A new Mazda MX-5 is coming – with a bigger engine, but no more power, and possibly less weight – but it remains a little while away.
The first firm details of the next-generation Mazda MX-5 sports car have emerged – after years of speculation and rumours – via a new report out of the US.
But fans hoping for a new model just around the corner will need to wait at least two years – until 2027 at the earliest – as the new MX-5 will inherit Mazda's next-generation engine technology.
It will reportedly bring a larger 2.5-litre engine, but no more power thanks to new emissions controls – in a body that may be lighter, and a similar size to the current 'ND' generation.
Mazda design boss Masashi Nakayama indicated to US publication Road and Track that work is underway on the new model.
"When I started designing this fourth generation, there was a request from the United States to make the car bigger, and to increase the power of the vehicle. I said, ‘Do you really want a Harley-Davidson?'," he said through a translator.
"When we have to select an alternative out of two, there is a simple principle to make the selection. We tend to select the ones whose parts are less expensive, lighter and smaller.
"By doing so, we can prevent a car from being too big. When we consider the next-generation MX-5, we are considering making it less than one tonne in weight, and less than four metres in length."
The lightest version of the current MX-5 – a 1.5-litre special edition offered in Japan – weighs 990kg, and an Australian-market 2.0-litre soft-top weighs 1063kg, so the new model could be the lightest yet.
The current ND MX-5 measures 3915mm long and 1735mm wide – a proportion that appears set to carry into the new model.
Under the bonnet will be an example of Mazda's new SkyActiv-Z four-cylinder petrol engines, Road and Track reports, with a new 'lambda one' combustion cycle to optimise emissions, and no turbocharging.
"If we go to Lambda:1, then naturally power will go down," Ryuichi Umeshita, Mazda chief technical officer, told the outlet.
"But in order to avoid that, we have defined the displacement to be 2.5 litres. So the power is very good, and the fuel economy will be very good."
The Mazda executive said the "current power-to-weight ratio is enough," indicating performance similar to the 135kW of the current 2.0-litre model in Australia, which is bumped to 147kW for a Japan-only Spirit Racing 12R limited edition.
"We don’t think we need more power for the car, because we can fully utilise and enjoy the capability and capacity of the engine already… so my answer is that we are not planning to add more power to that car.
"Basically, this is the concept that keeps the car very unique."
The new SkyActiv-Z engine has been confirmed for a 2027 launch, and was long expected to debut in the CX-5, but instead could hit the road first in the MX-5.
It is possible the new MX-5 could follow later – closer to the end of the decade – by which point the current ND version would be well over a decade old, and may not meet the next stage of emissions rules the new SkyActiv-Z engine has been developed for.
Umeshita-san said the manual transmission will be retained, telling the publication, "it is key for the package, at least for the MX-5".
He said Mazda has considered an electric MX-5 – amid reports from Japanese magazines a few years ago the next MX-5 could switch to battery power – but the company elected to keep petrol power while it could.
"If all internal combustion engines [ICE] were banned, then we would have no choice, and of course, our engineering team is studying both ways – battery EV [electric] and ICE Miata. But whatever we do, the ICE one is lighter," said Umeshita-san.
Prototypes of the next MX-5 are yet to be spied testing, but it has been speculated the Iconic SP sports-car concept revealed at the Tokyo motor show 18 months ago could preview the new model's design.
It remains to be seen if it is an all-new car, or a heavy update of the ND to save cost.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
