Huge Winter Beater Comparo: 135i vs Miata

[AlienDNA]

Okay, so not so much a beater comparison, but I did finally manage to dig my Miata out of its snow bank today and I took it out for some hooning around.

First of all, after being literally on ice for a month or so, it fired up right away despite still having the original battery. A quick check of tire pressures showed one wheel down by one pound. The brakes were dirty and cold, but a couple of hard stops quickly cleared that up and I was off...

What I Miss About the Miata:

Shifter and Clutch: Direct, short and positive, BMW has a ways to go in this department. The 135 is very good, but the Miata is near perfect. You barely have to move your hand to shift, let alone your forearm. And you can operate the clutch by flexing your foot.

Handling: The 135 is tight and responds well to the helm, but the Miata is so direct and responsive. The BMW feels Buick-floaty compared to the little Mazda. I’m not saying the 135 handles poorly, just in comparison. It’s how I’d feel after getting out of a kart and into the Miata.

Gauges: White faced gauges should be mandatory in every car. But they should also have to have the faint cream colour and elegant font that Mazda used in the ’01 Miata.

Size: Sure, the 135 is small, but the Miata is positively little. It makes a big difference in the city. It’s also MUCH easier to put the Miata in the garage and still move around.

Lack of Power: Put the spurs to a stock Miata and you can redline two or even three gears without putting your driving privileges in jeopardy. Do that in the 135 and you’re just asking to be bent over the hood of a police cruiser.

Why I Still Love My 135:

Torque: Get angry with loud pedal in the BMW and it will slap you right back.

Brakes: Although the Miata is no slouch when it comes to stopping, the binders on the 135 are unreal. Sometimes I wish I could turn the ABS off, though.

Steering Wheel: I used to think the Nardi wheel in the Miata was the bee’s knees. It feels huge and Kate Moss-thin compared to the M-sport wheel.

Torque: I’m fairly certain the 135 can alter the orbit of the moon.

Styling: A second generation Miata is still a classically good looking car, but the 135 has a blatant aggressiveness that is hard to top. It’s one of the few BMWs that make Chris Bangle’s flame surfacing work.

Torque: I might have forgotten to mention the engine in the 135.

Comfort Access: What I once thought was a poncy (word? spelling?) option for poofters, I now couldn’t do without. I’m glad that my car buying odyssey caused me to end up with it. I only wish I could get it for my house and office. Having to stick a key in a door or ignition switch is what separates us from the animals.

Torque: Maybe it’s because I’m originally from Saskatchewan, but I’m partial to big, flat spaces...

Ride: Although the 135 gives a little bit away in the handling department, it’s not nearly as much as the Miata gives away in the ride department. Of course, I’m on the downward slope of 40, so your mileage may vary.

Regular Access and Practicality: I once managed to get a tent, air mattress, pump, two sleeping bags, clothes for two for four days, two set of formal wear, some hiking gear, SCUBA gear for one (excluding tank), two pillows, two heavy coats and enough Jimmy Buffett CDs to not have to listen to the same song between Toronto and Springfield, Illinois into the Miata *IN* the trunk (well, not the CDs, obviously), and drove to San Diego and back. It was fun, but it ruined the handling down the PCH. And it took an amazing amount of logistical work.

You don’t have to worry about that in the 135, plus I’ll be able to put a baby seat in it so my daughter will be able to appreciate the TORQUE. Also, my knees are completely shot from curling and canoeing (oddly enough, never had an injury from hockey or rodeo - go figure), so getting in and out of the 135 is much easier. I only wish I could convince the Ontario Region to adopt street tire classes for slalom.

Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other:

Noise: I haven’t really had a chance to compare the rumble of the 135 to the growl of the Miata al fresco, but they both have their appeal. I’m thinking the 135 really needs the Performance Exhaust, or maybe a Borla, to be summertime enjoyable; time will tell.

