Mazda mx-5 miata 2012 User manual

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What do you drive?
Is it inspiring?
What were the people who built your car thinking?
Are they just another behemoth carmaker following the rules?
Or do they break them?
Do they push the boundaries of tradition and habit
to achieve the unachieved?
Are they insightful craftsmen,
obsessing over the details with a crazed passion?
Building less—building better—
for a discerning few?
Are you one of the few
who cares about what you drive,
how it drives
and the way it makes you feel?
We’re with you.
Because we believe if it’s not worth driving,
it’s not worth building.
We build Mazdas.
What do you drive?
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It takes two to be one.
Something almost symbiotic happens when a car
and driver are in perfect harmony. Case in point,
the Mazda MX-5 Miata. To engineer a vehicle that
seems to anticipate a driver’s every move requires
obsessively reengineering every part to work
together in perfect harmony. To achieve that, the
engineers at Mazda took into account every bolt,
every wire and every stitch to achieve near perfect
50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution, resulting
in a car that is perfectly balanced. Well, almost.
The MX-5 is precisely engineered to account for
one more variable—you, the driver. And in doing so,
they created a vehicle that couldn’t be balanced
until a driver is sitting in the driver’s seat. The
result: You complete it. Because at Mazda, we don’t
just engineer cars. We engineer harmony.

There’s a reason it’s the best-selling roadster of all time.
In fact, there are a lot of reasons.
For over two decades, the MX-5 Miata has been defining and redefining what a roadster is meant to be. Unwavering,
uncompromising and committed to true sports car authenticity, the MX-5 has always been and will always be the
track-proven real deal. Daring, nimble and perfectly balanced, the MX-5 is an automotive icon and an engineering
marvel that’s built to dominate the open road, master every curve and effortlessly transform instinct into action.
But to truly understand why it’s the best-selling roadster of all time, you need to be in the driver’s seat.
“Miata’s magic lies in its eager responses and the
unfiltered connection between car and driver.”
Car and Driver, January 2011

Objects in mirror have been trying to catch up for 20 years.
The fact that the MX-5 Miata has been racing for its entire 20 years relates directly to another
amazing fact: On any given weekend, more Mazdas and Mazda-powered cars are road-raced
in the U.S. than any other car. Import or domestic, the lightweight, rigid and perfectly balanced
MX-5 is the most popular amateur race car in the world. And there’s more—like the fact that
Spec Miata is the Sports Car Club of America’s (SCCA) largest and most popular amateur racing
class. And in terms of pro racing, 2011 marked the sixth season of the SCCA Playboy Mazda
MX-5 Cup. Now an 11-race series, the MX-5 Cup attracts many of pro racing’s top up-and-comers.
A true test of talent and technique, drivers compete in identically prepped MX-5 Miatas on many
of America’s legendary racecourses, including Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Mazda is also the official vehicle of the Skip Barber Driving Schools, Racing Schools and Race
Series—the largest most successful racing/driving schools on the planet. Among its fleet of 170
race cars, there are no less than 60 Mazda MX-5 Cup Miatas.
Bottom line: The best street cars make the best race cars. And the MX-5 has been—and still is—
the most road-raced of them all.
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Powerisinthedetails.
Performance isn’t about what’s under the hood.
It’s about how what’s under the hood works with everything else.
A free-revving MZR 2.0-liter 16-valve DOHC engine delivers
an assertive 167 hp and 7,200 rpm redline, all the while
grabbing a pump-taunting 28 mpg highway/22 mpg city*.
Gear heads: Wrap your heads around finely tuned details
such as internal friction-reducing molybdenum-coated
pistons, variable valve timing, electronically controlled port
fuel injection, an electronic throttle and ultralight flywheel,
and block and cylinder heads cast from a weight-saving
aluminum alloy.
A precise and ultra-responsive short-throw, close-ratio
6-speed manual gearbox is standard on both the Touring
and Grand Touring, a 5-speed manual is standard on the
Sport, and a 6-speed Sport AT is also available on most
models. For enhanced control, the Sport AT allows you to
shift manually via the console-mounted shifter or
steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. No matter which
you choose, each of the MX-5’s three smooth sport-
shifting gearboxes becomes an extension of your arm,
transforming anticipation into exhilaration.
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Drivetrain twist wastes power and produces acceleration lag. To help
eliminate that, Mazda engineers gave the MX-5 a solid structural
“backbone”—an ingenious aluminum Power Plant Frame that unites
engine, transmission and differential into a single rigid unit.

