The next-gen MX-5 Miata thread

[homeforsummer]

Yup, I expect that'll be the case. Fair guess to assume Mazda's will have a bit of Kodo thrown in there and hopefully Alfa will stop short of making its one look like a startled owl.

 

[alonsof1fan91]

Hope it looks a bit more Alfa-ish is the design phase. But Turbo Turbo Turbo please, just one model and ill be happy. But will this be going up against Hondas S660 and bmws new Z2?

I just hope the Alfa guys revive the Arese V6 engine for this one. The smaller engines from the Giulietta seem to be very good, but from what I know alfisti were not pleased with the Chrysler engine which replaced the old V6. Maybe the new V6 Diesel used in the Maserati Ghibli? Mercedes sells the SLK with a Diesel engine too.

I really hope this two cars do well!

 

[Youngun]

Brera v6 3.2 suxed. Loved the car but never bought due to the lack of umph. Being a joint project, im seeing twins being born its not like mazda is creating a back bone and body where alfas buying the back bone. Together til sales floor. Back bone brothers Gallardo/r8 or more down to earth Focus/Mazda3

 

[CodeRedR51]

Brera v6 3.2 suxed. Loved the car but never bought due to the lack of umph. Being a joint project, im seeing twins being born its not like mazda is creating a back bone and body where alfas buying the back bone. Together til sales floor. Back bone brothers Gallardo/r8 or more down to earth Focus/Mazda3

Pretty sure that's exactly what's happening.

 

[Keef]

Yeah, for real. Mazda is doing pretty much all the engineering while Alfa is just buying the frames and making their's pretty.

 

[psntomaz]

I just hope the Alfa guys revive the Arese V6 engine for this one. The smaller engines from the Giulietta seem to be very good, but from what I know alfisti were not pleased with the Chrysler engine which replaced the old V6. Maybe the new V6 Diesel used in the Maserati Ghibli? Mercedes sells the SLK with a Diesel engine too.

I really hope this two cars do well!

Alfa has never had a Chrysler Motor........ it was GM's

 

[psntomaz]

Yeah, for real. Mazda is doing pretty much all the engineering while Alfa is just buying the frames and making their's pretty.

you dont really know that forsure.... Look at the 4C... that was all Alfa/Maserati.

 

[alonsof1fan91]

Alfa has never had a Chrysler Motor........ it was GM's

Uh sry, I might add that I never owned a Alfa and only repeat what I read on german Alfa sites

So if the new Spider gets a V6, will it be the GM one?

 

[homeforsummer]

Unlikely, since Alfa no longer has any connection to GM - it's part of Fiat, so now Chrysler.

Anyway, I'm not sure where you've got this V6 thing from. We're talking about a car sharing its platform with the next MX-5. We're also talking about a world where manufacturers are looking towards smaller engines, rather than large, multi-cylinder units.

Given that Alfa hasn't even thrown a V6 in the 4C, I can't see it putting one in their new light-weight sports car. The Spider never historically had a V6 until it got to the front-drive 916 Spider and then the Brera-based Spider - but those are exceptions rather than the rule.

 

[Keef]

you dont really know that forsure.... Look at the 4C... that was all Alfa/Maserati.

We do know that because the business plan between Mazda and Alfa has been public for a while now. Mazda will be engineering the chassis while Alfa will be doing their own styling and engine.

 

[CodeRedR51]

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/01/17/next-mazda-miata-2015-chicago-auto-show/

Looks like we get the NC for another year. And I'm not too impressed with everything they talked about, specifically the "longer wheelbase" and no mention of a turbo model. This is one car that does not need to get bigger, don't care about the lighter weight.

 

[dsgerbc]

Thanks, now I have a reason to go there.

 

[Keef]

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/01/17/next-mazda-miata-2015-chicago-auto-show/

Looks like we get the NC for another year. And I'm not too impressed with everything they talked about, specifically the "longer wheelbase" and no mention of a turbo model. This is one car that does not need to get bigger, don't care about the lighter weight.

Longer wheelbase doesn't necessarily mean it's bigger. That was Autoblog's interpretation. The NC doesn't have the shortest overhangs in the world - the wheelbase could easily be 6 inches longer. In fact, if the wheelbase were that much longer the cockpit could be moved rearward in combination with the supposedly more compact convertible top arrangement. Another thing to keep in mind is that a longer wheelbase will make the car a better overall performer with more predictable handling characteristics, something the NC is tragically lacking when compared to the BRZFRS. Speaking of that car, I'm sure the new Miata's size will be kept in check relative to that because Mazda simple can't ignore the massive success of it.

 

[YSSMAN]

Another thing to keep in mind is that a longer wheelbase will make the car a better overall performer with more predictable handling characteristics, something the NC is tragically lacking when compared to the BRZFRS. Speaking of that car, I'm sure the new Miata's size will be kept in check relative to that because Mazda simple can't ignore the massive success of it.

As I recall, that is the reason why the new 991 and C7 have longer wheelbases than their predecessors.


Is it time to start making radical predictions about the MX-5, yet?


Top-trim model MX-5 will have a fixed roof, and offer only the 2.0L SkyActiv engine with a six-speed manual, and will probably use i-Eloop.

 

[Keef]

Is it time to start making radical predictions about the MX-5, yet?


Top-trim model MX-5 will have a fixed roof, and offer only the 2.0L SkyActiv engine with a six-speed manual, and will probably use i-Eloop.

