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Before I begin, I have to warn you, I*m a Miata fan. My mom had one for years, so I had plenty of time to admire the Miata's capabilities. Her car lacked in power, but it made up for it in classic style and handling. I was quite impressed when I first saw the totally new Miata.

Upon my inspection of the newly redesigned Miata, I figured they just added fender flares. But the interior is completely new and modern, the convertible top has the fit and finish of a much nicer car now. The top actually folds up and acts as its own cover in the back, getting rid of the use of a snap on cover to hide the top.

Mazda Speed rotates through the Mazda product line enhancing a model usually with a turbo charged engine and other performance and styling features. Last year, it was the Miata's turn and it received a turbo charged engine. Miata fans have been adding turbos and superchargers for years to the poorly powered Miata engines. Last year's much needed turbo engine has been replaced with an equally powerful, but larger 2.0 DOHC version producing 170 HP. The Miata finally has a great engine. Now if they*d add a turbo to THIS engine . . .

The exterior styling has changed and allows for larger wheels and tires. The updated headlights take away from the old school aggressive pop-up lights. This gives this older car a new lease on life. It seems like a bigger car due to the modified sheet metal, but still has the same sporty cockpit feel on the inside.

I was able to compare this Miata to the new Pontiac Solstace. I felt as thought I was sitting in a hole in the Pontiac. The Pontiac looks great, but the interior was lacking. The new Saturn looked promising, but I couldn*t get a good comparison, as it was hands-off. These cars are great to compare to the model in regards to price, handling and power. But I*m not all about buying an untested, first year on the market Pontiac against a 16 year old tried and true Miata.

Why is Pontiac coming out with a Miata fighter after all this years? Because the Fiero failed? I don*t know. I do know that the Miata has been refined all of these years culminating into a fine 2006 version. The Miata has nothing to prove, as it is time tested as one of the best driver's cars on the road today.