Next-Gen MX-5 to be Heavily Resdesigned.

TMR News and Features

Big Things Planned For Next-Gen MX-5

Aug 27th, 2008 • 14 comments • Link to Article • by Dan Fewster

Good news for MX-5 lovers with Mazda’s design boss Lauren Van den Acker recently revealing to AutoCar that the next iteration of Mazda’s iconic roadster will see a substantial redesign before it hits dealerships sometime in 2012.

Van den Acker has no qualms about what the new MX-5 requires;

“The next MX-5 needs to be a big step. The last one was too conservative and we can’t do another car like that. We need to make it more dramatic and give it some balls.”

Don’t be too concerned about the overall direction of the one of the best selling two-door sports cars in history though, Lauren assures us that the core values of the MX-5 will stay well and truly intact. A small and lightweight roadster is still the intent but we can expect the new model to be more fuel efficient than its predecessor and to fit in more obviously with the design DNA of the Mazda range.

There has been talk that the new MX-5 could borrow design cues from the Kazami and Nagari concepts, but there has been plenty of work done on the MX-5 before that could prove useful to the new model.

“Last time round [designing the current car] we came up with lots of radical proposals and we may reignite one of those.”

We’ll be seeing a face-lifted MX-5 before we lay eyes on an all new model, but with more “balls” and more drama in the works we’re looking forward to what Mazda has in store.

Filed under

Tags: 2009 Mazda MX5, Kazami, Mazda, Mazda MX-5, mx-5, nagare, Nagari

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Comment by Alan Li
27 August 2008

I’ve been driving an NC MX-5 around for about half a year now, and I’ll agree that its far too conservative.

The car seems to have quite a few American influences, unfortunately. The car has 4 cupholders servicing its 2 seats, and the gearbox has two overdriven gears.

A MX-5 should never have more than a single overdriven gear.

[Reply to this comment]
Comment by Dan Fewster
27 August 2008

Something a bit tougher and with boost would do nicely

[Reply to this comment]
Comment by Tony
27 August 2008

Just drop a rotary in there and let the rear tyres do the rest..! Well, I can always dream…

[Reply to this comment]
Comment by Alan Li
27 August 2008

No boost. The whole point of the MX-5 is that its meant to be ultra-responsive. Any throttle lag, no matter how minor, goes against the principles of the car.

For me, I’d take the 2.5L bottom end out of the current Mazda6, and do some work on the head to get it to flow.

[Reply to this comment]
Comment by Dan Fewster
27 August 2008

C’mon Alan… not even a little supercharger?

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Comment by Alan Li
27 August 2008

Maybe a supercharger would be acceptable, but maybe not. Superchargers need more engine torque to work, which most small capacity I4s don’t have. They also don’t like being revved too hard, and a part of the joy of a lightweight roadster is the unmuffled sound the intake and exhaust as you wring the engine’s neck.

If there was a way to get the NC under a ton I’d put a RENESIS engine in with a proper close-ratio gearbox, and have the car rev smoothly all the way to 9000RPM.

I hope Cosworth can prove me wrong on the supercharger front, but I think I’d rather have a high strung and free breathing NA engine. It would be a greater experience, which is what the MX-5 is about.

[Reply to this comment]
Comment by Dan Fewster
27 August 2008

If you think supercharged + small displacement I4 doesn’t work then Lotus would like a word with you

[Reply to this comment]
- Comment by Steane Klose
  27 August 2008
  
  Just drop a 350 Chev and a two-speed powerglide in the thing and be done with it
  
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Comment by KENNY NC
27 August 2008

I would love to see the MZR2.0L DISI under the hood, then a carbon intake and exhaust will do for me… Oh, pls fix the ride hight and 1st gear by the way

[Reply to this comment]
- Comment by Tony O'Kane
  28 August 2008
  
  If you’re talking about the 2.3-litre direct-injection turbo motor from the Mazda3 MPS, then you may be disappointed to learn that it doesn’t fit. “Firewall issues” or somesuch.
  
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  - Comment by Alan Li
    28 August 2008
    
    The issue, apparently, is that the location of the fuel pump on the Mazda3 MPS’ engine would intersect with the firewall if installed into a MX-5, requiring a bit of the firewall to be modified to make it fit. “Not feasible”, was the decision.
    
    A less intelligent engineer than someone working for Mazda would probably just, I don’t know, relocate the fuel pump. The reason the pump is there is because its powered from the same belts/chains as the camshaft. Change the power source to an electric motor, and you could locate it almost anywhere in the engine bay you want.
    
    There’s plenty of room in a NC engine bay. Since the car has no spare tyre anyway, I’d relocate the battery into the boot for a turbocharged version if it was necessary. The weight of the turbo, intercooler, and other ancillaries needs to be offset to maintain the weight distribution, so move some of the stuff that’s currently in the engine bay but doesn’t need to be there into the boot.
    
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Comment by KENNY NC
28 August 2008

Thx Tony for reminding us the sad news, but to be selfish, I don’t really willing to see a MPS nc in the showroom that quick when I just got my nc last mth…
The DISI 2.0L NA engine I m talking about is the one Mazda put into their new minivans, if i remember rite, not big difference in kws but higher torque in low rpm range which will be nice, or even a miller cycle 2.0L!?

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Comment by Matt
28 August 2008

Another NC owner here - it’s good to see that Mazda had admitted the faults with the NC. I’ve been busy giving mine some balls - it’s arguably the best MX5 chassis to date. But in standard trim the throttle response is a little lacking and the ample mid range seems to plateau at high rpm. And then there’s that ride height…

[Reply to this comment]
Comment by Alan Li
28 August 2008

Its the best MX-5 engine to date, too. I drove a mate’s manual NB, with bolt-ons, and its still slower than the untouched auto NC I’ve been driving.

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