Rob Corddry

Rob Corddry Instagram – I had the pleasure of driving the shit out of Mazda’s Mx-5 RF Miata for a weekend. My only complaint was that it wasn’t fast enough to go back in time to tell my younger self that one day car companies will be loaning me cars for the weekend. And that I was on Top Gear America and thus a defacto car journalist. Young me would shit his water-resistant parachute pants.
But the MX-5 RF was plenty fast for my practical (and impractical) use. That aside, the Mazda Miata has always had a huge problem and it has nothing to do with it’s 2.0L 16 valve 4 cyl engine, or the easy, singular experience you have smacking into a corner at 70mph. It’s a quick, uniquely controllable car that welcomes the driver into its tiny cockpit. You climb in like a fighter pilot to be pleasantly hugged by the considerately fashioned interior. The car is so small and feels so small inside it’s miraculous that it manages to be so Goddamn comfortable. It surpassed the Lotus Evora in this regard, a car I can’t help comparing it to. The three-times more expensive Evora is another “fun” car I had the pleasure of beating the crap out of, but it feels cheap and creaky compared to the Miata.
The problem the Miata can’t seem to shake is one of perception. People call its agility “go-kart handling” or in general it’s understood to be “a girls car”. I can’t decide whether or not this is an insult or a compliment to women AND/OR the Miata. Even worse, the best compliment most self conscious testers can muster is “it’s a fun car”. Even my Uncle, who had one for years, slapped a Ferrari sticker on it, fooling exactly fucking no one. Full disclosure, my uncle was a huge asshole.
But if “fun” is derisive then bury me in this car and don’t take the smile off my face (but do give me a little blush please). And if the satisfaction of shifting the 6-speed manual is only for “girls” then let’s stick driving a Miata somewhere in between “life-expectancy” and “general intelligence” in the long list of things women have over men. This is a real car, for serious girls AND boys. So if you’re looking for a place to put that Ferrari sticker, I suggest a better idea would be “up your own ass”
#miata @mazdausa #mx5rf | Posted on 20/Dec/2020 05:30:01