Ownership Verified: Going Mainstream (2016 Miata)

Never driven one, not familiar with the trim levels nor the optional colours but I like what I see. :)
 
Bringing a little colour into the garage. And it's so tiny!

IMG_20160401_124234306.jpg
 
Today there was a package in the mail containing a space-saving item. I ordered it because, well, the MX-5 boot is really, really small, as already shown in the opening post of this thread:
"Boot" (normal-size laptop/work rucksack for scale :D)
DSC_7046.jpg
This is shot from directly above, showing how the emergency kit resides at the back end of the boot:



To clear the boot from all things cluttering it up, I removed the tyre repair kit (the little black bag on the upper right of the quoted picture) and the detached tow-hooks (formerly at home on the left of the boot) from their old places and tucked them into the space hidden on the right side behind a hatch. That space is constructed for holding a jack that however didn't come with the car. I wrapped the tow-hook pack into a towel.



Because a normal warning triangle is too big to put anywhere else, I bought a 3-in-1 set (warning triangle, high-visibility vest, first-aid kit) from Holthaus Medical. The warning triangle is folded in the middle of the sides, too, making it only half as long when folded up.



This kit fits right into the cubblehole behind the driver seat:



As a result, I can now use the boot to its full extend ( :D ). Without the emergency kit, even a max-carry-on-bag should be able to fit into the pit.


That's a billard queue.

And a bonus picture: The "glove box" between the seats. In there I have the folder with manual, insurance papers etc., an umbrella, some sunscreen, two tote bags for spontaneous shopping, the parking disc, and a cap (not pictured).



In the cubblehole behind the passenger seat, I have sponges for the windows and a brush for the soft top. The small panel under the arm rest holds the really small stuff like pen & paper.
 
Yeah, if a standard sized warning triangle is too big to fit, you really are struggling for space. :lol:

Anyway, I bet this thing is a hoot to drive. Hope to get to see it at Ringmeet.
 
I guess there's gonna be a long queue to have ride in your car at this year's Ringmeet... can I reserve a spot? :D
I should come with for the timed lap, DanRom - you and i even out the weight distribution :cool:

EDIT: I almost forgot; CONGRATS! :D, welcome to the club of fun red cars.
 
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Half-crosspost from Dr_Grip's thread... we did some size comparisons between Lucille and the MX-5. The rear ends of the cars are aligned. So the Ford has one engine bay more of a car... fitting, it also has one four-cylinger engine more. ;)



I guess we could also have done it the "The wagon has a boot, the roadster doesn't" way... :whistle:
 
The infotainment system in current Mazdas is Linux-based and as such, it's modifiable to a certain degree. So, today I downloaded the "All In One Installer" advertised in this Mazda 3 forum thread (or well, a German localized version) and got to work. After figuring out how to use the program (documentation is not the strong suit of the developer) I decided on the customizations listed below. Unfortunately, not all of these work. It seems to have been a mistake to have the system itself updated to the latest version, as Mazda apparently closed some loopholes in the system.
  • SSH server (recommended as a backup access when one of the other tweaks break the system/GUI)
  • Enable touchscreen while driving
  • Pausing media on mute (the default behaviour is to continue playing the track)
  • Change the order of audio sources to a more sensible one (moving Bluetooth and USB up, moving some online service that nobody uses down)
  • Remove signature in messages (think of the annoying Tapatalk signature - the car can actually send SMS, not that I ever use that)
  • Shortened display time for disclaimer at system startup
  • A speedometer application with lots of data:

    Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to work really because since the last system update, it doesn't get the GPS data properly. There are workarounds, but they require a fair bit of non-practical manual steps. I think I'll deinstall it again, at least until a fix is out. Also, I can't figure out how to reset the statistics...
  • And finally, a different background image (thanks Ice for providing the source image):

    I will probably change that back too, as it makes the menu unreadable. Bad choice of image on my part. Pity, it would have been awesome.
 
That's cool!
 
That should be fun to fiddle with


Sent from my FIAT Palio



:p
 
That should be fun to fiddle with


Sent from my FIAT Palio



:p
In 2014 when MacGuffin rented an Audi A8 we changed the Bluetooth name to Zastava IIRC, definitely something not-Audi-ish. ;)
 
Yeah, I referred to the image itself and not the display contrast settings.
 
:lol:
 
Change the contrast so you can still use the display?
I did that and it helped (sorry, forgot to turn the camera flash off):


Also, I was at a friend's birthday party last night and upon leaving wanted to get to bed as quick as possible. Afterwards, the drive log of the speedometer app said this:

(from top on the right: distance driven, top speed, average speed, current, min and max height above sea level, latitude, longitude [both values blanked out], total time traveled, time spent standing, fuel economy)

Unfortunately the data includes the slow sections (going at the speed limit or even at city speeds) at the beginning and end, and my attempt of calculating them out using Google Maps predictions tells me an average speed of 229 kph for the mostly-derestricted-Autobahn section in between. Yeah right. I must have made an error somewhere...

Anyway, the car has a claimed top speed of only 214 kph, so I am quite pleased with the GPS'd 232 (the car's speedo was at 240 at the time, not sure if this computerized stuff would even let the needle get past the end of the scale that's at 240), but that was downhill and possibly in the slipstream of a BMW 5 series (no, I wasn't tailgating, so probably not). Earlier that day, I already achieved 228 kph following an MGF. Quite a nice day. :D

Also, the fuel and range indicators on the car are totally useless. I spent the last 30 km with "range left: 0 km" and the last 20 with the fuel gauge showing "empty". This morning, I filled up and there were still about 7 litres left in the tank...
 
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FFS DanRom, how did you go from "I do not want the numberplate of my Ford Focus on the internet" to posting images of you doing 236km/h in a sportscar......I bet you show up at Ringmeet all pumped up, tatoo'd in a tanktop with a pornstar on the passenger seat if the speed of your change keeps this pace :D

Also shamelessly copied you and bought that tiny warning triangle for the convertible :)
 
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