I was more of a Miata skeptic until I heard Doug DeMuro's take on the Cayman GT4 being the 'nexus' of ultimate sports cars (which it totally is, IMHO), but he goes on after the clip to mention the Miata as another nexus sports car, just at a lower price point.

Doug's Cayman GT4 Theory (with Miata ND2/3 honorable mention)