I barely fit in a Solstice. The Miata is a no go for me. There is such a thing as too small.

 

From what i've heard, the miata offers a tad bit more interior space than the sostice. The miata is said to have a bit more leg/shoulder room while having the same hip-room as the solstice. The solstice has a slightly better head room.

So it isn't as small as some would think despite the 400+lb weight difference. The miata is actually a tenth of an inch longer in overall length.

 

It's easy to take the sales lead in a niche market when you have more than double the amount of dealers.

 

Then what will be the excuse when the Saturn Sky over takes the Miata too?

 

Numbers, please? I thought the Solstice offers a room advantage. I would bet a lot of money that it offers more head and legroom (hardest to come by in a small roadster). I would have guessed more hip/shoulder room too, based on its greater width, but the outer rails of the frame design might impede...? Lutz made a big deal about space in the Solstice, insisting that he (at ~6'4" be able to fit). I think Wagoner is another inch taller or so, and it is said that he fits?

My current Miata (1st gen) is pretty damn snug, especially for headroom (unless of course the top is down, which is how I normally drive it). I know the Miata has gotten roomier, but I haven't been in a new (3rd gen) Miata yet. The Solstice definitely feels roomier than the 2nd gen Miata my Dad used to own; it was not much better than mine...

 

#'s.

Interior dimensions
Model-----shoulder--------leg-----hip--------head
Miata-----53.20"--------43.10"----50.60"---37.40"
Solstice--52.40"--------42.70"----50.60"----38.50"

Exterior dimenstion
Model-----length-----width----hieght----wheelbase
Miata-----157.30"----67.70"----49.00"-----91.70"
Solstice---157.20"----71.30"----50.10"-----95.10

Cargo (cubic ft)
Solstice - 5.40
Miata - 5.30

 

The Solstice I drove sort of rubbed my left shoulder constantly. The new Mazda might be just right. The previous body style was way too narrow at the shoulder.

 

I'm 6'2" ~195 and both the Solstice and Miata I feel like I'm 'squeezing' myself into. Have not taken the solstice around the block, even, yet, but I have been in a Miata for a few 45 minute trips around town and was already getting uncomfortable. Then again I never bothered trying any fancy adjustments to the seat if there were even any...

 

Gotta agree. The Miata just feels better, and with a full out aftermarket suspension on both cars, I have no reason to believe the Miata wouldn't hand the Solstice it's ***. Weight does go along way.

Styling wise, the Sky is phenominal.

 

Hmmm. Well, I guess I'll just have to drive them both and see how they feel. For me, headroom is the biggie (at 6'2" and ~200 lbs, and with a tallish torso for my height). I remember the Solstice feeling pretty roomy, except for the tallish door sills, making you feel kinda like you're surrounded by the car (seems to be the trend these days). That might explain the 0.8" deficit in shoulder room (0.4" for each person; pretty much even). I thought the car had plenty of legroom, IIRC (I wear 34" inseam jeans). Like I said, with my tallish torso, headroom usually limits me more than other measurements, so the car felt roomy to me too. Maybe the new Miata is a big improvement over the old car. I'll have to try one out someday (though it's academic, since I'm not in the market and wouldn't be buying one anyway).

I wonder how standardized interior dimension measurements are, since we're on the topic. I suppose there is some SAE recommended practice for measuring legroom, headroom, etc. Are the seats all the way back? Lowest position? Is everything put in the "middle" of its range? In a sedan, if you put the front seat all the way back to measure legroom, do you get to push it all the way forward to measure rear legroom (which would mean you are attributing the some of the same space to both seats)?



In any case, thanks for posting #'s though.

 

i havn't seen the trunk of the miata but it can't be any worse than the trunk of the solstice/sky.

5.4 cu ft of cargo on the solstice/sky means you can pour 5.4 cu ft of water into the trunk, but not actually put a suitcase into it.