Coupe? Nah. They'll all be convertibles and that will be its niche as it has been. However, I do think the hardtop convertible will have a top with a less goofy, more coupe-like greenhouse.

I do think that the top-spec Miata will cost more than an equally equipped BRZ. It'll also have a relatively premium interior, and of course give you the freedom to choose coupe or convertible mode to justify the price.

 

[05XR8]

Coupe? Nah. They'll all be convertibles and that will be its niche as it has been. However, I do think the hardtop convertible will have a top with a less goofy, more coupe-like greenhouse.

I do think that the top-spec Miata will cost more than an equally equipped BRZ. It'll also have a relatively premium interior, and of course give you the freedom to choose coupe or convertible mode to justify the price.

Down here, the top spec MX5 is about $52k. The Brz STI, goes for $48k. We'll see if pricing for Australia can be kept the same on less. The S2000 was around $72k.

 

[niky]

I wonder how they'd work a SkyActiv into the MX-5 chassis without space for the fancy scavenging exhaust header.

They may have to design a new one specifically for the MX-5.

A lighter MX-5 with a SkyActiv motor should be good. Make it the 2.5, and it'll be great. The 2.5 SkyActiv is a much better performer than the 2.0 in the 86.

 

[eSZee]

I doubt they'll use the 2.5.
They already have the big weight advantage so they'll likely stick with the 2.0 if not something smaller.

 

[Youngun]

1.8T. Can see it now.

 

[dsgerbc]

No turbos please.

 

[CodeRedR51]

No turbos please.

Just make it an optional engine so you don't have to buy one.

 

[dsgerbc]

Just make it an optional engine so you don't have to buy one.

That's fine too, I'm sure there's a market for it, as well as for automatic MX5s.

 

[YSSMAN]

Coupe? Nah. They'll all be convertibles and that will be its niche as it has been. However, I do think the hardtop convertible will have a top with a less goofy, more coupe-like greenhouse.

God, I hope so. I can't help but cringe when I see one of the power-tin-top models. I'd rather just have Mazda bolt the damn thing on than give us one at all. Still...

With a proper engine, it'd easily be my choice over the FR-S. Mazda almost always does it right.

 

[Youngun]

God, I hope so. I can't help but cringe when I see one of the power-tin-top models. I'd rather just have Mazda bolt the damn thing on than give us one at all. Still...

With a proper engine, it'd easily be my choice over the FR-S. Mazda almost always does it right.

Is it just me or does that one look like a micro porsche with mx5 rear lights.

 

[Keef]

I wonder how they'd work a SkyActiv into the MX-5 chassis without space for the fancy scavenging exhaust header.

They may have to design a new one specifically for the MX-5.

#thatwaseasy

 

[niky]

Don't see no catalytic converter...

The problem is not just the length... but getting that length plus keeping the cat close to the engine block to get heat transfer for quicker light up.

 

[homeforsummer]

Still...

Those MX-5 coupes are among my dream cars. Wish, wish, wish they'd brought them to the UK. I mean, it's not like they'd have even had to change them from RHD...

Wonder how much they cost in Japan... an import beckons...

I should really have posted this before:

Autocar: New Mazda MX-5 for 2015 launch

The new Mazda MX-5 will have “very clean and simple” styling to be what a company veteran calls “our best-looking car ever”.

On sale in 2015, the new MX-5 is tipped to appear early that year at February’s Chicago show, where the original MX-5 was launched in 1989.

...

“It won’t be like the Mazda 3 or 6,” Maeda said. “Kodo can express our range in different ways. My intent is to make it tighter looking visually, but still to have a strong presence.”

Maeda also emphasised that the design will not be retro, a reference interpreted to mean distancing the new car from the soft and rounded styling of the original 1989 MX-5.

...

The longer bonnet is partly necessary to accommodate Mazda’s new SkyActiv petrol engines, which employ a 4-2-1 exhaust manifold that takes up a relatively long space to encourage free-flowing air out of the combustion chambers to improve efficiency.

The same 4-2-1 exhaust manifold has resulted in the ‘long bonnet’ dimensions of the new 3, whose bulkhead and cabin are pushed back by 100mm compared with rivals.

...

The engines will be naturally aspirated versions of the SkyActiv petrol engine, most likely in 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre capacities, but some markets might take only a single variant.

Early reports suggested that the MX-5 would feature a turbocharged 1.5-litre engine, but Mazda has since decided to concentrate on naturally aspirated engines.

...

A kerb weight of just over 1100kg will make the MX-5 lighter than its rivals and Mazda has proven adept at making its recent models the lightest in their class.

Insiders are pulling back from an earlier commitment to hit 1000kg. “That’s a very, very difficult figure to achieve in practice,” said one insider.

...

High demand in the UK — Europe’s biggest market for the MX-5 — for the folding hard-top has largely been responsible for keeping the two different roofs in production.

The second generation of the folding hard-top is said to be lighter and packaged more efficiently, delivering slightly improved boot volume

 

[YSSMAN]

Given that 2014 will likely be the last year for the NC, then, I wonder what they'll have cooked up to show off in February?

 

[Keef]

Given that 2014 will likely be the last year for the NC, then, I wonder what they'll have cooked up to show off in February?

As in this February? I dunno mane.

 

[YSSMAN]

Given it's Chicago, they'll promote it like crazy with a bunch of local people who I don't understand. Then I'll realize, "Hey, isn't this the exact same package you debut every couple of years just so that we keep buying them?"

I'll call it:

M-Edition. British racing green. Tan interior. Special BBS wheels.