The 135 is more pleasant to deal with on a daily drive, but I still miss the visceral nature of the Miata once in a while. Plus, the overall quality of the BMW magnifies all the little rattles and creaks, while the Miata’s rattles and creaks (it is eight years old, after all) seem quaint by comparison.

Alphabet Soup: With ABS, DSC, DTS (and maybe even HIV and PQQ for all I know), the BMW makes it easy to drive quickly in the winter. Strike that: it makes it easy to accelerate in the winter. I’m still not convinced it makes it easy to drive quickly. When the roads are truly bad, I think the Miata’s lack of nannies make it more communicative. Sometimes I think the BMW makes life easier, sometimes I think it just makes me one of those drivers who don’t have a clue what’s going on.

Seats: Back and forth, and recline a little a bit, and it’s all manual: those are the limits in the Miata. Given that, it’s a compliment that the seats in the Mazda are so comfortable on long trips and quite supportive on the track. For the price, these stock seats should be in some sort of hall of fame. At the same time, the 135 seats are impossible to be uncomfortable in, but that’s largely because I have the full power nonsense. And it’s winter, so the heated seats are a huge novelty for me. We’ll see if they’re still Miata-comparable this summer.

Interior: Mazda wins big time on styling. The second gen Miata hits all the right notes for sports car styling. The previously mentioned white gauges are a plus, but the dash styling blends all the best elements of the 240Z, early C4 Vette and every classic English sports-car you’ve ever heard of but are too afraid to own. The plastics are softer and less shiny than the BMW and, new, they moan less in cold weather.

The 135 seems to have better construction overall, and makes up for some dumb ergonomic mistakes (they might as well have put the door pulls in the engine bay for all the good they do; the wiper LED being blocked from view unless you happen to be Stephen Hawking, etc.) with some really excellent ergonomic triumphs (who ever would have thought the left and right arm rests could be the same height and distance, and you could keep both your hands on the steering wheel while using them.) The leather’s nothing special, though, and I would’ve got with the fake stuff if I’d ordered the car.

I certainly hope this review helps all you folks out there trying to decide between a decade old Miata and a new BMW. :biggrin:

[ZIPNBYE]

I'm there too...in so much as I have a 3rd gen Miata (sorry, never did find the re-fresh of the 1st gen that was the 2nd gen turning my crank) after many years with a turbo-charged 1st gen Miata, and now with the addition of the 135i.

Light years apart, and yet very similar. It wasn't until I got the 135i though that I realized how much I missed boost (I sold the turbo'd 1990 Miata in October 2006 a few months before picking up the 2007 Miata) and it's been a while. The arrival of the 135i though has stalled my plans for the Cosworth supercharger for the new Miata...but not for long.

It's nice to find kindred spirit on the board!

[atr_hugo]

Since I came out of a Miata into the 135i I'd agree with everything you said (but quibble about the black on white gauges - especially at dawn and dusk).

The Miata is one of the most 'connected' cars ever built (and surprisingly I did not find the NC as good as the NA or NB).

[ZIPNBYE]

Originally Posted by atr_hugo

The Miata is one of the most 'connected' cars ever built (and surprisingly I did not find the NC as good as the NA or NB).

I thought so too...about the NC (3rd gen speak for those non-Miata folk).

But, wrapped up in all of the (re-)design philosophy on the car was that it shall not have any more grip than the out-going car...so as to remain as fun. The result of that has really been to showcase how a manufacturer can hobble a car, in so much as the chassis of the NC (shared with the RX-8) is amazing...it's just the shocks, springs, and anti-sway bars...along with miserable oem tires...that Mazda put on it. Once a few simple replacements or tweaks are made, the car is in another league.

Truly, the NC / 3rd gen (2006+) is the better car, but the NA / 1st gen (1990-97) is the better Miata. Thankfully, in my life, I've had both.

[amigo]

Thx what a hoot. I just gave my NB miata to my daughter for her birthday. So I get to drive it now and then. My wife would have made me sell it. But thank the Lord for TORQUE