Summary

• The Mazda MX-5 Miata has been a popular and affordable sports car since 1989, with over 1.0 million units produced to date.
• Other manufacturers have created their own compact sports cars to rival the MX-5, such as the Fiat Barchetta, Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ, and Lotus Elan/Kia Elan.
• The Honda S2000, Alfa Romeo GTV/Spider, Suzuki Cappuccino, Fiat/Abarth 124 Spider, Toyota MR-2/MR-S, Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky, and Nissan S-Chassis are also worthy alternatives to the MX-5, offering similar driving characteristics and platforms for customization.

The Mazda MX-5 Miata has been the definition of an affordable, fun sports car since 1989. The Japanese carmaker successfully improved upon the classic, British, lightweight roadster, adding reliability to the mix. During its first year in production, the NA Miata was sold over 100,000 copies. By 2016, the compact Japanese roadster reached over 1.0 million units produced. To this day, the Mazda Miata adheres to the classic philosophy of simplicity and lightness, and in its current guise, the 2.0-liter ND Miata is able to punch well above its weight.

While Miatas are now, officially, classic cars, especially early generations, other manufacturers have not sat idle. Mazda’s revolution in the compact sports car segment prompted other manufacturers to escape whatever they could from their parts bins and put together competitors to the small Japanese roadster.

While the MX-5 Miata is praised globally for its driving characteristics and nimble chassis, other manufacturers have not sat idle, and have created their own compact sports cars, some of which more than capable of giving the MX-5 a fair fight. The below-listed sports cars come from various parts of the world, and are capable of providing similar thrills to Mazda’s iconic, little roadster.

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10 Suzuki Cappuccino

Top Speed: 93 MPH

One of the things Japan is known for is its Kei cars. The densely-populated areas of Japan is where these sub-compact cars are at their best. A Kei car cannot be longer than 11 feet 2.0 inches long and 4.0 feet 10 inches wide. The Cappuccino fits the bill with room to spare. Moreover, the engine cannot be bigger than 660 cc. The Suzuki Cappuccino can best be described as a scaled-down NB Miata.

1991-1998 Suzuki Cappuccino Specs

Its turbocharged inline-three may be small, but with the right upgrades you can double its power. Any more than that and you are risking na engine failure. Even so, the Cappuccino is a fun, little car. The car has a detachable hardtop, but nowhere to store it, which means you have to leave it home, if you are after open-top thrills. From 1995, the limited-slip differential becomes standard.

9 Nissan S-Chassis

Top Speed: 118-155 MPH

When it comes to lightweight Japanese sports cars that are attainable, the Mazda MX-5 is usually, considered to be in a class of its own. However, there is another alternative from Nissan. The S-chassis cars are every bit as popular when it comes to driving characteristics and platforms to build upon. The S-chassis Nissans are rear-wheel drive, lightweight, and more often than not, come as standard, with turbocharged engines.

1988-2002 Nissan Silvia/ S13/S14/S15 SR20 Specs

Moreover, the S13’s 55/45 weight distribution turned it into the most popular choice for drifting. Unfortunately, this resulted in the “Drift tax”, which made these 1990s Nissans absurdly expensive, prompting people to look for cheaper alternatives. The good news is, these S-chassis Nissans are like Legos. Whether you want to keep it stock or throw in an LS V-8 engine, the aftermarket support is tremendous.

8 Fiat Barchetta

Top Speed: 124 MPH

Italy has its fair share of compact sports cars and when it comes to minimalist roadsters, the Fiat Barchetta is as close as possible. Sure, it may be the “wrong-wheel” drive, but it’s every bit as fun as and early Miata. The Barchetta’s final design was styled by Centro Stille Fiat (Fiat’s in-house design department), and resembles a small boat, which is literally what “Barchetta” means in Italian. While the underpinnings came from the Fiat Punto hatchback, hence the front-wheel-drive layout, the car was very lightweight, tipping the scales at just over 2,300 pounds (1,050 kg).

1995-2005 Fiar Barchetta Specs

The four-cylinder engine was something you would find in most other Fiat products, and featured a variable-valve system by Hitachi, with variators prone to failure. Ironic that in an Italian sports car, it is the Japanese part that could ruin your day.

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7 Lotus Elan/ Kia Elan

Top Speed: 137 MPH

Lotus is known as a carmaker that always made the best-handling, mid-engine, lightweight sports cars. The minimalistic approach resuted in some of the purest driving machines. In 1989, the brand went against the grain and gave us its first and only, front-wheel-drive model – the second-generation Elan, internally-dubbed M100. Because of the “economy-car” engine layout, this is currently the cheapest way to get behind the wheel of a Lotus, but it’s every bit as fun as a Mazda Miata.

1989-1995 Lotus Elan M100 Specs

Lotus ended production in 1995, selling production rights to Kia. From 1996 to 1999, the car was produced as the Kia Elan, also known as the Kia Roadster in Germany, and Kia Vigato in Japan. The turbocharged Isuzu engine was also swapped for a 1.8-liter Hyundai unit, found in the KDM Hyundai Tiburon.

