Crossfire Vs. MX-5
MX-5 Vs. Crossfire
It’s been 2 months since I purchased the MX-5 PRHT GT and I thought it would be appropriate to give my opinion on the two 2-seater cars in my life. I’ve broken it down into a few categories to make it an easier read.
Exterior
Funny thing, even though the Crossfire is a rarer car I get more comments/stoplight conversations with the Mazda. Of course no one asks me “what is it?” Instead I get the conversations concerning previous convertibles/t-top cars they’ve had over the years. Also it’s mainly men who stop to talk to me… Personally though, I’ve had an opportunity to go out for a group ride with the Miata club and Alabama Crossfire Club. When we’re all at a stop light I still find myself admiring other peoples Crossfires. I don’t seem to care about/ notice the Mazdas I’m with. Of course looks are subjective and everyone has a different opinion.
Interior
I prefer the seats in the Crossfire, it’s got the alacantra inserts and bigger bolsters which prevent me from sliding about. I also like the way the automatic shift lever fits in my hand. The pro’s on the mazda have to be the steering wheel. It has the paddle shifters and radio controls built in plus it’s doesn’t look like it came out of a larger car. Only real complaint is long road trips. I much rather be in the Crossfire than the MX-5. I think a lot of the comes from the Crossfire being a GT car and the MX-5 isn’t. Oh one other thing, the infiniti sound system in the Crossfire wins hands down. The MX-5’s Bose system is lacking hi’s and low’s.
Performance
I’m going to get a lashing from my Crossfire friends but I think the 167hp MX-5 would beat the 215 hp Limited Crossfire on the Dragon. It seems much quicker from not than the Crossfire, and it just feels more nimble. One thing you have to realize though is that the MX-5 doesn’t come equipped with the nanny systems the Crossfire has. You can actually feel what the rear end is doing. Of course I’m not really comparing the MX-5 to a limited though, I’m comparing it to my SRT-6. The SRT-6 still feels heavier, but once you step on the gas pedal you’re gone. Personally I drive slower in the MX-5. I was thinking about it yesterday while driving the SRT down the interstate at 120 and someone stepped out in front of me. I didn’t really care, because I try to anticipate what may happen so I just came off the throttle and let it coast back down to a reasonable 80, waited on the car to get out of my way and was quickly back to 120. You’re probably asking yourself why am I telling you about this. Well when the rare occasion comes that I toy around with another car on the road and we’re travelling at 90 (not 120) and someone steps out in front of us I never go back to 90mph. It just seems like too much work to get back to that speed.
So what am I saying?
Well the Crossfire is a great GT car. I personally prefer the styling of it over the MX-5, but the Mazda is a fantastic car for tooling around in your own city/mountain drives. That is if you’re friends don’t put a rainbow decal on your rear bumper…
BTW this week I’ve been driving the Crossfire because the Miata has been in the garage getting a full detail. It’s done now, but I didn’t want to drive it in the rain today after a dawn wash, Clay bar, another wash, two coats of NXT, and one coat of Ice. So here’s a garage photo instead
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Last edited by Thirteendog; Feb 24, 2011 at 04:41 PM.