2006 Mazda Miata Preview

2006 Mazda Miata (photo: Mazda)

Another significant change is a 75-mm increase in front track and a 55-mm increase in rear track, which are also supposed to contribute to improved handling.

The newly-developed rear suspension is engineered to ''enhance dynamic stability by optimizing the positioning of the tires on the road,'' says Kijima. To curb unwanted steering, the pitch motion of the body during acceleration and braking is tightly controlled by the dampers and by anti-dive, anti-squat geometry.

As for the brakes, the front rotors are 20 mm larger in diameter for improved thermal capacity and callipers are 25 percent stiffer. Brake hoses are less resilient and the power booster is 25.4 mm larger than before. Thanks to these revisions and improved front-to-rear balance, says Kijima, stopping distances achieved with the four-wheel single-piston-calliper disc system are ''exemplary.''

2006 Mazda Miata (photo: Mazda)

To some degree, the popularity of all vehicles depends upon how it drives, but it's rarely more important than it is in a Miata. So even though the designers talk big about your ability to shoot arrows from a galloping horse, it will require time behind the wheel before you can see if they really hit the bulls-eye with the new roadster.
photo:Mazda