It’s funny how, these days, you pay more for less. Minimalist apartments, micro electronics, and even miniature dogs cost far more than their standard counterparts. In the automotive world, a small car without a roof is more expensive than your average four-door family sedan.

Exactly a century ago, it was a lot easier to buy a convertible. The drop top was sold as standard and the hard top cost you extra. Remember the Ford Model T? Now, the most reasonable soft top still costs twice as much as a family car but can only seat half the people. It’s a topsy-turvy world we live in and perhaps just as well. For you don’t know what you’ve got, or in the Mazda Miata’s case, what you’re missing out on until it’s gone.

Even 20 years after it first rolled on to the scene, the best selling two-seater convertible continues to allure. We may have missed the second generation but we sure won’t miss it after gazing upon this 3rd generation MX-5.

Appropriately, it looks to both the past and future for head-turning tips. The nostalgia for a bygone era is seen in the exterior. The smoothly rounded exterior curves nod to the original. Combination lights in the front do a neo-retro take on the first Miata. A smiling grille and fog lights sit below it. Towards the side, only wheel arches break up the sleek panels. Behind, clear effect combination tail lamps add some dejavu.

With the power retractable hard top (PRHT) up, the cabin almost looks like a bubble. Wait 12 seconds for it to stow and you wouldn’t even know it was there. It stows into a space between the seats and trunk, leaving you a reasonably sized boot to work with.

The inside offers more reason to jump in and drive. The interior offers up circles and oblongs in copious amounts. The T-shaped instrument panel is the most distinctive, with a high-gloss piano-black band with silver accents. Climate control returns to retro with conventional dials for temperature and fan speed. Towards the center, the stereo plays up to six CDs in-dash, channeling sound through the seven-piece Bose system.

In the driver’s seat is the meter cluster with five meters with individual lenses. The white needles begin at the six-o'clock position with amber red backlight for easy reading. Slide in and twist the key to see all five needles flick up.

In true sports car form, the leather seats have heavy top-stitching. The driver sits low in the cabin with a nearly L-shaped driving position. Thick bars behind the seats add support and protection even with the top down.

Once you’re strapped in, a touch of the engine start button, begins the burbling under the hood. A 2.0 liter inline 4 with 16 valves provides the forward motivation. This power goes through six gears to get up to speed. From there, it heads to the rear wheels through an LSD for some neck-snapping excitement.

A double wishbone system in front and multi-link setup in the rear keep it hugging the ground. 205 / 45 series tires on 17-inch wheels add some extra grip. A strict 50:50 weight distribution also grants the car better response and handling.

It’s also comforting to know you can dial up the fun factor, while still keeping safety in check. The car comes standard with four airbags, all four discs, ABS, EBD and brake assist.

It may seems like a heavy spec list, but compared to most cars today, there’s still a lot lacking. For one, there’s only two seats — no jump seat or depression to fit a child or even a dog. There’s no roof — all the noise and chaos of the world is free to invade your little space.

There’s no variable ratio power steering — no electro trickery found in most sports cars to help it turn better. There’s no electronic throttle control either, or at least it doesn’t feel like it — no delay calculating Euro 4 compliant fuel air mixtures before eventually sending that input to the engine. There’s no traction control. Dangerous? Yes. Fun? Very! In fact, it’s these absences that work to the car’s benefit.

The seat, open air, heavy-weighted steering, direct throttle and short throw, close ratio gear box all combine to produce a nearly direct connection to the car and road that other sports cars would rather simulate. The result is that every blip of the throttle, every tap on the brake, every jab on the clutch and every turn you make feels like you’re physically manipulating each of these parts.

Perhaps it’s because we’ve become so occupied with separating ourselves with the world and shielding ourselves from danger that we’ve forgotten what connecting with the road feels like. It may be a new car, but this Miata certainly takes me back. Back to when air conditioning was still a luxury, cars took a lot more muscle to handle, and roadsters were, quite literally, topless cars.

You can break it down to pros and cons and account for all the absences and it still won’t justify itself. Yet the Miata, like any roadster, is not about practicality. It’s about buying back that bygone era and enjoying the drive for what it is. In that respect, less is unequivocally more.