Following his grand tour of Scotland some years ago, Motor Trend’s Jonny Lieberman heads back to that mystical land, this time to test the all-new 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata. Scotland has roads that seem purpose-built for testing small sports cars, so this makes a lot of sense; so much so that you gloss over the roadster-in-the-rain irony.

So here’s Lieberman in a tuxedo, testing a small red Japanese sports roadster in the beautiful Scottish countryside:

2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata 2.0 SKYACTIV

Technical Specs: 155 horsepower at 6,000 RPM and 148 lb-ft of torque at 4,600 RPM; EPA-rated at 27 mpg city/36 mpg highway.

Sport kit: air conditioning, push-button starter, a manual cloth convertible top, power door locks, USB input, Bluetooth wireless phone pairing and audio streaming, leather shift knob and CD player.

Club kit: 17-inch wheels with 205/45R17 tires, limited-slip differential, Bilstein shocks, front air dam and rear lip spoiler, shock tower brace on SKYACTIV-MT models, piano black side mirror covers and seat back bars, MAZDA CONNECTTM infotainment, smart keyless entry, BOSE nine-speaker audio system.

Grand Touring kit: 17-inch wheels with 205/45R17 tires, leather-trimmed seats, automatic climate control, nine-speaker BOSE audio system, Homelink garage door opener, HD radio and SiriusXM satellite radio, i-ACTIVSENSE including blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive front lighting, lane departure warning, high beam control and rain-sensing wipers.

MSRP: 

• Sport: $24,915
  • Smart keyless entry (standard with automatic transmission): $130
  • Automatic transmission: $1,075
• Club: $28,600
  • Brembo/BBS package: $3,400
  • Smart keyless entry (standard with automatic transmission): $130
  • Automatic transmission: $1,075
• Grand Touring: $30,065
  • Smart keyless entry (standard with automatic transmission): $130
  • Automatic transmission: $1,075