Video: 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Review

Now for 2017, joining the fourth generation manual soft top is what's called the retractable fastback or RF. Coincidentally, the fastback aspect is what is not retractable. As you can see, the top is essentially down, but it really has more of the look of a removable roof panel or a target top as Porsche closet though note, you still have the rear window go down aside from this little windscreen which can be removed. Does anyone remember the old Honda del Sol, the Civic del Sol from the early '90s? It was a two door, two seater with a removable roof panel, manual and a retractable rear window. I've never seen anything quite like it before, this is about as close as it's come. Anyway, is the RF as good as the PRHT? Let's find out. People like the looks of this with the top down, lets see it with the top up. It is fully powered, which means all you have to do is press one button, takes about 13 seconds which isn't bad, though it doesn't have that much to move. And you can watch the motion on a little graphic on the instrument panel which is nice. Unfortunately, the top moves only up to six miles per hour, today's powered soft tops can operate up to 20, 25 miles per hour sometimes higher, which is good if it starts raining, it means you don't have to pull over. On the flip side, the traditional retractable hard top requires you to stop completely and put the car in park before the top will move at all, it's just another way that this car is kind of between soft top and retractable hard top. This is where the Miata RF really shines. The fastback profile makes it look not just better than the soft top version with a top up, but definitely better than the old PRHT, which was a little bit awkward looking with the top up, frankly. Now what Mazda did was they used steel here in this middle section, but lightweight aluminum for the front panel, a lot of plastic composite for the back, but even so with the addition of the extra hardware in the motors, it adds weight. Even though they drilled out a tunnel member under the undercarriage, which is essentially like an X brace, they drilled that out just to take some mass out of that, the net gain in weight over the manual transmission soft top it's almost 120 pounds, which is not nothing. Also think about where it is, it's a little bit higher, which can raise the center of gravity and a little bit farther back. So, what that has done is that has changed the weight distribution from 47% of the weight in the rear, in the manual transmission soft top to 50%, 50/50. Now to compensate, Mazda made some changes. They retuned the suspension a bit as well as power steering. Out on the road, I didn't feel a big difference. Its possible there was a little less understeer going into corners, but it wasn't like the rear end was hard to control. Frankly, I think you'd have to push the car a lot harder than I was able to, to sense the difference between this and the soft top, we might even have to do it back. When I first saw the retractable fastback, I kind of thought I'd prefer a full, proper convertible where the top goes all the way down and having driven it, that's pretty much how I feel. When I drive a convertible, which I do as often as possible, I like to feel like I'm outside as much as possible. And with the structure still up here, it's not quite the same. It's a little bit more like a target top or even a big moon roof. Now that's not to say there aren't some advantages. If you want the interior to be less turbulent, less windy, this does the trick. Definitely less wind blowing around, you can hear yourself talk, you can hear your passenger talk. But what you cannot deny is that you are going to lose some outward visibility. The structure back here definitely blocks your view on both sides, it's also true of the soft top Miata when the top is up. But of course, in that case, when the top is down, your visibility is terrific, which I really like when driving something this small in traffic with some eyes and SUVs. And unquestionable benefit of the RF is that it is quieter inside with the top up. And that's really what you expect from a retractable hard top. Mazda did a good job of making the soft top quieter for the fourth generation but no question, this is a much quieter experience than the soft top. Now let's talk trade-offs. You will find that there is six tenths of an inch less headroom in the attractable fastback versus the soft top. And that's not nothing if you're already borderline. As for the trunk, it loses only a 10th of a cubic foot which is actually quite good. Though I have to say the power retractable hard top had a fully retractable hard top, and it didn't affect the trunk space at all either. The RF will also cost you more. A whole 27, 55 more than a comparably equipped club trim level. Now because the club's trim level is the lowest for the RF, if you want to save money, you get a soft top sport, that's the lowest trim and you save over $6,600. So why do you buy the RF? You buy it for the look, and because it's quieter with the top up. If you want a full convertible experience, though, you're going to want to stick with the soft top.