![Rooted in Fun](https://cdn.magzter.com/1357654204/1657019977/articles/6dkzu66KK1658230871796/ROOTED-IN-FUN.jpg)
2nd Place: Mazda Miata
Plus Eager engine, playful chassis, often requires SPF 30.
Minus Wobbly in hard cornering, pricey BBS Recaro package, who hid the glovebox?
1st Place: Toyota GR86
Plus Easily exploitable handling, plenty of zip, surprising practicality.
Minus That grinding sound is the engine, clunky-looking dash, the only thing noisier is a Miata.
If the Mazda MX-5 Miata and the Toyota GR86 were on the show Finding Your Roots, both would trace their ancestry back to wispy midcentury European roadsters. Over the decades, many of those Old World sports cars died out or evolved into bigger and more complex things, leaving only Mazda and Toyota (and Subaru, maker of the GR86's twin, the BRZ) building basic, pareddown, inexpensive sports cars that deliver old school fun.
If that's what you're after, your search starts and ends here. The GR86-substitute the BRZ if you prefer Subarus-and the Miata are the only remaining descendants on the affordable branch of the rear-wheel-drive sports-car family tree. Each is a hoot to drive, but which one is the better starter sports car?
To find out, we corralled the most aggressive and exciting versions of those two models: the GR86 Premium and an MX-5 Miata Club convertible. Their standard equipment is similar small, high-revving naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine; six-speed manual transmission; summer tires. Both are rear-wheel drive, like the sports cars of old. In search of purity, for this comparison test, we selected the Miata soft top over the retractable-hardtop RF model.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July - August 2022-Ausgabe von Car and Driver.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July - August 2022-Ausgabe von Car and Driver.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
![Selective Evolution](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2238/1740542/hgTKDBbLS1719909060564/SELECTIVE-EVOLUTION.jpg)
Selective Evolution
Now hybrid only, the Toyota Camry features careful tweaks for its ninth generation.
![Stress Reliever](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2238/1740542/uCBZX8GE61719908975222/STRESS-RELIEVER.jpg)
Stress Reliever
IN THE LINCOLN NAUTILUS, the loudest sound you hear at highway speeds is the rhythmic respiration of the massaging seats. With just 66 decibels of interior noise at 70 mph, this slick-looking new Lincoln is on a mission of zen.
![Mega Bus](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2238/1740542/N1490BEWs1719908918822/MEGA-BUS.jpg)
Mega Bus
A three-row mid-size SUV trying to look and feel bigger, the latest has size on its side but still lacks charisma.
![Going to Extremes](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2238/1740542/z1_TteX4d1719908823976/GOING-TO-EXTREMES.jpg)
Going to Extremes
The Porsche Taycan Turbo GT pulls out all the stops in its quest for EV supremacy.
![What the Tech?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2238/1740542/cL0oWUZes1719908601106/WHAT-THE-TECH.jpg)
What the Tech?
IT’S NO COMPLAINT TO SAY that given the slow visual evolution of the Mercedes-Benz E-class, many wouldn’t notice that the stately three-box sedan has entered a new generation this year.
![Drivelines](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2238/1740542/WbjZAWIzI1719908361205/DRIVELINES.jpg)
Drivelines
Refreshed but Not Revitalized
![The Full Monty Carlo](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2238/1740542/Wuw3oxDML1719908189511/THE-FULL-MONTY-CARLO.jpg)
The Full Monty Carlo
EVERYONE IS NAKED. Just putting that out in the open.
![THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2238/1740542/7aUpd5tIO1719907625445/THEY-MIGHT-BE-GIANTS.jpg)
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
THE MAZDA MX-5 MIATA RF CLUB AND THE SUBARU BRZ IS MAY BE SMALL IN STATURE, BUT THEIR PERSONALITIES ARE LARGER THAN MOST.
![Sterrato > Dirt Road](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2238/1740542/13kwzzu-B1719907414255/STERRATO-DIRT-ROAD.jpg)
Sterrato > Dirt Road
Nothing lost in translation here. Might as well call it what it is: the best Lamborghini Huracán ever.
![DEAD OR ALIVE?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2238/1740542/crFPfBvhv1719906864149/DEAD-OR-ALIVE.jpg)
DEAD OR ALIVE?
Is the new 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser the real deal? We venture into the wilds of Utah to find out.