ND Miata vs Miata RF: Soft Top vs RF Compared
Buy the soft top for the lightest car, the simplest roof, and track or autocross use. Buy the RF for the quietest highway car and the powered roof. The RF is a retractable hardtop, a targa, not a fixed coupe: the center panel still powers away and the rear buttresses stay put. Everything below the roof is identical.
| Spec | Soft top | RF | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curb weight | ~2,341-2,386 lb | ~2,453-2,467 lb | RF about 100-113 lb heavier; soft top wins |
| Trims offered | Sport, Club, Grand Touring | Club, Grand Touring (no Sport) | Soft top is the cheaper entry point |
| Price | Baseline (Sport) | ~$2,700 MSRP premium trim-for-trim (Grand Touring); ~$8,000 over the base soft-top Sport | Soft top wins on cost |
| Long-term roof cost | Cheaper: rear-window re-bond, fabric/zipper wear | More to fail: powered mechanism, window regulators, quarter-garnish TSB | Soft top wins |
| Roof operation | Manual, one-handed, a couple of seconds, any speed you can reach back | Powered, about 13 s, only at 6.2 mph or less | Tie; depends on preference |
| Refinement / NVH | Louder roof up | Quieter roof up and down, better long-distance | RF wins |
| Top-down feel | Cleaner open-air, less buffeting | More enclosed with buttresses | Soft top wins |
| Trunk | ~4.6 cu ft | ~4.5 cu ft | Effectively a wash |
| Track / autocross | Lighter, fully removable for roll bars | Fixed buttress constrains bar fitment | Soft top wins |
Both bodies share the same Skyactiv-G engine, chassis, suspension, and interior, so this is a choice of roof, not a choice of car.
The RF weighs about 100-113 lb more than the soft top
Section titled “The RF weighs about 100-113 lb more than the soft top”The RF carries its powered roof mechanism, the fixed buttress structure, and added sound deadening, so it weighs more than the soft top. Mazda’s own ND3 figures put a manual soft-top Club around 2,366 lb and a manual RF around 2,467 lb, roughly a 100 lb gap. Independent reviews have quoted the RF penalty anywhere from about 75 lb to 113 lb depending on trim and transmission, so treat ~100 lb as the working number rather than a single fixed value.
For 2019-2020 cars the figure is more consistent: reviews of those years cite a 113 lb (51 kg) delta, with the RF listed around 2,453 lb against a soft top around 2,341-2,386 lb. On a Miata vs Miata RF spec sheet the only meaningful number that moves is curb weight; the engine, suspension, and interior are shared.
That weight sits high and toward the rear quarters. On a 2,300-something-pound car, 100 lb is real but not dramatic; you feel it more as a small shift in how the back end settles than as outright slowness.
The RF is quieter on the highway, the soft top is cleaner top-down
Section titled “The RF is quieter on the highway, the soft top is cleaner top-down”The RF is the quieter car, roof up or down. The hardtop panels plus extra sound-deadening material cut wind rush and tire roar at highway speed, and reviewers consistently rate it as the better long-distance companion. Roof up, it gets closer to a fixed-roof coupe than the cloth top does.
The catch is roof-down behavior. The RF’s fixed buttresses leave a more enclosed cabin with open glass, and several owners report more wind buffeting top-down than the soft top, because the airflow tumbles around the rear structure instead of clearing it. The soft top, fully stowed, gives the cleaner, more open-air feel. So the ranking flips depending on roof position: RF wins closed, soft top wins fully open.
Roof operation: manual soft top vs 13-second powered RF
Section titled “Roof operation: manual soft top vs 13-second powered RF”This is the biggest day-to-day difference.
- Soft top: fully manual. Unlatch the single center catch, drop it behind you, latch it down: one-handed, from the driver’s seat, in a couple of seconds, at any speed you can reach back. There is no motor, no hydraulics, nothing to fail. This simplicity is a genuine feature.
- RF: powered. One switch, and the buttress section lifts and the roof panel folds and stows underneath in about 13 seconds. You can operate it on the move below roughly 6.2 mph, and the mechanism is a known long-term maintenance item rather than a maintenance-free one. It is the party trick of the car, and it is more parts to eventually wear out.
If you want to put the top down at a red light without unbuckling, the RF wins. If you never want to think about a motor, the soft top wins.
The RF’s roof costs more to own over time
Section titled “The RF’s roof costs more to own over time”The roofs fail in different ways, and the RF’s failures are more expensive. This is the decision row that the new-car price tag hides.
| Long-term roof item | Soft top | RF |
|---|---|---|
| Most-cited failure | Rear window separating from the fabric along the deck seams | Side-window regulator seizing, which blocks the whole roof from cycling |
| Typical fix | DIY re-bond with urethane adhesive, or a full top: top alone roughly $100-$700, installed often under $900 | Regulator replacement: a misdiagnosed dealer job ran toward $2,600, the actual cause fixed with a roughly $120 aftermarket assembly |
| Other wear | Fabric, zipper, and seam aging; reduced water resistance | Powered mechanism wear; known quarter-garnish cracking under TSB 09-019-24 (cosmetic, RF-only) |
| Failure point | A torn top still drives; you fix it on your own schedule | A failed regulator can leave the roof dead until repaired |
Every figure above and the source threads live on the RF roof mechanism page. The short version: the soft top wears out cheaply and predictably, while the RF adds a powered mechanism, two window regulators, and a TSB-tracked garnish that can each cost real money once the car is out of warranty. Neither is common enough to scare you off, but the asymmetry is real and it favors the soft top.
