The rental car counter presented a simple choice for my “compact” reservation: Mazda Miata or Minivan. I put the top down and began my journey with an ’07 Miata. Quick summary: better than I expected, particularly in the acceleration department, but….. uncertain handling at upper end highway speeds.
Decent seats, useful controls, easy to use convertible top and…. 27mpg after a mix of highway and suburban driving. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to see a rental car without an automatic transmission. A six speed manual Miata would have been much more interesting.
Much more on the Mazda Miata here.