Review: 2002 Mazda Miata Special Edition

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa) 09/04/2016 at 13:00 • Filed to: review, miata, fast not loud, special edition, roadster, mx5

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Few cars stand unopposed in their market segment. For those looking for an inexpensive, reliable, purpose-built sports car with the engine in the front, drive wheels in back, truly spectacular handling, and can only have one car the Internet Meme Machine is quick to point out, the answer is always Miata . In 1990 the small Roadster was set upon the world in a US-first release available only in the appropriate red, white, and blue hues. 12 years later the Miata was well into its second generation and coinciding with a mild refresh is a new version of the ongoing series of Special Edition Miatas. 1491 Titanium Grey and 1000 Vivid Yellow ‘02 SE Miatas were ever made, with a Torsen LSD, Nardi steering wheel, Bose audio, unique gauge faces, and two color choices (Grey/saddle brown leather interior or yellow/black leather interior).

This article has been Kinja’d! To read it in its original glory, head on over to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !

Appearance

The second generation Miata eschews the soapbar styling of the original and instead adopts a most sculpted, muscular look. The entire body has been widened with more pronounced “hips”, and an overall more bubbly style has been draped over a very similar chassis to the older car. Pop-up headlights are left behind in the 90s and replaced with fixed plastic units for pedestrian safety reasons. The facelift added some additional creases in the front bumper, as well as projector lowbeam headlights. The Special Edition Miata gains a plastic bodykit jokingly referred to as “tupperware” by Miata enthusiasts, and unique 205-width 16-inch 7 spoke (or 14 spoke, depending on how you look at it) wheels.

The more complex special edition wheels give the roadster a more premium appearance that is muddied somewhat by the take-it-or-leave-it side cladding.

Around back the theme of increased sculpting continues. The bumper gains an indentation, the trunk lid has a mild ducktail on it, and the SE gets a plastic spoiler. Interestingly the “finish panel”— the area between the tail lights— is now integrated into the bumper instead of being a separate body piece.

Interior

The Miata is not a luxury car. It is a cheap roadster for the masses, and accessible way to get an excellent driving experience on a budget. That being said, the interior of a 2002 Miata SE is very much not a bad place to be. The chocolatey brown leather that adorns the seats and steering wheels is a lovely choice, with the theme continued onto accent panels on the door cards. The steering wheel, made by Italian auto firm Nardi, is perfectly sized for both spirited driving and lazily cruising along. Radio and HVAC controls fall easily to hand as does the 6 speed shift lever and center-mounted power window switches. All touch surfaces feel surprisingly premium, with the illusion finished off with chrome rings around the gauges and the very nice brushed metal pedals. In a very notable improvement, not just for the Miata but for stick-shift sports cars in general, the cup holders are staggered so that the front one is closer to the passenger, allowing for drinks to occupy both cup holders without interfering with operation of the transmission.

All is not perfect, however. The NB Miata loses interior volume compared to the NA due to packaging restrictions and crash safety requirements. Even at a mere 5'6" I find myself feeling rather large in the Miata’s driver seat. The seats themselves are rather hard and the bolsters, possibly for reasons of the ever-growing median American, are too far apart to hold my lithe frame in place securely. Fairly minor gripes for which your mileage may vary, but worth mention.

Handling

Of course, handling and looks aren’t the bread and butter of the Miata. Above all else the Miata is known for its handling. It’s a lightweight, tossable car with near-50/50 weight distribution that allows for a controllable, eager experience. The first generation Miata’s facelift added numerous underbody braces, and the second generation increased chassis stiffness. With the second generation facelift the chassis was stiffened even further, with the SE gaining a front strut brace on top of it all. Unlike the NA6, the NB2 SE feels solid and yet compliant. Bumps are pronounced without being jarring, and the car playfully dives and bobs along with a road’s surface. Bump steer was, I noticed, rather significant with the 205-width rubber wrapped around those gorgeous wheels, but the power steering made it easy to keep under control.

Of course, the true reason the Miata is so adept in the twisties is primarily owed to its light weight. Specced as it is, the curb weight of an ‘02 SE is just 2350 lbs. Body roll is present but from the perspective of the driver is completely invisible as the car pivots around the seats carving joyous slice after slice out of the countryside as it bounds from corner to corner with aplomb. For those with naughtier tendencies, the Torsen limited-slip differential makes stepping the tail out a reasonably trouble-free affair. Even under moderate city driving conditions my SE has been known to chirp the rear tires while pulling away on a right turn.

