I have a friend with a Mazda Miata and while I can’t possibly fit in it, she seems to like it a lot. The Mazda Miata is a small convertible that (in my opinion) is better suited for people other than really tall or really wide. It has a small interior. Not an easy car to mount a phone, GPS or tablet within.
Mount Analysis
This isn’t an easy task. The vents are small and round with narrow slats, there aren’t any useful cup holders and it’s too small of a car for a seat bolt mount.
Let me get the tablet mount question out of the way. It can’t safely be done. A tablet is too large for this small vehicle. My go-to cup holder tablet mounts can’t be used because there aren’t any useful cup holders. In fact the ones that are there barely hold a drink. Placing a tablet anywhere on the dash or windshield will block too much of the driver’s view.
The windshield, vent and CD player slots all seem like the best locations.
Mount Recommendations
The windshield is the best place to mount a GPS or phone in a Mazda Miata. My go-to mount for this location is the Arkon MegaGrip Suction Cup Windshield and Dash Mount. This is going to work fine in a Mazda Miata. The big included expandable cradle is going to fit almost any phone as it opens to 3.4 inches. Cases or skins will fit fine.
The suction mount features a vacuum locked suction assembly attached to a pivoting arm. The phone can swivel into any orientation. The mount also comes with an adhesive disk that you can stick to the dash to turn the mount into a console mount. The suction assembly can adhere to the adhesive disk just like it would on a windshield. I used these on the windshield of several other cars and they work great.
The same mount but for a Garmin GPS is the Arkon Windshield Dash Garmin Nuvi Suction Mount. I have recommended this one over the many years it has been available and have used it myself. It’s an excellent mount that comes with a 2-year warranty. It’s more rugged and longer than the Garmin mount you received in the box.
Both of the above mounts should work fine on the dash as well using the included adhesive disk that was mentioned.
Vent mounts are going to be a challenge because of the shape and size of the vents. The Kenu Airframe Portable Smartphone Car Mount will hold onto both horizontal and vertical vents. These are minimalist in design, easy to install, and very simple to carry with you on vacation. So small that it will simply slip into your pocket. The universal cradle opens wide enough to fit most phones with a case or skin.
A CD Player mount is a good choice as long as you don’t mind working around it to change the radio station. We continue to like the Apps2Car CD Slot Phone Mount. Be sure to follow the included instructions for a secure fit. The included cradle opens to 3.94 inches and swivels into any orientation. Remove the cradle to expose a 17mm ball suitable for a Garmin GPS.
Summary
I have to admit, this is one of the more difficult cars to mount anything in. The interior design rules out a lot of my go-to mounting locations. So bottom line: Windshield, Dash, CD Player and Air Vent work best.