6 Toyota GR86/ Subaru BRZ

Top Speed: 140 MPH

Nowadays, it’s very difficult to talk about the Mazda MX-5 without mentioning Toyota and Subaru’s jointly-developed, rear-wheel-drive coupe. The spiritual successor offers simialr driving characteriscits to the Mazda roadster, in a fixed-head, 2+2 coupe form. The GR86/BRZ twins are also the only other sports car yo ucan still buy that’s relatively inexpensive and analog. The power deficit was fixed with the 2021 model, when Subaru and Toyota introduced the new, FA24 flat-four engine that replaced the anemic, FA20 powerplant.

2021 Toyota GR86/ Subaru BRZ Specs

Like the Miata, the GR86 is more of a momentum car. The GR86 packs about 550 pounds (250 kg) extra, but also a few extra ponies. Moreover, dyno tests revealed that the GR86 engine is slightly underrated from the factory.

5 Alfa Romeo GTV/ Spider

140-158 MPH

The Spider nameplate has been part of Alfa Romeo’s portfolio since 1966. Design-wise, almost nothing was changed between 1966 and 1993, but that didn’t stop the model from becoming a popular classic. The 1995 to 2006 Alfa Romeo Spider went a different route, switching to front-wheel drive, but anyone who has driven one would know that doesn’t mean it’s not a proper driver’s car. Even with the Busso V-6 transversely-mounted over the front axle, the Alfa Spider boasts a surprisingly good handling.

1993-2006 Alfa Romeo GTV/ Spider Specs

The Pininfarina-designed body has become a timeless design and the manual soft top means there’s less to go wrong. Despite being an Alfa the Busso V-6 engine is a marvel of engineering, as long as you take care of it and change the timing belt more frequently than what the manufacturer recommends.

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4 Honda S2000

Top Speed: 149 MPH

In many ways, the Honda S2000 is a grown-up Miata. It’s more powerful, more poised, and it features Honda’s famous reliability. Nowadays, the Honda S200 is a desired, JDM classic, and for a good reason. The F20C engine in the early, AP1 S2000, revs to 9,000 RPM and when it came out, it boasted the highest specific output of any naturally-aspirated engine. In 2003, the AP2 facelift was introduced. It featured softer suspension and a bigger, F22B engine for the North American and Japanese markets.

1999-2009 Honda S2000 Specs

Power remained almost identical, but there was a much-needed boost in low and mid-range torque. The new engine also had its redline reduced from 9,000 to 8,000 RPM. The engine was positioned, entirely, behind the front axle, making the S2000 a front-mid-engine sports car.

3 Abarth/ Fiat 124 Spider

Top Speed: 133-144 MPH

Despite the new Fiat 124 not being a sales success, it was the right way to go. The Fiat 124 name dates back to 1966, but the second generation, introduced in 2016, is a lot less Italian than you may think. That’s because, underneath the Italian-styled, neo-retro body is a Mazda MX-5, or at least most of it.

2016-2019 Fiat/ Abarth 124 Spider Specs

The Italian roadster was even built in the same production plant as the Mazda Miata, and even shares the same interior, albeit with an Italian twist. The only thing that isn’t Italian, and probably for the worse, is the engine, which comes from Fiat. The Fiat 124 Spider, is arguably, the best blend of Italian design and Japanese craftsmanship in a while. Moreover, the 124 Spider features the same engine as the Abarth 500.

2 Toyota MR-2/ MR-S (W30)

Top Speed: 130 MPH

The Toyota MR-2 (MR-S in some markets) is often viewed as the mid-engine analog of the Mazda Miata. Both cars adhere to the same principles of simplicity and lightness, and while the lasst, W30-generation MR-2 isn’t the most popular choice, it has all the ingredients of a good driver’s car. Moreover, you get Toyota’s 2000s reliability, which is, arguably, the car’s biggest selling point. Its 1ZZ-FED engine is the same one found in the Toyota Celica as well as other Toyota models in various states of tune.

1999-2007 Toyota MR-2/MR-S (W30) Specs

It may not pack a lot of power, but that’s just another thing the MR2 has in common with the Miata. Still, with only 2,195 pounds (996 kg) to lug around, the MR2 is surprisingly quick and nimble. The W30 Toyota MR2 has inherited the previous model’s snap-oversteer so, you really need to be on top of it when tackling high-speed corners.

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1 Pontiac Solstice/ Saturn Sky

Top Speed: 155 MPH

It may comes as a surprise to some, but some US carmakers did make a worthy competitor to the Mazda MX-5. Back when GM still owned Opel and Pontiac was still alive, they gave us the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky. Both vehicles shared the same GM Kappa platform, and it’s safe to say, they were the same car in different clothing. The Solstice and Sky came with the LE5, 2.4-liter EcoTec engine as standard, but you could upgrade to the much more powerful, LNF turbo-four.

2005-2010 Pontiac Solstice/ Saturn Sky Specs

Saturn’s version of the car was also sold in Europe as the Opel GT. The soft-top convertibles came with rear-wheel drive and limited-slip differential became standard in 2006. GM’s twin roadsters resembled a scaled-down Dodge Viper. This is especially true for the Solstice, which featured a center console tilted towards the driver.