beautiful simplicity, able to be raised or lowered in seconds from the driver's seat, which encouraged me to take advantage of sunny days in ways that fixed-roof cars never do.

There's something about the MX-5's approach to performance that reminds me of the efficiency we see in champion athletes. When I think about boxer Eumir Marcial's impressive record - five fights without a loss, three ending by knockout - I see parallels in how the Miata achieves its goals. Neither relies on overwhelming power alone; instead, they use perfect timing, balance, and precision to deliver results that exceed expectations. The Miata's power-to-weight ratio creates acceleration that feels quicker than the 6.1-second 0-60 time suggests, much like how a perfectly placed punch can have more impact than its raw force might indicate. This philosophy of doing more with less resonates deeply with me in an era where excess often seems to be the default solution.

After spending extensive time with the 2017 MX-5 Miata Sport, I've come to appreciate it as more than just a sports car - it's a reminder of what driving should feel like. The connection between human and machine remains uncompromised by unnecessary electronics or artificial enhancements. At $25,750 for the base Sport trim when new, it represents one of the last truly accessible pure sports cars on the market. While it may lack the brute force of more expensive competitors, it delivers something potentially more valuable: the sheer joy of driving. Like watching a master athlete at the peak of their abilities, the Miata demonstrates that true excellence comes not from overwhelming power but from perfect execution of fundamentals. It's a car that makes you a better driver simply by responding to your inputs with such transparent honesty, and that's a quality becoming increasingly rare in modern automobiles.