I recently test drove the MINI, MINI S, and the new MX-5. I gotta tell you, I liked both MINIs much better than the Miata. The Miata felt like I was driving a truck, though the shifter was absolutely sweet. The Miata was painfully slow. Even with 170hp, it felt slower than the base MINI. I honestly felt like the MINI handled much better than the RWD Miata. I love the MINIs communicative steering. Anyway, just wanted to share.