i had a friend's del sol for about 3 weeks after my car got rear-ended.
Things i noticed:
-front wheel drive is a bad thing
-despite being so small and low, i noticed quite a bit of body roll
-the top leaks like crazy
-acceleration is slightly better than a civic
-handling is average, which means its nothing compared to the teener
I think the only real similarities are the body and the fact that they both have 4 wheel idependent suspension.
Miatas are actually pretty similar to the 914 as far as dynamic performance, but there is more body roll