Some conferences end with a flight home. Mine ended with one of Colorado’s greatest driving experiences. After delivering an intro to the Jason Milen keynote recently in Glenwood Springs, I pointed Mazda’s tiny MX-5 Miata RF toward Independence Pass, grabbed the six-speed shifter, folded away the hardtop, and let the Rocky Mountains provide the second standing ovation.
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This wasn’t simply another routine test drive. It became one of those memorable Colorado road trips where the destination almost becomes secondary to the roads connecting points.
The adventure began with business.
Leaving Denver before dawn at 4:30am on a Thursday morning, I pointed the little retractable-hardtop roadster westbound on Interstate 70 toward Glenwood Springs for the annual Colorado Society of Association Executives (CSAE) conference at the historic Hotel Colorado. My assignment wasn’t just automotive related. I had been invited to deliver a TED-style keynote teaser covering the past, present and future of personal mobility, tracing transportation from the earliest bicycles, motorcycles, airplanes and cars to tomorrow’s fully autonomous vehicles and even flying cars.
The Miata seemed oddly appropriate transportation for a presentation celebrating mobility. Few cars have better demonstrated that driving can serve as both transportation and recreation.
Instead of returning directly to Denver, I turned south toward Carbondale before climbing into Aspen and eventually reaching Independence Pass.
If there is a better road in America for evaluating a lightweight sports car, I’ve yet to find it.
Hairpin curves, rapid elevation changes, sweeping mountain vistas and perfect pavement all combined into automotive bliss. Every corner invited another perfectly timed downshift. Every straightaway begged for another run toward the engine’s 7,500-rpm redline.
With only 181 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque, the Miata isn’t about overwhelming acceleration. Yet because the car weighs barely over 2,400 pounds, it feels wonderfully energetic. Independent testing places the sprint from zero to 60 mph at approximately 5.5 seconds, plenty quick for a sports car whose greatest strength isn’t raw speed but balance.
The six-speed manual deserves much of the credit.
Its short, precise throws are among the finest in today’s automotive world, making every shift satisfying. The clutch is light enough for everyday driving while still providing excellent feedback. It is increasingly rare to find an automaker willing to build a sports car this unapologetically focused on driver involvement.
Descending the eastern slope of Independence Pass, I stopped several times for photographs overlooking alpine lakes before continuing through Twin Lakes and Leadville. Fremont Pass followed, then Copper Mountain, Frisco, Dillon, Silverthorne, the Eisenhower Tunnel, then Georgetown and Idaho Springs before finally reaching Denver close to midnight.
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Most cars would have made that journey enjoyable.
The Miata made it unforgettable.
The following morning brought yet another excuse to drive.
A planned meeting of pilots at Greeley-Weld County Airport provided another opportunity to enjoy Colorado sunshine with the retractable hardtop folded neatly behind the seats. There is something uniquely satisfying about watching the sunrise over the Front Range with fresh air filling the cockpit and the sound of a naturally aspirated four-cylinder echoing across open prairie.
Mazda’s power-operated retractable hardtop remains one of the RF’s signature features. It transforms from coupe to open-air roadster in about 13 seconds while maintaining the quieter cabin, security and year-round practicality of a fixed roof. It truly offers the best of both worlds.
EPA fuel economy is another pleasant surprise at 26 mpg city, 34 highway and 29 combined.
At $43,135 as tested, the Miata RF Club isn’t inexpensive, but neither is it trying to compete with larger sports cars boasting twice the horsepower. Instead, Mazda continues pursuing something increasingly rare: maximizing smiles rather than specifications.
As I was wrapping up this awesome review, I received word that the re-designed 2026 Mazda MX-5 Miata gained top IIHS safety honors. Hooray!
In an era when many performance cars have become larger, heavier and more complicated, the MX-5 Miata remains refreshingly faithful to a philosophy that has endured for more than three decades.
Sometimes less truly is more.
And after spending nearly 600 unforgettable Colorado miles with the top alternately up and down, rowing through six perfectly spaced gears, I found myself wishing the road home had been just a little longer.
Saturday Drive Specs
· Vehicle: 2026 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Club 6MT
· Engine: 2.0-liter SKYACTIV-G DOHC four-cylinder
· Base MSRP: $41,900
· As Tested: $43,135
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 303-667-3995
The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had no role in this post’s preparation.
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