Car Model History

Third generation · NC · 2006–2015

2006Mazda MX-5 Miata

An all-new, slightly larger platform shared with the RX-8, and the first MX-5 offered with a Power Retractable Hard Top (PRHT) folding metal roof alongside the soft top.

Third generation · NC

2006 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring, NC third generation — white roadster, front three-quarter view

Photo: “2006 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring in Marble White, Front Right, 06-08-2023.jpg” by Elise240SX / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.

Quick facts

Engines
1offered2.0L MZR inline-four (manual-transmission rating)
Top output
170hp2.0L MZR inline-four (manual-transmission rating)

Body stylesSoft-top roadster

Start here

What do you need to know?

This page covers the whole 2006 Mazda MX-5 Miata model year. Choose your task first; exact trims and engines are separated where the factory offered different versions.

Complete, source-verified lineup

Find your exact 2006 MX-5 Miata

Start with a family, body style, or engine. Every card opens the facts and maintenance information for that factory version.

9factory configurations
Verified complete for the U.S.-marketHow this lineup was verified

We checked this U.S.-market lineup against period sources for factory body style, trim, transmission, launch, and cited anniversary-edition combinations represented by Mazda's exact-year pricing and press records. Every version shown below has its own detail page.

Verified 2026-09-01 from Mazda North American Operations — 2006 MX-5 Miata price schedule.

9versions shown
Two-door soft-top roadster

MX-5 Miata Club Spec — 5-speed manual

Body
Two-door soft-top roadster
Engine
2.0L MZR inline-four (170 hp manual; 166 hp automatic)
Gearbox
5-speed manual
Built
Regular production
Open exact version
Two-door soft-top roadster

MX-5 Miata MX-5 — 5-speed manual

Body
Two-door soft-top roadster
Engine
2.0L MZR inline-four (170 hp manual; 166 hp automatic)
Gearbox
5-speed manual
Built
Regular production
Open exact version
Two-door soft-top roadster

MX-5 Miata Touring — 5-speed manual

Body
Two-door soft-top roadster
Engine
2.0L MZR inline-four (170 hp manual; 166 hp automatic)
Gearbox
5-speed manual
Built
Regular production
Open exact version
Two-door soft-top roadster

MX-5 Miata Touring — 6-speed Sport automatic

Body
Two-door soft-top roadster
Engine
2.0L MZR inline-four (170 hp manual; 166 hp automatic)
Gearbox
6-speed Sport automatic
Built
Regular production
Open exact version
Two-door soft-top roadster

MX-5 Miata Sport — 6-speed manual

Body
Two-door soft-top roadster
Engine
2.0L MZR inline-four (170 hp manual; 166 hp automatic)
Gearbox
6-speed manual
Built
Regular production
Open exact version
Two-door soft-top roadster

MX-5 Miata Sport — 6-speed Sport automatic

Body
Two-door soft-top roadster
Engine
2.0L MZR inline-four (170 hp manual; 166 hp automatic)
Gearbox
6-speed Sport automatic
Built
Regular production
Open exact version
Two-door soft-top roadster

MX-5 Miata Grand Touring — 6-speed manual

Body
Two-door soft-top roadster
Engine
2.0L MZR inline-four (170 hp manual; 166 hp automatic)
Gearbox
6-speed manual
Built
Regular production
Open exact version
Two-door soft-top roadster

MX-5 Miata Grand Touring — 6-speed Sport automatic

Body
Two-door soft-top roadster
Engine
2.0L MZR inline-four (170 hp manual; 166 hp automatic)
Gearbox
6-speed Sport automatic
Built
Regular production
Open exact version
Two-door soft-top roadster

MX-5 Miata 3rd Generation Limited — 6-speed manual

Body
Two-door soft-top roadster
Engine
2.0L MZR inline-four (170 hp manual; 166 hp automatic)
Gearbox
6-speed manual
Built
Regular production
Open exact version

The 2006 model year

Overview

The 2006 Mazda MX-5 Miata belongs to the NC generation. The all-new NC generation arrived on a larger platform related to the RX-8, with a 2.0-liter engine and multilink rear suspension. It retained the line's front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-seat-roadster layout.

