Since the Mazda Miata came out in 1989, controversy has been present as to whether or not it is an RWD car. Many arguments say yes and some argue no. Those who believe that the Miata is a rear-wheel-drive car will state their points below. Point 1: The Miata came out in 1989 and it's been RWD since then. The Miata was released in 1989, and the first cars were based on the NA-L platform which was originally a 4-door sedan called the Mazda Familia. The car had more than a few problems with things such as handling and reliability, so the NA-L platform was overhauled to create the MX-6 platform. The MX-6 was a 4-door sedan as well, and it was an improvement, but still not up to the standards of the company. It wasn't until the Miata that Mazda designed a sports car using the MX-6 chassis. Point 2: The Miata uses MacPherson struts in front, which is a signature of RWD cars. The NA and NB Miatas (1989-2005) uses MacPherson struts up front, which is a signature of an RWD car. These struts are designed to give the most space possible inside while still being able to be compact, and they are not found on FWD cars. Additionally, the NA Miata had a live axle in the rear which is also associated with RWD cars. Point 3: The Miata has OEM-applicable brakes. The NA and NB Miatas (1989-2005) have OEM-applicable brakes in the front. This is a signature of an RWD car as well, as FWD cars don't have this brake setup. If a car is not designed to have brakes, then that car will not include them, especially if they are expensive to install or maintain. Point 4: The Miata uses RWD tires. The OEM tires used in the NA and NB Miatas (1989-2005) are RWD. To be designed with tires, they must be designed specifically for that car, and since FWD cars have their specific wheel setups and their specific tire setups, then it is reasonable to assume that RWD cars will have tires of their own. In the case of the Miata, it does. Point 5: The Miata has RWD transmission ratios. The OEM gear selection for the NA and NB Miatas (1989-2005) is done with an RWD transmission. Also, the NA and NB Miatas (1989-2005) have an FWD setup with an optional automated manual transmission unit (AMT). This was done because they are both FWD cars, and since they have different gear setups, they had to be designed with different things than one another. Point 6: The Miata was designed with RWD in mind. The NA and NB Miatas (1989-2005) were designed with the idea of being an RWD cars. They were designed this way because of the MX-6 platform, which was known to have issues with its handling and reliability, so they decided to make it into a sports car by giving it more horsepower and a more precise handling setup. The MX-6's shortcomings prompted Mazda to design the Miata with RWD in mind. Point 7: The Miata has rear-wheel drive. The rear axle is where the engine power is distributed to the wheels, so since that is the case, then it follows that the Miata must be an RWD car. This is shown by Mazda's choice of using MacPherson struts and OEM tires in the front, and by their choice of using a live axle in the rear. Point 7 follows up on point 6's argument. The rear-wheel-drive of the Miata is shown by Mazda's choice of using MacPherson struts and OEM tires in the front, and by their choice of using a live axle in the rear. RWD cars only use MacPherson struts up front, because FWD cars don't have them, and FWD cars don't use OEM tires because then they wouldn't be designed for that car. Point 8: The Miata has an RWD drivetrain. When the Miata was designed, it was designed with RWD in mind, and this is shown by the MX-6 part of its history. It had MacPherson struts and a live axle, so therefore the idea of front-wheel drive wasn't even thought of until the Miata was under development. Mazda's choice of using an FWD gear setup with an RWD transmission is not feasible if they wanted it to be an RWD car. Also, the idea of using a live axle in an FWD car is not possible because live axles are found in RWD cars. Point 9: The Miata has an RWD transmission. Even though the NA and NB Miatas (1989-2005) have an FWD transmission unit, they also have an RWD transmission which they use in manual gears. The reason for this is that Mazda believed that it was more important to have good performance than to get optimal fuel economy. Point 10: The Miata has an RWD front suspension. The NA and NB Miatas (1989-2005) uses MacPherson struts in the front, which is RWD. They were designed this way because of the MX-6 platform, which had an RWD design. An RWD design would mean that the suspension would have to be designed with the mindset of RWD, meaning that a MacPherson strut front suspension was needed. Point 11: The Miata has RWD rear suspension. The NA and NB Miatas (1989-2005) have a live axle in the rear, which is also found in an RWD car. This is shown by the MX-6 platform on which it was based, as well as by its history. Point 12: The Miata has an RWD transmission with RWD first gears. The NA and NB Miatas (1989-2005) have an RWD transmission unit with first gears that are offset to the left side instead of being centered, as they would be in FWD or AWD cars. This allows for a better balance between performance and fuel economy, and it also results in better handling. Point 13: The Miata has an RWD twin-turbo engine. Mazda's prototype for the MX-6 used a turbocharged 2.0L engine instead of a turbocharged 1.8L, but Mazda decided to use the 1.8L in the NA and NB Miatas (1989-2005). All of this is because the MX-6 platform was RWD, so Mazda decided to use a turbocharged 1.8L to make it more powerful, which also accomplished their goal of keeping it as light as possible. Point 14: The Miata has an FWD transmission with FWD first gears. To minimize its size, Mazda made the NA and NB Miatas (1989-2005) have an FWD transmission unit with first gears that are offset to the right side instead of being centered. This was done because they believed that it was more important to have good fuel economy than it was to have good performance, as well as to keep the car as light as possible. This is also pretty much the exact opposite of what an RWD car would do. Point 15: The Miata has an FWD gear ratio with FWD first gears. In the NA and NB Miatas (1989-2005), Mazda made the transmission gear ratios differ between the first and second gears. This was done to maximize their fuel economy. Point 16: The Miata has an FWD transmission unit with FWD first gears. In the NA and NB Miatas (1989-2005), the transmission gear ratios are different between the first and second gears. This was done to increase their fuel economy. Point 17: The Miata has an FWD transmission unit with RWD first gears. In the NA and NB Miatas (1989-2005), the transmission gear ratios are different between the first and second gears. This was done to increase their fuel economy. Point 18: The Miata has an FWD engine with RWD first gears. In the NA and NB Miatas (1989-2005), the transmission gear ratios are different between the first and second gears. This was done to increase their fuel economy.