The 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring RF was provided for review purposes through DriveShop. All opinions are my own and are honest.
Hot Time Summer In the City in the 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring RF
There’s no place like New York City and summertime in this city is always special. Particularly when Dave Chappelle, Erykah Badu, and super talented trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah are in town. If we could ever get another go-round and repeat last week, then the opportunity couldn’t come sooner. What a 7-day stretch it was! In that span, we fit in 2 date nights to watch these show stopping headliners perform and do their thing. Plus we got to cruise from venue to venue in Mazda’s head-turning convertible: the 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring RF. What a fun car! What incredible shows! What a great week!
“I took my roof off at the red light….” -Rick Ross
I’m a fan of sports cars (especially convertibles) and the 2017 MX-5 Miata Grand Touring RF had me itching to drive it the moment I laid eyes on it. I truly enjoyed this car, and I guess my family eventually got their turn too at enjoying it. The slightest reason to leave the house had me grabbing the key and heading for the driveway. Low on milk: “I’ll go get it. I’ll be right back.” Have to pick up Mini Me from day care: “I’ll go get her. I’ll be right back.” Put the trash out front for tomorrow’s garbage day: “I’ll use the Miata to do it. I’ll be right back.” I could not get enough of this car. Good thing we also had dates planned. More reasons to get behind the wheel, drop the top, and hit the road. Perfect!
Mazda says its “dedicated team of engineers worked tirelessly” designing the 2017 MX-5 Miata RF and the effort definitely shows. The car’s bold, sharp looks compel everyone to take a second look — then another. I was leaving the house one afternoon to “go grab milk” or something and our next door neighbor couldn’t resist striking up a conversation about our new toy. He and I chatted about this latest model’s features as he compared it to the Miata model from 5 years ago that he owns. The current MX-5 RF sports a hardtop roof that tucks itself away in the rear of the car. Surprisingly this droptop still maintains a decent amount of storage room for the trunk to actually remain useful — even with the roof retracted. I showed our neighbor how the 2017 Mazda Miata silently goes from roofed to roofless in a mere 13 seconds. Ahhhhhh… fresh air and open sky above.
The 155 horsepower, rear-wheel drive 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring RF offers up more features worth noting. The push button ignition brings this roadster to life. The engine has a growl about it. The cabin is outfitted in leather while the dashboard’s centerpiece is the 7-inch touch screen display. I’m always happy whenever SiriusXM radio and onboard navigation are available. And the high-quality Bose sound system has two of its 9 speakers hidden inside each headrest. This means your good tunes won’t lose out to the wind when you have the roof peeled off. The 2017 MX-5 Miata Grand Touring RF I think is as welcome to share the stage with any of the headliners we got to experience.
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah & Stretch Music
Ok, so out of respect for this man’s talent, creativity, craftsmanship, and distinctive voice as a trumpeter and band leader I have to start off by calling him by his full name. Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s music first grabbed my attention about a month ago back in July. I was on YouTube and came across the NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert series. “What’s this and why have I never seen this before,” I thought. I was instantly hooked on NPR’s live and up close showcase.
The format is this: musicians set up instruments and mics in a nook in NPR’s Washington, DC office and are given 15 minutes to rock out. Artist after artist after artist has blessed the Tiny Desk Concert series. Adele. Anthony Hamilton. Legendary DC go-go band Rare Essence. Chance The Rapper. Big Baby D.R.A.M. And Christian Scott’s performance was all the introduction I needed.
I immediately went online and began buying up his music. That led to looking up his touring schedule. What luck! Christian Scott and his band would be in New York City in a month’s time. Tickets were bought and that’s how we ended up at the Blue Note Jazz Club on a beautiful summer evening in August listening to my new favorite musician and his band. By the way, of course, we dropped the top on the Mazda MX-5 Miata while making our way to the show.
Great company and a great live performance go hand in hand. Our Saturday night show was a double date and the four of us were treated to an incredible musical experience. Sonically, Christian Scott’s music is wide and richly layered. The New Orleans native pulls in influences from all over the map to create what he dubs Stretch Music. The trumpeter and his accomplished band seamlessly blend rhythms originating from Africa together with sounds familiar to Native American ceremonies, plus textures from the Caribbean and tie in hip hop too; just to name a few of the many elements that can be heard. Take a listen for yourself and tell us what vibe you catch from this Grammy nominated 34-year-old.
Dave Chappelle x Erykah Badu @ Radio City Music Hall
A few days later we again took the roof off of the 2017 MX-5 Miata Grand Touring RF and headed for Manhattan. This time our destination was Radio City Music Hall. Dave Chappelle decided to celebrate 30 years in comedy with a residency at Radio City for the month of August. And we were definitely going to be in attendance for the festivities.
The great thing about this stretch of performances is that every night Dave is joined by a different cast of his friends. Some scheduled. Some surprise. All worth the price of admission. Some of the people who shared the stage with Dave this month are The Roots, Chris Rock, Trevor Noah, Lauryn Hill, Ice Cube, Usher, Solange.
Marlon Wayans opened our Wednesday night show with a hilarious set followed by a raucous one from Donnell Rawlings. Next thing we know Dave Chappelle comes out to announce that Cedric the Entertainer is in the house tonight. Just when things couldn’t get any better we the audience were blessed with jokes from one the kings of comedy. Cedric the Entertainer lived up to his name.
Co-headlining our midweek show with Dave Chappelle was none other than “The Analog Girl In A Digital World”, Ms. Erykah “On and On” Badu. Before making way for her to close out the show, Dave came on stage and did almost an hour’s worth of material. They say the truth hurts. Well, the truth can also be funny and Dave tells the truth in his own hilarious way. His observations about race, politics, and life, in general, provoke you to both laugh and think.
Back To The Future in the 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF
Then it is was time to head back home. Manhattan is full of surprises at any time of day. And minutes after midnight Times Square can still be jam packed as if it were midday. At that hour there’s still a possibility that you’ll see any and everything. So it came as no surprise to either one of us when we banged a left from Broadway onto 46th Street as to what we saw next. Marty McFly’s car from Back To The Future parked on the corner. I parked the Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring RF in front of it and snapped a couple photos. Back To The Future 1985 met the present day Back To The Future in the form of the 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring RF.
Speaking of Back To The Future let’s end this where it began. If the 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring RF really had time travel abilities then I’d jump at the chance for another go-round to repeat last week. What a 7-day stretch it was! The shows! The car! The opportunity could not have come sooner.
Go ahead. Drop the top and raise your expectations. The 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring RF’s SKYACTIV® 2.0L 4-cylinder engine generates 155 horsepower at 6,000 rpm. Designed precisely for the joy of driving, switch this convertible into ‘sport’ mode and drive it to newer heights. With its bold overall design – inside and out – the $35,385 MSRP price tag makes the MX-5 RF a true value.
The 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring RF was provided for review purposes through DriveShop. All opinions are my own and are honest.