For me, no matter how good a simulator is, the real thing is always better. Graphics in current games do not quite meet the threshold of “realistic”. They’ve come a long way. However, many compromises are still required to keep the frame rate in an acceptable range.
In addition to lackluster visuals, simulations of the real world lack real risk. There are no real consequences for making mistakes and crashing your virtual car. So, like a lot of sim-driving enthusiasts, I have a real sports car too. A 2021 Mazda Miata MX-5, soft top, Grand Touring to be exact.
The car is epic for those of you wondering what the little roadsters are like. If you get the chance to drive one of the 4th generation cars, I recommend taking it. I’m on track to put twenty-thousand miles on mine this year even though its ostensibly not my daily driver.
I’ve owned muscle cars like Mustangs, Chargers, and Camaros. I’ve had smaller performance cars before to. I once owned a Fiat X19 targa top that I loved. My brother had a Conquest TSI that I enjoyed borrowing once in a while. I’ve also driven several other performance vehicles over the years. The MX-5 offers a better overall driving experience than any of them in my opinion.
Its not just me, the Miata scores high in driver satisfaction for many enthusiasts. You can use all of its potential all the time. When you drive seven hundred horsepower hellcats on public roads, you can’t push them to their performance edge. Well, I guess you can, but eventually you’ll have to pay society back for putting citizens at risk like that.
By comparison, you can launch the MX-5 into a corner at max G, tires barely holding the curve. It will be wrapped out in second gear. You’ll feel like you are about to hit warp speed and slide off the road. If you look down to the speedo, you will see that you are still under the speed limit.
At around twenty-four hundred pounds, it is one of the lightest cars on the road. The weight is distributed fifty-fifty front-to-back. The mid-front engine rear-wheel drive configuration is a classic driver’s setup. Mine is a six-speed manual. Both the clutch and shifting are superb.
There are plenty of safety and creature comfort features in the Grand Touring package. Heated leather seats, heated auto darkening mirrors, headlights that follow the steering and automatically control their brightness are a few. There are also automatic windshield wipers, lane departure detection and warning, and air bags everywhere. The car even holds itself in place while you work the controls to launch on steep hills. No clutch slipping needed.
The light car is super easy to maneuver in almost any situation. There’s load of grip and an active anti-body roll that keeps everything in shape during high mass maneuvers. The traction control algorithm is helpful in tricky situations. Both can be turned off by pressing a button to get a “rawer” driving feel.
The stock suspension is meant for a balance between comfortable road tripping and enthusiastic public road driving. Once you master the vehicle, you will be able to bottom it out on a track. Especially when braking hard into tilted corners. However, the car was designed to be easily modified for track use. Just a few suspension stiffing parts and some safety components are all that is required.
The two-liter inline four-cylinder SkyActiv motor wraps out at 7200 RPM and produces one-hundred-eighty-one horsepower. It isn’t a fast car, but neither is it slow. Zero to sixty takes five point seven seconds, and the top speed is around one-forty. The car feels stable all the way to up to about one twenty. It can start to feel loose after that on some roads with the stock suspension.
Not long after acquiring the Miata, my spouse and I were itching to take it on a road trip. We looked at a lot of places that are known to be excellent driving adventures. Places like “The Tail of the Dragon” in Arkansas, or “The Talimena Scenic Drive” in Oklahoma were on the list. I’m sure we will do both at some point. Neither seemed like a great option during the worst of the mid-west summer heat.
We decided that the mountains would probably offer a reprieve from the consecutive one hundred degree days at home. We thought the cooler mountain climate would boost our enjoyment of the trip. After some research and debate we settled on Glenwood Springs, Colorado as our destination.
We had been there once on a family vacation years ago. I had vowed then to return to the magnificent mountain roads in something other than a minivan. I had the perfect car for it, this was my chance. Let’s go!
Finished in 1992, the twelve and a half mile stretch of mountain tarmac winds through the majestic river-cut Glenwood canyon. At sixty-one million dollars per mile, it is the most expensive section of the United States’ Interstate Highway System (IHS).
The I-70 corridor runs east and west across most of the middle of the continental United States. I say most because it was never completely finished. Not long after completing the Glenwood canyon stretch, they called it quits. So, I-70 ends in the middle of nowhere Utah instead of at the ocean somewhere in California.
I, for one, am grateful the crews finished the canyon stretch. It offers one of the best public-road driving experiences I’ve ever had. The canyon itself features walls almost one thousand feet high in sections. It also includes sweeping views of mountain vistas. Not to mention beautiful mountain towns, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, hot springs, and tunnels. All of which are features of this marvelous stretch of four lane, split highway.
The road surface is well kept. Still, it is a challenging drive with numerous hazards that can catch you off guard. During the rainy and snow melt seasons, some of the bigger curves will feature waterfalls. They form where the tarmac hugs up against the sides of the mountains, and rock ledges create overhangs. The runoff streams that flow across the lanes are not only wet, but they can also be incredibly slippery. Algae and moss grow on them in the shady spots. Follow the locals and avoid the dark patches.
Some of the sweeping mountain curves are elevated and thus contain bridge joints. These joints are made of metal that can also cause sudden traction loss. At speed, some of the connection bumps are large. They can cause a light car like mine to bounce off the road’s surface. Speaking of sweeping, some curves tighten as they wrap around mountains. This tightening puts the apex in unexpected places.
In addition to the driving experience, the city of Glenwood Springs offers a lot of entertainment options. We stayed at the Maxwell Anderson Hotel. The room featured twelve-foot-tall ceilings and arched windows along one wall. They had the most spectacular mountain views. We spent a fair amount of time just hanging out in the room watching the views. The hotel’s restaurant offered great food. It also features a brewery that made some tasty beer. I had one every day after we had finished driving up and down the canyon roads.
The city is famous for large naturally warm hot springs pools. There are three different commercial enterprises that cater to three different hot springs experiences. One is a water park with a hot, lazy river, slides, and giant heated pool. Another is a series of gravel bottomed hot tubs along the side of the river with bars sprinkled throughout. The third is underground, literally in a cave.
There’s an adventure park on top of the mountain that has roller coasters and thrill rides galore. Riding the gondola to get up to the theme park is a ride all on its own. Restaurants and bars of every kind line the streets in the tourist sections of town. There is plenty to do and see while taking a break from driving. My spouse and I really enjoyed walking around the area. The ice cream and candy shop was a frequent destination of our evening strolls.
Famous Colorado mountain towns like Aspen, Vale, and Steamboat Springs are just a couple of hours driving away. We had a great time on this trip. If you are lucky enough to have a sports car. I highly recommend considering the Glenwood canyon area as something to do with it. I also suggest making a least one round trip through it at night.
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