Sometimes you just want pure sports car fun. Nothing gives you that experience at a reasonable price point like a Mazda Miata. There are even some hardcore enthusiasts who would like to use a Miata daily, and for them Mazda offers the RF, or Retractable Fastback. It is the folding hardtop version of the Miata. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I prefer the racy looks of the RF compared to the soft top convertible version. Moreover, the RF gives a whole new level of practicality. Long road trip? Deploy the top for the highway portion so you don’t get wind fatigue and noise is kept at bay. Winter? No worries – you have your glass rear windscreen with an integrated rear defroster. No big deal if a few inches of snow falls on the hardtop roof. So, you get the ultimate versatile sports car experience of open-air motoring at the push of a button.
Wonderful Mechanical Origami
The Miata’s RF top can open or close in about 13 seconds. The hardtop is able to hide itself in an area between the trunk and the rear deck while still leaving a reasonable amount of trunk space. If you are single, it will be enough for your groceries. If you are a couple, it will be good for a few overnight bags for a weekend getaway. The best part is the ease of use. There is a toggle switch on the dashboard with a pictogram of the car with the top down and the top up. Just press the button in the direction you want the top to be, and it will beep when the operation is complete. Although the top does not like being operated while going quickly — it works at speeds up to six MPH. This allows you to time the operation at a traffic light, and if you get beeped because the light turns green, you can gently start to pull away to calm the nerves of the impatient. There are no latches to lock it in place – the latch is electromechanically operated. Mazda sure got the top actuation correct on the RF.
Fast Enough for Fun
According to Mazda, since its debut for the 2016 model year, the fourth generation MX-5 Miata has benefited from Mazda’s philosophy of kaizen, with their engineers continually fine-tuning the sports car in search of driving nirvana. The list of changes and updates is comprehensive — from the steering, engine, transmission, and available limited-slip differential to the exterior, interior, technology, and packaging changes. For 2025, the Skyactiv-G 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine produces 181 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 151 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm, with a 7,500 rpm rev limit. Chasing the red line is made that much more fun thanks to a standard six-speed manual transmission. My RF tester was paired with the snickity-snick six-speed manual transmission. With the extra power, finding the exact right gear is not an issue. The car will happily travel up a hill at 30 MPH in sixth gear without lugging along. But when you want to drive hard, you will be rewarded with a near-perfect manual transmission experience.
But is it Safe?
Being in a small roadster next to big rigs can be a bit unnerving for passengers. Mazda notes safety is a primary focus of the two-seat roadster, featuring dual front airbags, side-impact airbags, and side-impact door beams, in addition to electronic i-Activsense safety features. These include Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Smart Brake Support, Lane Departure Warning, and Secondary Collision Reduction. I like the feature, as in other Mazda vehicles, that alerts the user of the posted speed limit to keep things under control. The three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel has a tilt and telescoping function and buttons to control the audio, Bluetooth, and cruise control. There are dual USB-C inputs so the driver and the passenger can plug in their devices without having a fight over a receptacle.
The Infotainment
So far, we have a near-perfect roadster experience, but I was let down by one thing: the infotainment. I was excited for wireless Apple CarPlay – a new feature that also allows you to use the RF’s 8.8-inch touchscreen instead of the Mazda Commander Control. Pairing took me a while to connect to my iPhone 16. But the Mazda and the smartphone eventually played nicely together, and we were off on a road trip. I prefer Google Maps that can be accessed through CarPlay. However, every time there was an alert on Google Maps (like traffic or police spotted), it would kick me out of CarPlay and revert to the native nav system. OK, I’ll just load my destination into the native nav, but using the Commander, it was a chore. The touchscreen isn’t available for this task. So, a near-perfect experience was sullied by software niggles. I think that Mazda will eventually nail it, but someone needs to look at the wireless CarPlay and using non-Apple apps. Alexa is built-in, but I don’t think she could help the situation. The Bose audio system is good for a roadster where there is limited room, but it could use a little more oomph. If you are willing to sacrifice a little trunk space, an aftermarket mobile electronics specialist can help you with a small subwoofer solution.
The Mazda Miata RF was a near-perfect motoring experience, aside from some wireless CarPlay issues. Try your phone at your dealer’s lot if you are looking for a roadster. If everything pairs nicely, I would have no problem handing over the $39K for a fully-loaded fun machine that is even sprinkled with practicality.