Trunk space is a wash: 4.6 vs 4.5 cu ft
Section titled “Trunk space is a wash: 4.6 vs 4.5 cu ft”Nearly a wash. Mazda quotes about 4.6 cu ft for the soft top and 4.5 cu ft for the RF, and the powered roof stows below the trunk floor so it doesn’t eat luggage space the way an old-school folding hardtop would. There’s no meaningful cargo penalty either way; a weekend’s soft bags fit in both, a hard suitcase fits in neither.
Looks: targa-coupe RF profile vs classic roadster soft top
Section titled “Looks: targa-coupe RF profile vs classic roadster soft top”Subjective, and the one place you should just trust your own eyes. The RF’s fastback buttresses give it a targa-coupe profile that a lot of people find the better-looking car, especially roof-up. The soft top is the classic roadster silhouette and disappears completely when stowed. Go sit in both with the top up and the top down before you decide. Photos undersell how different the open-top sightlines feel.
The RF costs about $2,700 more trim-for-trim, or about $8,000 to get in the door
Section titled “The RF costs about $2,700 more trim-for-trim, or about $8,000 to get in the door”Two numbers, and which one matters depends on the trim you want.
Trim-for-trim, the RF runs about $2,700 above the matching soft top. For 2024 the Grand Touring is the clean apples-to-apples comparison, $34,285 as a soft top against $37,010 as an RF, a $2,725 manual premium for the same trim and equipment (2024 MX-5 pricing and packaging, Mazda USA). The RF Club asks more again, $40,210, but it bundles the Brembo/BBS/Recaro package as standard, so it is not a like-for-like roof premium.
The cheapest-to-cheapest gap is larger because the RF has no entry trim. For 2024 the soft top opens at $28,985 in Sport, while the cheapest RF is the Grand Touring at $37,010, a roughly $8,000 spread to put a Mazda in your driveway with the badge (same Mazda USA pricing release). Most of that gap is the trim you skip, not the roof itself.
The RF starts higher up the range, the soft top is the entry point
Section titled “The RF starts higher up the range, the soft top is the entry point”The soft top is offered in all three trims: Sport, Club, and Grand Touring. The RF drops the base Sport and offers only Club and Grand Touring (2024 MX-5 trim breakdown, Autotrader). So if you want the lightest, simplest, cheapest car, the Sport soft top is the only way to buy it; the RF forces you into mid-or-higher equipment whether you wanted it or not.
Used: figure the RF still costs a few thousand more, trim-for-trim
Section titled “Used: figure the RF still costs a few thousand more, trim-for-trim”Estimate: a like-for-like used RF (same year, same trim, similar miles) typically asks roughly $2,000-$3,000 more than the soft top, in line with the new trim-for-trim premium.
Most ND buyers shop used, not new, so the used delta is the one that matters. Raw marketplace averages mislead here: mixed trims and mileage make some RF listings average below the overall Miata average, which reflects what is for sale, not a discount on the body. Compare same year, same trim, same miles and the RF premium tracks the new one.
On depreciation direction, the RF holds value well but sheds more in absolute dollars because it starts higher. A Miata resale value guide cites ND base models declining about 8.2% in a sample year against RF models dipping about 13.2%. So the RF retains its desirability but does not fully retain its new-car price premium; expect the dollar gap to compress somewhat with age rather than hold.
For track and autocross, start with the soft top
Section titled “For track and autocross, start with the soft top”For motorsport the soft top is the default pick, for three reasons:
- Weight. ~100 lb off the back of a light car improves lap time and transition response, and it costs nothing to leave the heavier roof on the shelf.
- Buffeting/heat top-down. The soft top’s cleaner open-air airflow is more pleasant on a hot track day with the top down.
- Safety-equipment fitment. The soft top comes off entirely, which makes life simpler when fitting a roll bar, harness bar, or hardtop. The RF’s fixed buttress structure is permanent and constrains some bar geometry. If you’re planning a roll bar or harnesses and track seats, check fitment against the specific bar before assuming RF compatibility; many popular bars are validated on the soft-top car first.
None of this makes the RF a bad track car; plenty get run hard and the extra structure adds a little rigidity. But if track and autocross classing are the primary mission, start with the soft top. Both bodies share the same suspension, alignment, and tire playbook once you’re out there, so the chassis-tuning side doesn’t change with the roof.
Bottom line: soft top for track and value, RF for quiet and the party trick
Section titled “Bottom line: soft top for track and value, RF for quiet and the party trick”- Daily-driver, highway miles, want the quietest car and the powered party trick: RF.
- Lightest car, cleanest open-air feel, simplest roof, track/autocross priority, lowest price: soft top.
How much heavier is the Miata RF than the soft top? About 100-113 lb. ND3 figures put a soft-top Club near 2,366 lb and the RF near 2,467 lb, so treat ~100 lb as the working number; 2019-2020 reviews cite 113 lb.
Is the Miata RF or soft top better for track? The soft top. It is lighter and comes off entirely, so it is simpler to fit a roll bar or harness bar; the RF’s fixed buttress structure constrains some bar geometry.
How much more does the Miata RF cost than the soft top? About $2,700 trim-for-trim. For 2024 the Grand Touring runs $34,285 as a soft top and $37,010 as an RF, a $2,725 premium for the same trim. The cheapest-to-cheapest gap is larger, roughly $8,000, because the RF has no base Sport trim; the entry RF is the $37,010 Grand Touring against the $28,985 soft-top Sport.
Which trims come as soft top vs RF? The soft top is offered in Sport, Club, and Grand Touring. The RF drops the Sport and offers only Club and Grand Touring, so the entry-level Miata is always a soft top.
Further reading
Section titled “Further reading”- RF roof won’t operate: the 6.2 mph limit, window-regulator failures, and fixes
- ND1 vs ND2 vs ND3: how the generations differ beyond the roof
- Best years to buy
- Buying guide
- Soft top care