Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring: Road Trip Journal

The Drive's Mike Spinelli takes a GoPro and reconnects with the Mazda MX-5, and other things, on a contemplative Southern California road trip up the coast.

It’s roughly 40 miles from the western fringe of Culver City to the roads that snake through the Santa Monica Mountains. These roads inspired generations of weekend racers and dynamics engineers to fine-tune their cars. They also match, in tone at least, those where Mazda’s R&D team first ran a well-disguised Miata prototype through the canyons further north in Santa Barbara back in 1985. Considering the Miata’s often-told backstory, it’s no stretch to say the little roadster wouldn’t have existed without Southern California’s geography to urge it on.

Full review at The Drive:

[phillm]

Runaway bulk is the cancer of the automotive world.

[eldoradomanchuria]

If you keep making these, I will keep watching. Rock on, Spinelli!

[TheMostSavageOfAllGeese]

Great camera angle!!! I thoroughly enjoyed watching the back of the seats as well as the back of your head for 4 mins!

[fortsonre]

Watching this as I eat on a road trip from LA to Texas with my new Miata GT. Great road trip car if you find the right roads.

[wrxtim]

Cool video. Most TV shows/movies from my childhood made me want to live in CA. Everything from CHIPS to Cheech & Chong. After 36yrs of living in Queens NY and the past 10yrs living in NJ, I'm finally moving to Santa Clarita CA. Can't wait to take my S2K on Angeles Crest Highway.
Thanks for sharing this video!

[gabeg]

Love the commentary; please keep it up!

[krazed]

3:58 - My boneless limb is pretty precise...

[VikramKrishnan]

I turo'ed a 2016 ND Grand touring last time I visited LA. So much fun!

[bistro]

We miss you Mike! Glad you’re back and making videos!!!

[libraful]

I drive an 06 and love it...I will eventually trade it for an MD, but it'll HAVE to be black like this one since the front window framing are all done in black, wish they would of stuck with making them the same color as the car, like they did on the NC models....Beautiful car, I love my NC, ONLY 87, 000 on the odometer, she runs like a champ!....and looks like a million bucks in the copper mica red, all stick 06 touring, with the 6-speed automatic transmission with manual mode and paddle-shifters (which I've never used, lol)...saying it's a joy to drive is an understatement.... I've never owned a vehicle that I've loved more than my "MX-5" (06 was the only year it wasn't called a Miata)

[googleguy]

Glad you're back. Thank you /DRIVE

[TrybalRage]

Kept feeling like I was listening to Ray Liotta narrating a weird miata-centric goodfellas

[WizardTerence]

In the gt you may feel the body movement of the body but in the club/GSP it's very grounded.

[aew]

Like the journal narrative format as different. But would like a bit more about the model you drove. Bilstein's? How did the new engine feel?

[Halfmoon]

Thanks for the ride ! Great vid of a great car ! 👌

[xlkwque]

Short but brilliant review, Rockford files link is a memory gem … thank you … from merry England

[johnellenberger]

Wonderful video of amazing scenery! My Miata is a 2021 GT also, but the RF in Soul Red. I'm in Colorado so I'm waiting on above 40f temps. :p A set of Flyin' Miata sway bars, Cravenspeed's short throw shift kit, and curves. and I'm a happy guy.

[apolloandratti]

More of this Spinelli. It takes a level of automative maturity and awareness (being "woke") when it comes to what truly matters in a driver's car, and fully embrace the Miata. Where is this road in Santa Monica? I gotta make sure to break my fasting there too.

[nate_d]

Loved the Rockford files....and the miata lol... oh, I have an NA, mariner blue.

[Lat]

Rockford files! I loved that show when I was a kid.