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"         The may never escape its Rodney Dangerfield rep in the general public&amp;#039;s eye, but we have always had a soft spot for it, and no wonder: continues to follow the formula that has kept the car amusing in its simplicity all these years, yet effective enough to go t\u00EAte--t\u00EAte with some of the heaviest hitters\u2014provided the twisty bits outnumber the straights.   As light and agile as this latest Miata remains, it hasn&amp;#039;t been able to completely elude the bloating that comes with time and ever-increasing environmental and safety regulations. The overall size increase is clearly apparent when the current Miata is juxtaposed with the original, but the perseverance of Mazda&amp;#039;s engineers for lightweight construction throughout\u2014from chassis and suspension to the all-aluminum longitudinally mounted 2.0-liter MZR inline-4\u2014keeps the Miata in the flyweight class relative to anything outside the circle.   Helping offset this size increase is Mazda&amp;#039;s easy-revving 2.0-liter, which delivers 167 bhp and 140 lb.-ft. of torque (compared to 116 bhp and 100 lb.-ft. at its genesis). Not quite the rubber-shredding power we fantasize about, but enough to have a great time dodging cones (or traffic), aided by the excellent close-ratio 6-speed manual.   Our True Red Grand Touring model came with many standard amenities that were once considered luxury items but have evolved into daily necessities. Among them: power windows, automatic climate control, heated leather seats, a 7-speaker Bose audio sound system with a 6-disc changer and 17-in. alloy wheels wrapped with Bridgestone summer tires. The Premium Package ($1650) we ordered added an anti-theft system, xenon headlights, Bluetooth, satellite radio and keyless entry and start. Most important, however, were the enthusiast necessities. The optional Suspension Package, which is sport-tuned and features Bilstein shocks and a limited-slip differential, was a bargain at $500.   Our experience with the traditional manual soft-top Miata has been nothing short of pleasant, but we felt that an important aspect of this test was to experience the power retractable hardtop. This slick contraption folds and stows in a red light-beating 12 seconds and provides better sound insulation and security than the cloth or vinyl alternative, albeit with an 80-lb. weight penalty. And from most angles the hardtop helps reinforce the added musculature that designers have worked hard to incorporate into the Miata&amp;#039;s bulging fenders, which are far more evocative of a sports coupe than a prissy beach cruiser. If there was a bad angle\u2014and unfortunately we think there is\u2014it&amp;#039;s in profile, where the top&amp;#039;s shape and proportions remind us of the not-so-sexy Suzuki X-90 of the &amp;#039;90s. But it&amp;#039;s a small aesthetic penalty in exchange for preserving the precious little trunk space this car provides. Of note, you lose no cargo capacity switching over from the soft-top, which is an elegant bit of engineering.   As already cited, we have a soft spot for the Miata. Partially because some 20 years ago, we did a long-term test with one of the first Miatas to make it into public hands. That one served as a honeymoon car on two separate occasions: for Managing Editor Andy Bornhop and Engineering Editor Dennis Simanaitis. To this day that car occupies a spot in Simanaitis&amp;#039; garage, with 90,000 miles on the odometer. There&amp;#039;s a good chance we&amp;#039;ll be clamoring for this one as well, right after its stint here.          "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/road-tests/reviews/a15440/2010-mazda-mx-5-miata-prht-introduction/>