#15 - Is The MX-5 Club King? Review From 1,300mi Florida Trip
Miata = Great option for solo traveler. Add one person and space/storage can be challenging
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Over the years it's been a pleasure to have brief drives in the NA, NB, and NC Miata's. With extensive drives across the ND platform for about 5,000 total miles. From here, the question of, "What's the best, most realistic setup?" is regularly contemplated. There's an ideal ND spec in mind and Turo host Joseph presented the chance to drive this 2020 Club around Florida to determine if it's best. With Grandparents living (Fort Walton Beach) 450 miles north from another Florida city we call home (Orlando), it was time to rack up the miles and see what it's got.
CLUTCH RELEASE & LETS GOO!
Putting the Florida swamp jokes aside the layout has some great driving roads. They hold up well with minimal potholes and other types of road mess compared to places like Atlanta or Los Angeles. The amount of elevation changes, bank turns, and straightaways made for a satisfying mille trip. Not according to an old car buddy we met up with on this trip (see AMG GT R photo), originally acquainted from the West Coast. A shared loved for twisty roads like Angeles Crest Highway crossed our paths back then and it was nice to meet on the East Coast this time. They've been in Central Florida for a few years now since making regular visits to Los Angeles/ACH, before this more distant move. So according to them and another respected car buddy that's spent time driving around Florida, the roads don't satisfy the itch. This was fair to mention, but from our POV it was good enough to return for another +1,000 mile drive. Many of the roads are considerably wide (pros and cons) and in Orlando the left turn lights took so long it was unbelievable. The Miata is known for reliability, but some wait times dragged out to the point of concern about upsetting the car.
The Club options are choice and therefore easy to memorize. 17 inch (up from stock 16") BBS Wheels, Brembo brakes, Tower Strut Brace, Bilstein shocks, a LSD (Limited-Slip Differential), and Recaro seats with parts leather and Alcantara. Same 2.0L Skyactv-G motor making 181hp and 151 lb-ft of torque. All this from factory has great potential and now to determine if this option is the one to rule them all.
BREMBO BRAKES - Some of the first impressions came from what wasn't standing out. After the first day of driving the Brembos were not exactly noticed. By the second day, it took harder brake testing to figure this out. They are good to have and work when more stopping power is needed, but the Miata is naturally light and balanced. The brakes were never a weak point in the cars dynamics. While this option will serve good for planned trackdays, the MX-5 is ultimately a momentum car that relies less on heavy braking to achieve its goals.
RECARO SEATS - The Recaro's standout, with an Alcantara center strip flanked by leather, ribbed material, and sporty seat position making it clear you are in something different. Thankfully this historic (since 1906) German manufacturer survived bankruptcy and was acquired by Proma Group to continue operations uninterrupted in North America.
After 1,300 miles of driving over six days with about two days of break time, the seats proved comfortable and gave no back issues. On the contrary, the heated option came in handy when the back felt tired from being on the bounce. The combination of stiff yet soft is where the magic happens with the Recaro’s. Their lean into sportiness is where fault was found. The seating position keeps the hips tucked down, so the challenge of accessing and keeping track of pocket items can be a struggle. Limited interior space for storing personal items became an apparent hassle while on the move. The ingress/egress is not bad but more challenging compared to other ND's.
LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL - Comparable to the Recaro's and Brembo's because it's good to have but not needed on a regular basis. It seems like another feature more useful for lap times than the average spirited canyon run. With that said, it does make for good fun and added safety when getting after it.
BSS WHEELS, 17 inch - The wheels looks great. Even making use of the brake dust to create a nice orange tint. BBS more recent bankruptcy concerns fittingly pairs them with Recaro, both coveted German companies in the automotive world. With these factory choices alone, the Club is a spec worth acquiring if given the right opportunity. Without being able to use a canyon carving comparison, the increased wheel size made for a more comfortable ride while paired with the tower strut brace.
BILSTEIN SHOCKS/FRONT TOWER STRUT BRACE - The Bilstein shocks made a noticeable difference for an overall softer ride. Friendly for all the miles covered over these six days plus overall smooth roads throughout the trip. The strut brace looks cool but never took the spotlight with everything else going on. With that said, this will improve performance on trackday or canyon runs.
THE CONCLUSION --- The Club is great, but not necessary compared to whats available from ND's like the base Sport or Grand Touring options. The Recaro's bring style, prestige, and functionality to the party. For all of that, the leather option hold ups when building the ultimate version.
For myself, currently in 2026, the perfect Miata would be an RF (retractable fastback) with Nappa leather. The leather adds unmatched style, comfort, and marginal but welcomed weight. The hard-top (2,467-2,513lb curb weight) is the main component behind the stability change compared to the soft-top (2,339lb) models. Where those models rear-end always feel a bit loosey-goosey, the RF weight and distribution brings balance. Still tossable but notably easier to keep in a straight line while daily driving. After the first drive in an RF, taking the final 90 degree turn, it slid into the pocket perfectly to prove precise. At the end of the day, you all know, MIATA IS ALWAYS THE ANSWER! You can't go wrong.
With respect to Matt Farah and Zack Klapman, they recently mentioned the RF on The Smoking Tire podcast and didn't think it was worth the extra dough. Long-term the added stability makes for a safer car (from factory) that can still get sideways. Miata's rock a soft-top well, but the style and maturity from the hardtop is worth note. Based on search results, new RF’s are reaching over 40k USD. Used options are landing in the 30k price range with around 20,000 miles. If TST podcast specifically meant from new, that does not seem worth the price hike; sitting higher than the new Club models listed around 36k. Nothing wrong with a 30k plus mileage Miata that’s been properly maintained (most of them are).
This is an amazing car you should drive if given the chance, but rather than fret about owning this ultimate factory spec, dive into any base model and reach comparable levels of nirvana. The Miata faces an exciting future as Mazda seem confident to increase the displacement and keep the weight down.
