Four cupholders are not necessary in a two-seat sports car. Come to think of it, two cupholders are too much in a vehicle designed first for driving and second for everything else. We can live with those in the center console, even if they make it harder to shift when in use. Mazda needs to ditch the hard plastic cupholders molded into each door panel.

Otherwise, there is little to fault when it comes to the 2006 Mazda MX-5 Miata’s design and materials. Most surfaces are covered in hard plastic, unlike the soft-touch dash pad and door panel trim of the old Miata, but it’s of the low-gloss, even patterned variety. The leather-wrapped steering wheel is soft and smooth, and the checkered-insert seat fabric looks subdued and feels durable. Overall, this is a big step forward from the old model.

Vaguely retro in style, the MX-5 Miata’s interior looks good, especially when decked out in Saddle leather. We think the cowl is too high, but like the flashy new steering wheel, perfect gauges, and restrained use of silver plastic trim.