Drivetrain

The venerable BP series of engines continues with the BP-Z3 that debuted in the Miata in 2001. This version removed the variable length intake runners, instead adding restrictors for cold-start emissions purposes and adding intake-side variable valve timing. This combination squeezes 142 horsepower out of the 1.8 four-banger and attains 28mpg highway. The engine is smooth and loves to rev, never feeling stressed or overworked. The 6 speed manual is available in lieu of a 5 speed on the SE, however highway revs (and therefore fuel economy) are unchanged and, puzzlingly, 0-60 times are unchanged between the two transmissions, so the only advantage of the 6 speed is more fun gear-changing while driving. I did find the experience to be somewhat lacking compared to the 5 speed found in an NA, and the clutch had a vague, mushy feel to it that I find altogether unbecoming for such a driver-focused car.

The elephant in the room, of course, is the acceleration of the Miata. 0-60 happens somewhere between doesn’t matter and who cares seconds. I say this because the Miata was developed not for the ramrod-straight Midwest US roads that I live on, but it was designed in California for Mazda in Japan for twisty mountain roads and tearing up Highway 101 on the Pacific coast. It’s an engine designed to propel the car along adequately.

A Mazda Miata doesn’t accelerate.

It gains momentum.

The Miata’s ability to out-handle so many other cars on the road mean it can carry far more speed through the corners, offsetting the lack of straight-line grunt. As an aside, the engine is thus understressed compared to, say, the balls-to-the-wall 2-liter in the Honda S2000. This increases reliability, which keeps down operating costs, making the Miata a better value proposition.

Sound

The exhaust note of a 2002 Miata SE exists. That’s the long and short of it. In stock form it is an unoffensive buzz that eagerly rises with the revs, never sounding stressed or wound out. There is no rasp, no asthmatic wheezing, just a reassuring hum to remind you there is an engine present and accounted for.

For car audio the Miata SE gets two door speakers and two tweeters powered by a Bose head unit and amplifier. This particular model has the 6 disc CD changer and tape deck. A “top up” and “top down” speed-sensitive volume system is in place and adjusts loudness (applying a “smiley” equalizer curve in varying degrees of severity as well as volume) to keep music audible and, actually, sounding quite nice even at 65mph with the top down.

For extra “bling” the Miata has a power antennae that slowly extends and retracts as you gleefully mash the radio power button, trying to recapture the charm of the pop-up headlights from the NA.

Conclusion

Finding faults with the Miata is difficult. The car is such a well-balanced package it’s hard to find reasons to take points off other than other things are better at that specific thing. Most cars will beat it in acceleration, any number of high-end sports cars will out-handle it, and even a base model Mercedes will be nicer on the inside. But as a car, taking it for what it is, it’s not difficult to see how so many people have fallen for these roadsters, and why they have attained internet-meme status as “always the answer”.

For more reviews like this and articles written by myself and others please check us out at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! or our Youtube channel !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/04/2016 at 13:08

4

You reviewed a car that you’ve only owned for two days?

shop-teacher > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/04/2016 at 13:16

2

This is a nice car. Don’t f#%k this one up ;)

Captain of the Enterprise > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/04/2016 at 14:10

0

Nice review

bhtooefr > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/04/2016 at 14:56

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Mushy clutch?

I suspect you have a clutch hydraulics replacement in your future.

for Michigan > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/04/2016 at 15:03

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Does yours have tilt wheel? My brother’s doesn’t, but I heard somewhere that it was an option. If I could get one with tilt wheel, I might be able to make due with it until I can afford a BRZ.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > for Michigan 09/04/2016 at 15:03

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I am 99% sure the NC was the first Miata with a tilt wheel.

for Michigan > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/04/2016 at 15:04

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Same here.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/04/2016 at 15:48

0

Why do you have so many cars?

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 09/04/2016 at 16:08

0

Why do you not?

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/04/2016 at 17:03

1

Good point. Dis logix, I cannot into beatings it. I spend more money on doggos than I probably ought to.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/05/2016 at 00:42

2

That mushy clutch is probably a leaking slave cylinder, which fail routinely on NA/NB miatas (exact same part on both). If you pull back the boot and find any evidence of fluid, it is time for a slave cylinder. They’re pretty cheap for new ones, or easy enough to rebuild yourself.

daender > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/05/2016 at 01:17

1

Too bad we’re multiple states away or otherwise we ought to do a comparison between our ‘02s.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/05/2016 at 08:23

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Interesting thought. The pedal is heavy as hell and there is plenty of fluid in the resivoir, though

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > daender 09/05/2016 at 08:23

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Get over here

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/06/2016 at 12:15

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These cars are now old enough to have a clutch master cylinder bite the dust on them also, although it is a lot less common on Miatas. If the slave were leaking, I wound expect a used car dealer to just top up the reservoir and not investigate the cause.

