2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Priced Up (And It's Good News)

Mazda's 2016 MX-5 Miata was already shaping up to be the return to form Miata owners were hoping for, and the confirmed pricing for the fun-focused droptop suggests Mazda has ticked the right box there, too. The diminutive two-seater was revealed back in September 2014, eschewing the increasingly chunky design language of it predecessors in favor of something more curvaceous. Set to hit forecourts in the US this summer, the Miata will kick off at $24,915 for the Sport model, a figure which gets you at least one interesting feature.

That's because, for the first time in the US, the standard gearbox will be a six-speed manual. Previously the entry-level transmission was a five-speed manual, with a six-speed automatic an option.

Your money also gets LED headlights, a leather-wrapped shifter, and power door locks as standard, along with a stereo with USB and BLuetooth inputs. Final specifications – as well as the pricing for the better-equipped Club and Grand Touring versions – will be announced closer to launch.

Considering the existing MX-5 Miata comes in at $23,970 – both require an $820 destination charge – it's an impressively moderate rise in price. In fact, Mazda points out, when adjusted for inflation the 2016 car is only a little more expensive than the original Miata.

That's certainly in keeping with its "affordable fun" premise, though as we saw in November Mazda has made strides in build-quality and design along the way, too. No longer is the interior a less-than-ergonomic place to be, for instance.

With 100kg shed versus the outgoing model, and a new SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter engine under the hood, it also leaves us pretty hopeful about the Fiat-Abarth roadster which will be based on the Miata platform.

If you can't wait to try it, meanwhile, the car's digital cousin has already arrived in Forza Horizon 2.