Mazda MX-5 Miata RF vs BMW Z4
A 2,467-lb two-seater whose power retractable hardtop opens or closes in about 13 seconds, with a six-speed manual standard on both trims and an EPA-rated 29 mpg combined. This page sets the MX-5 Miata RF’s sourced specifications beside the other two-seat roadster on sale for 2026, one row at a time, with the source and the model year named on every row.
Mazda MX-5 Miata RF vs BMW Z4
This is the one comparison in the MX-5 Miata RF’s research where both cars open, so the roof row is not about whether — it is about how. The RF stows a rigid power hardtop; the BMW Z4 is offered with a fabric soft top and no retractable hardtop at any trim. That is why this page carries four rows where the soft-top MX-5 Miata carries three against the same car: the soft top and the Z4 are both fabric-topped, which is a tie and not a row, and the RF’s roof is a genuine difference of mechanism. Weight, EPA combined mileage and whether a manual can be had at all are the other three. Each row below names its source and the model year that source describes.
Every row above names its source and the model year that source describes; verification of a comparison is the dealer’s responsibility. Competitor figures are that manufacturer’s own published specifications for the model year shown. Rows the MX-5 Miata RF does not lead are recorded in our research and are not published here, and no price row appears at all — competitor MSRPs are published excluding destination while Mazda’s include it, so no like-for-like price comparison exists.
The Mazda MX-5 Miata RF in Mobile, AL
A Rigid Roof, and What Else Separates Two Roadsters
The 2026 MX-5 Miata RF opens or closes a power retractable hardtop in about 13 seconds, weighs 2,467 lbs as a Grand Touring with the manual, is EPA-rated at 29 mpg combined, and comes with a six-speed manual as standard equipment on both of its trims — Club and Grand Touring — with an automatic available on the Grand Touring. Against the only other open-top two-seater in our research those four things are what differ, and the roof row is the one this body earns that the soft top does not: a rigid folding roof is a different thing from a fabric one, not a longer way of saying the same thing.
How to Read This Comparison
Every figure in the table above carries a source and the model year that source describes. Mazda’s guidelines put verification of a comparison on the dealer, so a row that could not be sourced to a manufacturer publication is left out rather than estimated, and a row the MX-5 Miata RF does not lead is recorded in our research and not published here. Ask us for the documentation behind any row and we will show it to you.
MX-5 Miata RF Comparison Questions
What kind of roof does the Mazda MX-5 Miata RF have?⌄
A power retractable hardtop — a rigid roof that stows itself into a dedicated compartment from a console switch in about 13 seconds. It is the first row of the comparison above, and against a fabric-topped roadster it is a difference of mechanism rather than of whether the car opens at all.
Does the Mazda MX-5 Miata RF come with a manual transmission?⌄
A six-speed manual is standard on both 2026 trims, and a six-speed automatic is available on the Grand Touring. That is the fourth row of the comparison above, where the question is whether a manual can be had at all.
Where can I compare the Mazda MX-5 Miata RF near Mobile, AL?⌄
Dean McCrary Mazda is at 1739 E I-65 Service Rd S in Mobile, serving Daphne, Spanish Fort, Saraland and Theodore. Drive a MX-5 Miata RF and judge the comparison for yourself.
How are the figures on this page sourced?⌄
Each row names the publication it came from and the model year that publication describes. Verification of a comparison is the dealer’s responsibility, so no row appears here without a citation, and a row nobody could source is left off the page rather than estimated.