Specifications

Engines
  • 2.0L MZR inline-four (manual-transmission rating)170 hp
Transmissions
5-speed manual (selected trims), 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic
Body styles
Soft-top roadster

Year over year

What changed

  • The all-new NC generation arrived on a larger platform related to the RX-8, with a 2.0-liter engine and multilink rear suspension.

Worth knowing

Notable

  • 2006 is part of the NC chapter of the world's best-selling two-seat roadster line.

Living with it

Reliability & ownership notes

  • Check the coolant-expansion tank for age cracking, inspect soft-top drains for blockage and confirm PRHT operation where fitted.

Maintenance & service parts

Keep your 2006 MX-5 Miata on the road

Start with the service interval, then match the engine or exact version you own. Order links appear only when a catalog-backed part number is available, and every listing still needs a fitment check.

Service desk

What this car needs & when

Use this as a service-planning checklist for 2006 Mazda MX-5 Miata. Start with the interval, confirm which engine or configuration you have, then use an exact ordering reference when one is verified.

Service topics
5
Factory intervals
4
Fitment-scoped
5
Exact references
1

Before orderingIdentify your engine, options and build date.Part numbers and sizes can change within one model year. Shopping links appear only for catalog-backed references; still verify the listing against your vehicle before ordering.

  • Engine oil and filter

    Sourced interval available

    Applies to: 2006 · 2.0L MZR inline-four · United States · The intervals are scoped to the cited naturally aspirated U.S. configuration; Mazdaspeed turbo and configuration-specific requirements are not claimed.

    Published interval: 7,500 mi / 12,000 km / 6 months · Normal service; whichever comes first.

    Source: Mazda — 2006 MX-5 Miata factory normal-service schedule (preserved service-manual database) · Maintenance > Service Intervals > Normal Service — recurring 7,500-mile rows · checked

  • Spark plugs

    Sourced interval available

    Applies to: 2006 · 2.0L MZR inline-four · United States · The intervals are scoped to the cited naturally aspirated U.S. configuration; Mazdaspeed turbo and configuration-specific requirements are not claimed.

    Published interval: 75,000 mi / 120,000 km / 60 months · Normal-service replacement interval.

    Source: Mazda — 2006 MX-5 Miata factory normal-service schedule (preserved service-manual database) · Maintenance > Service Intervals > Normal Service — 75,000-mile replacement row · checked

  • Engine air-filter element

    Sourced interval available

    Applies to: 2006 · 2.0L MZR inline-four · United States · The intervals are scoped to the cited naturally aspirated U.S. configuration; Mazdaspeed turbo and configuration-specific requirements are not claimed.

    Published interval: 37,500 mi / 60,000 km · Normal-service replacement interval; inspect or clean at the intervening schedule rows.

    Source: Mazda — 2006 MX-5 Miata factory normal-service schedule (preserved service-manual database) · Maintenance > Service Intervals > Normal Service — 37,500-mile replacement row · checked

  • FL-22 engine coolant

    Sourced interval available

    Mazda FL-22

    First replacement shown; subsequent replacement is every 60,000 miles/96,000 km or 5 years.

    Applies to: 2006 · 2.0L MZR inline-four · United States · The intervals are scoped to the cited naturally aspirated U.S. configuration; Mazdaspeed turbo and configuration-specific requirements are not claimed.

    Published interval: 120,000 mi / 192,000 km / 120 months · First replacement, whichever comes first.

    Source: Mazda — 2006 MX-5 Miata factory normal-service schedule (preserved service-manual database) · Scheduled Maintenance remarks — FL-22 initial and subsequent replacement intervals · checked

  • Engine oil filter — catalog fitment

    Exact reference available

    Baldwin BT223

    This manufacturer application record establishes replacement-filter fitment only; it does not establish a service interval.

    Applies to: 2006 · 2.0L MZR · United States · Baldwin's exact Miata 2.0L application; confirm the engine and installed filter dimensions before ordering.

    Source: Baldwin Filters — Automotive Applications catalog (2017) · Printed catalog page 382, Mazda 2006 MX-5 Miata row — Lube — BT223 · checked

    Verified ordering references

Collect

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Find a scale model using the exact year, make, and model—not a generic generation search.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia — "Mazda MX-5 (NC)"
  2. Wikipedia — "Mazda MX-5"
  3. Mazda USA newsroom — 2006 vehicle archive

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