new miata released
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Actual weight is more like 2250 lbs., and the article says the base engine will put out 130hp. Looks like there will be more powerful engines available maybe, from what the article implies.
If they put a 2.0L mill that puts out, say, 165-180hp, which the article hints that they will, that is plenty of power to scoot 2250 lbs. around.
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Dinner conversation I had with a senior manager of a company that we were merging with:
Him: "I heard you like cars ..."
Me: "Yah, I like the German variety"
Him: "So, what do you drive?"
Me: "A 911 - what do you drive?"
Him: "A Miata"
Me -" "Ohh a girl's car!!"
I meant it as a joke, but apparently that comment made it into the entire coporation and he was bugged for the next months ...
BUT these cars are a lot of fun, small, agile and balanced - and awesome for things like Auto-x, etc.
Cheers,
Mike
Him: "I heard you like cars ..."
Me: "Yah, I like the German variety"
Him: "So, what do you drive?"
Me: "A 911 - what do you drive?"
Him: "A Miata"
Me -" "Ohh a girl's car!!"
I meant it as a joke, but apparently that comment made it into the entire coporation and he was bugged for the next months ...
BUT these cars are a lot of fun, small, agile and balanced - and awesome for things like Auto-x, etc.
Cheers,
Mike
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2,500 lbs is also a speculation at this point. 2,250 is an even wilder speculation. My guess it'll be closer to 2,400, but I can wait either way - I'm not buying new cars and have no plans to do so.
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They've had a couple of well publicized snafus in the past 15 years, one being 2001 Miata horsepower rating. Owners were offered to sell the car back at full price or receive $500 and free maintenance added to their warranty period because Mazda overrated the power output by a whooping 10%.
I very much hope that the car is as light as possible. On the other hand, I'll end up competing against it in my NB sooner or later, so.. we'll see, indeed
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The engine in question is a version of the 110-hp, 1.5-liter inline-four Skyactiv mill that is used in Japanese-market versions of the Mazda 3. According to Motor Trend, the mill has been tuned for extra high-end power to help bump the peak output. Mazda also reportedly considered 1.6- and 1.8-liter engines, but those were apparently nixed because the 1.5 offers, "the best balance of power and fuel economy."
While it sounds like a step in the wrong direction to reduce a sports car's performance, remember that the Miata is going on a diet. Motor Trend's sources say that extensive use of aluminum and other lightweighting techniques will keep the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata's curb weight to 2250 pounds. That's about on par with the 220-pound weight loss Mazda predicted for the new car, given that the lightest U.S.-market 2015 Miata tips the scales at a claimed 2480 pounds.
The benefit of reduced mass means is that 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata won't need as beefy an engine to offer zoom-zoom performance. "We will be able to use a smaller, less powerful, more fuel-efficient engine because we will have shaved so much off the current car's curb weight," a Mazda engineer in Tokyo told Motor Trend. "And believe me, you will not notice the drop in power from the current version."
After the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata launches next year with this 1.5-liter engine, Motor Trend claims a more powerful 2.0-liter mill will follow. Official details on the new Miata's smaller powertrain are expected to be revealed at the 2014 Paris auto show. The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata goes on sale in the U.S. next summer.
Read more: http://www.automobilemag.com/feature...#ixzz3DWLZ01b2
While it sounds like a step in the wrong direction to reduce a sports car's performance, remember that the Miata is going on a diet. Motor Trend's sources say that extensive use of aluminum and other lightweighting techniques will keep the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata's curb weight to 2250 pounds. That's about on par with the 220-pound weight loss Mazda predicted for the new car, given that the lightest U.S.-market 2015 Miata tips the scales at a claimed 2480 pounds.
The benefit of reduced mass means is that 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata won't need as beefy an engine to offer zoom-zoom performance. "We will be able to use a smaller, less powerful, more fuel-efficient engine because we will have shaved so much off the current car's curb weight," a Mazda engineer in Tokyo told Motor Trend. "And believe me, you will not notice the drop in power from the current version."
After the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata launches next year with this 1.5-liter engine, Motor Trend claims a more powerful 2.0-liter mill will follow. Official details on the new Miata's smaller powertrain are expected to be revealed at the 2014 Paris auto show. The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata goes on sale in the U.S. next summer.
Read more: http://www.automobilemag.com/feature...#ixzz3DWLZ01b2