Mazda MX-5 Miata RF vs Subaru BRZ
A 2,467-lb two-seater with a power retractable hardtop, rated at 29 mpg combined on the same EPA figure as the soft top. This page sets the MX-5 Miata RF’s sourced specifications beside a rear-wheel-drive sports car it is cross-shopped with, one row at a time, with the source and the model year named on every row.
Mazda MX-5 Miata RF vs Subaru BRZ
The MX-5 Miata RF’s roof retracts and the Subaru BRZ’s does not — there is no open-top BRZ at any trim — and the Mazda is both the lighter car and the more economical one on the EPA combined figure, hardtop mechanism included. What the table does not say is that this is the more powerful car, because it is not: the RF gives away horsepower to the flat-four coupe, and that row is in our research rather than on this page. 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 Folding Metal Roof That Costs Nothing at the Pump
The 2026 MX-5 Miata RF is EPA-rated at 29 mpg combined — 26 city and 34 highway with the manual — which is the same rating as the soft-top MX-5 Miata despite the retractable hardtop and the roughly hundred pounds it adds. It weighs 2,467 lbs as a Grand Touring with the manual and makes 181 hp from a 2.0-liter on regular fuel. The comparison above is about the roof, the weight and the mileage, which are what our research could source for both cars in the same model year.
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
Does the Mazda MX-5 Miata RF get worse mileage than the soft top?⌄
No. Both are EPA-rated at 29 mpg combined, 26 city and 34 highway with the six-speed manual, despite the RF’s added hardtop weight. Your own mileage will depend on how and where you drive.
Is the Mazda MX-5 Miata RF the more powerful car in this comparison?⌄
No, and the table above does not claim it is. Horsepower is a row our research records and this page does not publish, because the RF does not lead it. What it leads on here is roof type, weight and EPA combined mileage.
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.
