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Ruminations in winter | 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata long-term update

Winter is an odd time for our 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club long-term tester. In the summer, the track beckons. Fall and spring bring top-down adventures at sunset. But our Miata is a little out of its enthusiast element when the weather is harsh and our moods grow as gray as a January day in Michigan. Sure, there's the occasional snowstorm, and equipped with winter tires the Miata can be a fun toy. But what about when it's just cold and dreary? We had a lot of time to reflect on our MX-5 these past few months, and we still managed to find enjoyment in the little things - even though admittedly this is not the time of year when the Miata shines. For starters, we taught associate video producer Amr Sayour how to drive a stick shift with the Miata. With its agreeable clutch and short throws, the six-speed manual was the perfect learning instrument for Sayour. His teacher, Adam Morath, actually had to show him how to stall. Arguably, learning to drive a manual isn't a little thing, but it was these run-of-the-mill events that showcased the Miata could be more than tolerable in winter. Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale used it for a 500-mile roundtrip to pick up a new pet and found it was a little tight for dog and driver. Though Stocksdale still enjoyed the sports-car feel, he came to the conclusion that "Miata is always the answer, but not always the best one." We also quickly realized the MX-5 isn't a great commuter car, nor did we expect it to be. It's low to the ground. It's loud. The small cabin has a greenhouse effect, and the windows fog easily. "If you have a Miata, it will creak and rattle in the winter. A lot. Nothing out of the ordinary here - this is a convertible with a lot of flexy parts - but something the casual shopper might not be aware of," Editor-in-Chief Mike Austin noted. Still, he found ways to have fun. "On the upside, winter tires = low-speed power oversteer." We had a lot of time to reflect on our MX-5 these past few months, and we still managed to find enjoyment in the little things. Speaking of those snowshoes, Stocksdale said they made our Mazda a "perfectly acceptable winter ride." Keeping the traction control on, he navigated his neighborhood roads in packed snow with little trouble. Like Austin advised, be aware of the ground clearance; Stocksdale got hung up in deep snow while attempting to scale his driveway.

The spirit of these 7 weird Mazdas lives on in today's cars

HIROSHIMA, Japan — When visiting the Mazda Museum in Hiroshima, housed amidst the company's main manufacturing site on the shore of the Enko River, you can follow Jujiro Matsuda's early 20th century entrepreneurial path from artificial cork manufacturer to machine and machine toolmaker, to motor vehicle producer. But probe a bit deeper into the exhibits, and you can uncover more than just a chronicle of corporate achievements: delightfully weird outliers, paragons of oddball design, engineering and marketing solutions It's looking at these delightful misfits that really illustrates Mazda's tale. You can also see precisely how many of these vintage conveyances led directly (or indirectly, or obtusely) to Mazda's most iconic American-market cars and trucks. Our seven favorite precursors, and their lovable successors, are listed below. 1931 Type TCS/Mazda B-Series Mazda's first vehicle was this little three-wheeler, powered by an air-cooled, one-cylinder motor. Because the company lacked a distribution network at the time, the trucklet was marketed by Mitsubishi; hence the three-diamond pattern on its side. All of this is very reminiscent of the company's eventual foray into the U.S. market, where its sales were spearheaded by compact pickups. The B-Series, which was one of the first Mazda vehicles available in the U.S., arrived in 1972, and stuck around through the first decade of the 21st century. Like its partnership with Mitsubishi, Mazda teamed up with stakeholder Ford to market this little truck as Ford's first small pickup, the Courier, the precursor to the Ranger. There was even a rotary-powered B-Series for a few years, but we're getting ahead of ourselves. 1968 Bongo Van/Mazda5 The Bongo allegedly was the first one-box van design in Japan, and apparently it was so popular that the name Bongo became, for a period of time, the generic metonym for the category—the way that Kleenex is a stand-in for all facial tissue. With a tiny rear-mounted engine and a planar expanse of metal to push around, it was not particularly fast, but it was both spacious and innovative. The same could be said of the brand's mini-minivan, the Mazda5, which was available for a couple of generations in the States in the Aughties. Sadly, the name 5 never caught on as a synonym for fun-to-drive family hauler, at least not yet, and the category itself (like nearly every other car category) was crushed in America by the rise of the crossover.

Mazda Heroes contest's 50 winners announced, will receive free Miatas

The Mazda Heroes program is finally announcing its winners. If you recall our original story back in October this year, Mazda said it was giving away 50 MX-5 Miata 100th Anniversary Special Edition models. Each car is destined for individuals who “tirelessly dedicated themselves to their communities throughout 2020” through “selfless acts, creative thinking and contributions to community.” The battle against Covid-19 has been long, and itÂ’s not over, but Mazda is trying to bring a little convertible happiness into an otherwise bleak year. One of the winners, Jason Erdreich, is featured in the video at the top of this post. He used his skills as a shop teacher and access to 3-D printers to print thousands of pieces of PPE for medical workers who were in dire need of it. He also appears to own an NA Miata, so heÂ’s no stranger to MazdaÂ’s roadster. Mazda Heroes winners: Miata View 4 Photos Five other winners were announced today: Triana Davis, Christie Purviance, Jennifer Williams, Leandro De Arauja Pessoa and Michael Star Thompson. Davis is a teacher who went above and beyond to keep her kids engaged and inspired during at-home school. She personally delivered custom work packets to studentÂ’s doors and crafted a huge number of items like medals and commemorative T-shirts. Purviance is an ICU nurse in Texas. SheÂ’s worked 15-hour shifts through the pandemic. Her coworkers say she goes beyond the normal standard of care, treating her patients like family throughout her grueling days on the frontlines. Williams is a school teacher in West Virginia. Throughout the pandemic she has put together and personally delivered packets of schoolwork and school supplies to her students to reduce the amount of travel parents must do for their kids. She's even adjusted her curriculum to teach students about cooking and other home-related necessities. On top of that, Williams has tried to keep children's spirits up by delivering special treats and prizes to doorsteps. Araujo Pessoa lost his job after the lockdown hit in March, but he ended up using all his extra time to become the leader of a food pantry run by a local church in Lansing, MI. He has devoted his time and much of his unemployment checks to the food pantry to keep it stocked with all the items necessary. Thompson lives in Georgetown, Kentucky. He volunteers often at a local homeless shelter where he runs a Bible study and cleans bathrooms.