If the clutch hydraulic system checks out, it could be that someone installed an upgraded aftermarket clutch (for the turbo kit, yo!) that could certainly result in a stiffer pedal. The clutch hydraulic system is identical on every NA/NB miata, and the clutch itself is identical on every 1.8L Miata that isn’t a mazdaspeed, although there are varying weights of OEM 1.8L flywheels. That your clutch was swapped is possible, since that car is probably on its second clutch and second or third slave cylinder. If there is no fluid behind the boot on the slave, bleeding the system would be a good (and free) next troubleshooting step just to make sure the last guy that replaced the slave cylinder didn’t botch the bleeding.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/13/2016 at 08:15

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I see you have ABS in there. That fancy traction control device while braking lol. Any plans to go crazy with the modifications? I definitely do not think the car needs any more power but the more suspension you can cram in there, the better! Front sway bar made the biggest difference for me but the Flyin Miata coilovers have been nice too.

That Bose system is alright and it must be nice to have the tape deck so that you can AUX in. But I am a firm believer that Bose best stands for “Buy Other Sound Equipment”. The exhaust note is quite nice though in NBs. It just needs to be louder all the time! I am thinking Racing Beat headers/midpipe/exhaust and a nice intake will solve that issue.

That Nardi wheel though is honestly completely what sold me on my NB2. After looking at a few NAs, I couldnt get over the giant airbag of doom wheel and didnt really want to drive without any airbag in an aftermarket wheel. It was the one item that immediately won me over to get the newer car. Something about the interior on these cars is just special. It is quite the nice place to be.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/13/2016 at 08:23

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The NB2 Bose system stands head and shoulders over the NB1 system. Ever driven a Corvette C6 with Bose? It sounds about like that (I think). As far as modifications go, I want a new shift knob, some floor mats, what’s called an “auxmod” that plugs into the back of the Bose head unit to give me a legitimate auxiliary input, some organic brake pads, and braided steel brake/clutch lines (maybe).

And yes, the exhaust is quiet but I kind of like it that way.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/13/2016 at 08:39

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Oh I know exactly how it sounds, I have the NB2 Bose sound system. Or had is a more accurate description. The stereo is still installed but it is now just a glorified clock and antenna extender when my car is excited. I rigged together an Alpine amp to output 150W to each door and a nice set of Polk component speakers that just sing even with the top down. I spend a lot of time in this car so an actually nice sound system was a necessity. The Bose was just too “boomy” and only had radio/CD for input. Sure there is that cool aux-in mod but I didnt find it worth the $100 or so that the part costs.

Dont forget tires! A nice set of summers really really really makes the car handle. I really enjoy the Direzza DZ102s that I picked up since they were so cheap and were wonderful on the Dragon and other roads. I quite like the look of thpse SE wheels, but 16s suck (both for weight and they are monster truck looking). I would have probably kept my regular NB2 LS alloys though if I didnt stuff them into a wall.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/13/2016 at 18:44

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Heh, antenna extender. I love how they took away the pop up headlights but DON’T WORRY WE GAVE YOU AN EXTERNAL MOVING BIT.

http://www.sylfex.com/products/AuxMo…

$60 for the auxmod which I can then use with a more sophisticated equalizer in my phone or iPod to get slightly better sound. The Bose sounds a tad on the hollow side and yeah, it’s boomy but I had a 15" ported subwoofer with a JL amp in my Buick so boomy is kinda to my taste.

Right now the car has some 260 treadwear rating Nitto (?) tires on it. They’re pretty old and don’t have a ton of tread left, though, so after this winter I’ll be replacing them, probably with some Kumho Ecsta PS31s.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/14/2016 at 08:20

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I often forget I have that but I should use it more often. And probably I should paint the antenna or something fun.

Yeah, that was the auxmod that I had looked into. I am not sure what it means by works “okay” for 2002. For some reason the ‘01 though doesnt work with the Bose system so thats why I had to find a different, more expensive one that did. Either way, it is still more cost effective to throw in an aftermarket head unit. But I already had the amp laying around so it was an easy plug and play.

Do you have any twisty roads out in the great middle of the country? I always wondered how unfun a Miata might be out that way. Plus I am planning a cross country trek next year and would like to take twisties as much as possible through every state I drive through.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/14/2016 at 15:29

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What the hell does “twisty” mean? There’s a reason people like drag racing so much here in the middle of nowhere.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/14/2016 at 15:57

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That is quite unfortunate! I know roads by home for me are mostly straight and it takes a couple hours to get to actually decent roads but it’s probably a whole different level of straight out there. Hopefully there is quite a bit of autocross to do instead.