Driving pleasure, the Mazda MX-5 Miata's elemental reason for existence, can be quantified in myriad ways. To Mazda, which single-handedly revived the roadster market 16 years ago when it introduced the original MX-5 Miata to the world, the Japanese notion of jinba ittai represents not only the essence of the globe's best-selling two-seat sports car, but of the brand as a whole. Every new Mazda strives to bring "rider and horse together as one," the literal translation of jinba ittai . The redesigned 2006 MX-5 Miata exemplifies this philosophy better than even the vaunted RX-8.

To ensure that the new MX-5 Miata embodied jinba ittai, Mazda engineers employed the tenets of Kansei engineering, the principles of which dictate that every aspect of design, mechanics, and dynamic response must ultimately contribute to driving satisfaction. Thus, despite larger dimensions, a bigger interior, improved safety, and additional features, the new 2006 Mazda MX-5 Miata weighs just 22 pounds more than the old car, which means that the base model should remain under 2,500 pounds.

That means the new MX-5 Miata will remain lightweight, lithe and lively - characteristics that made it a hit in the first place.