Zero to 60 is nothing without 60 to zero.
Every driver knows that when it comes to a sports car, slowing
down is just as important as speeding up. The MX-5’s ultra-
responsive 4-wheel disc brakes with lightweight calipers come
standard with anti-lock brakes and Electronic Brakeforce
Distribution, ensuring linear fade-resistant stopping power
whether you’re on the track or on the road.
Speed is nothing without control.
The MX-5’s 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution is crucial to its legendary handling. Its
front-midship-engine placement and rear-wheel-drive layout enhance balance and directional
control. Helping to keep the MX-5 firmly anchored to the pavement is a track-tuned suspension
that delivers superb handling and directional stability by combining a sophisticated double-
wishbone layout up front with an advanced multilink setup in the rear. A hollow front stabilizer
bar is partnered with four gas-charged shock absorbers and a solid rear stabilizer bar to
minimize body roll and maximize cornering grip. Manual transmission models come equipped
with a torque-sensing limited-slip differential, and all models come equipped with Dynamic
Stability Control* with an integral Traction Control System that optimizes both traction and
handling in less than ideal road conditions. The result: handling that borders on telepathic.
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When a vehicle is perfectly balanced, even the smallest variation
can have a huge impact. To keep the MX-5 perfectly balanced
on the road required taking into account every weight-bearing
variable—down to the stitching in the upholstery—and then
obsessively engineering 12 distinct sets of precisely calibrated
springs to balance out even the smallest change in weight. Finely
tuned to account for the finest of details, each individual
MX-5 is precisely engineered to create the perfect balance of
stiffness for control, softness for comfort and stability for all
those twists and turns the road has in store.
We obsess over the big picture by
obsessing over the details.
When a vehicle is perfectly balanced, even the smallest variation
can have a huge impact. To keep the MX-5 perfectly balanced
on the road required taking into account every weight-bearing
variable—down to the stitching in the upholstery—and then
obsessively engineering 12 distinct sets of precisely calibrated
springs to balance out even the smallest change in weight. Finely
tuned to account for the finest of details, each individual
MX-5 is precisely engineered to create the perfect balance of
stiffness for control, softness for comfort and stability for all
those twists and turns the road has in store.

Custom fit comes standard.
Obsessively engineered to be a driver-focused sports car, the MX-5 is as intuitive
as it is intimate. Every touch point in its cockpit was specifically designed to
feel like it was crafted just for you. The tilt-adjustable steering wheel and short-
throw gearshift make controlling the car second nature. A standard 6-way
adjustable race-inspired seat positions your body for maximum support and
comfort. Racing-inspired gauges are strategically placed to create a clear line of
sight, helping you monitor even the slightest split-second change in your drive.
Available steering-wheel-mounted controls (audio and cruise control) put a world
of customized settings within thumbs’ reach. And the strategically positioned
pedals provide even faster heel-and-toe action for all those hairpin turns. Every
aspect of the MX-5’s cockpit is tailored to your every driving need. Which begs
the question—does it fit you like a glove, or vice versa?
A car should be an extension of your body.
Driving should be an extension of your soul.
Blur the line where man ends and machine begins. Every Mazda engineer
understands the essence of jinba ittai—“rider and horse as one.” A horse and its
rider communicate by being instinctively in tune with each other. To achieve
that same effortless communication behind the wheel, Mazda engineers used
multiple electromyograms and G sensors to analyze a driver’s complete
interaction with the vehicle. From determining the exact location of the shift
lever to which muscles and precisely how much effort would be needed to
shift, every aspect of the drive is engineered to not just connect you with your
MX-5, but to be one with it.
”Jinba ittai, or ‘rider and horse as one,’ was our guiding principle during the
MX-5’s development. The result is a car so nimble, well-balanced and fun to
drive that the driver and car achieve true unity.”

Being at the edge of your seat was never this comfortable.
The MX-5 comes fully equipped with a wide array of amenities that you wouldn’t expect to find in
a track-proven sports car. From technology that recognizes you before your arrival, to seating that
contours to every curve in your body, the MX-5 is engineered to thrill and crafted to spoil.
Audio System
A standard auxiliary input jack with MP3 capability,
available 6-disc CD changer and available SiriusXM™
Satellite Radio* are all part of an available premium
7-speaker Bose®sound system with AudioPilot®noise
compensation technology that cancels out distracting
ambient road noise.
Automatic Climate Control
Keep yourself and your passenger comfortable by
customizing the environment with the available
automatic climate control system.
Bluetooth®†Hands-Free Phone
Keeping your eyes on the road and hands on the wheel
has never been easier. With voice commands, making
and receiving calls is as easy as pushing a button and
saying hello.
Seats
Available heated leather-trimmed bucket seats with five
comfort settings are meticulously designed to conform to
your every curve and adjust to your specific driving position.
Advanced Keyless Entry and Start System
Even before you enter, the MX-5 is already anticipating
your arrival. At the touch of a button, the available
Advanced Keyless Entry and Start System recognizes
you and comes to life before your eyes. It remotely
unlocks the doors and trunk—all without you having to
take your keyless entry fob out of your pocket.

Zero to hardtop in 12.0 seconds.
The MX-5’s quick and easy-to-use soft top isn’t the only way to embrace the wind. Available on
the Touring and Grand Touring models is a Power Retractable Hard Top. Precisely designed to take
up zero trunk space, the MX-5’s ultra-light 80 lb hardtop stores neatly behind the seats under a
special tonneau cover. Weather-tight and complete with a solid glass rear window with defroster,
the MX-5’s roofline is aerodynamic yet elegant. It may be one of the most iconic convertibles
in the world, but at the push of a button, it takes a mere 12 seconds* to transform the thrill of a
convertible into the security and practicality of a hardtop.
*Latch must also be disengaged or engaged.