Mazda MX

The Mazda MX-5 Miata is a true sports car, and one of the more unlikely successes of the modern automotive era. Designed in the 1980s as an homage to the classic British roadster, the Miata offered up all the driving fun of those sports cars, but virtually none of the ownership pains.
This little Mazda has endured to this day, soon to enter its fourth generation, which remains true to the original small-roadster concept. The Miata's design and following have earned it a place in the automotive history books along such icons as the Mustang, Viper, Corvette, and M3.
The next Miata is scheduled to arrive for the 2016 model year. Details are coming out of Mazda gradually, but we now know that it will be equipped with a 2.0-liter engine that uses Mazda's efficient SkyActive architecture and has been tailored to a sports-car application. A 1.5-liter engine will be available in other markets but has been deemed too small for the U.S. The 2.0-liter will have less mass to move, with a target curb weight of 2,200 pounds. Mazda showed off the car in September 2014 at a Miata owners' rally at Laguna Seca and gave it an American auto show debut at the 2014 L.A. show, but did not offer many more details about the Americanized version.
In 2012, Mazda and Alfa Romeo announced that the new Miata platform would be shared with a new Alfa model. Plans have seemingly changed, since Alfa wants to keep all of its production within Italy, but Fiat Chrysler Automobiles now has plans to build a new Fiat-Abarth model on the Miata platform.

With Japanese reliability and the personality of something like the legendary Lotus Elan (not to mention similar hideaway headlights in the first generation), the Miata was nothing short of a revolution when it first went on sale in the 1990 model year. A small, two-seat sports car, the Miata was an instant classic--and the epitome of the classic roadster, with a long hood and short cabin, a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, and a design that kept it lean and simple, sometimes at the expense of some comfort.
Initially, the powertrain for the Miata was a 1.6-liter four-cylinder available with a choice of five-speed manual or automatic transmissions, growing slightly with each new generation. In 1993 the engine was enlarged to 1.8 liters, and in 1998 the second-generation car was introduced. The same 1.8-liter engine powered the second MX-5 Miata, though it gained a slight increase in power. The second-generation Miata offered a Mazdaspeed version in 2004 and 2005, which added a turbocharger to the 1.8-liter engine, increasing output from 130 horsepower to 178 horsepower.
The Miata's success inspired other automakers to rejoin the classic-sportscar segment. The BMW Z3, Porsche Boxster, and Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class arrived over the next decade. Those German models, though they started out with as more stripped-down machines, quickly went upmarket, with the BMW and Mercedes trading in four-cylinder engines for sixes. GM even got in on the act, with the short-lived Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky.
The MX-5's lasted so long, in part, because the formula hasn't changed. The latest generation of the MX-5 is larger and a bit heavier, but it remains one of the smallest, lightest cars on the market; it's the back-to-basics sports car in a market offering many heftier, high-tech roadsters and convertibles that are simply less nimble and less engaging to drive. Preferably with the top remaining down.
The third-generation car was introduced in 2005 for the 2006 model year. It again gained a larger engine, up to 2.0 liters and 160 horsepower standard (167 horsepower in 2009-2010 models), with a five- or six-speed manual transmission, or a six-speed automatic, though the engine is detuned to 158 horsepower when paired with the automatic. Six-speed manual models are available with a limited-slip differential.
While the Miata maintains a go-kart-like handling feel, with a low-to-the-road driving position that tends to exaggerate the feeling of speed without breaking the speed limit, the tight cabin can lend a feeling of vulnerability. There’s a lack of crash-test information on the Miata; since it sells in such low volumes, the national agencies choose not to go to the expense of testing this model.
True to its essence, the base cloth top isn’t power-operated, but it remains easy to open and close with a single hand. For the 2007 model year, however, a clever power-retractable hard top (PRHT) version of the Miata was introduced. Thanks to smart design, the hard top opens and closes quickly, preserves headroom, takes up no more trunk space than the cloth top, and creates a tight, quiet cabin environment that makes driving in cold weather considerably more civilized.

A MX-5 Miata Club trim was new for 2013. With a six-speed manual transmission and a stiffer suspension tune, it has a somewhat sharper driving feel. For the 2015 model year, Mazda effectively signed off on the current Miata with a special 25th Anniversary Edition.
  Mazda has revealed the new MX-5. The new version of the 25-year-old rear-drive roadster is built from the ground up and will enter international markets in July 2015. It’ll have a brand new rear-wheel-drive chassis and two new petrol engines; all built using Mazda’s SkyActiv technology.
The Mazda MX-5 is lighter and smaller than the car it replaces. Mazda isn’t saying exactly what the new weight figures are but it will admit to savings "of around 100kg", meaning that the base model should end up being just a shade over one tonne. As well as using SkyActiv design to cut weight from the Mazda's chassis, the bonnet, boot and front wings are now made from aluminium and a lighter material has also been used in the soft-top hood construction.
Mazda has only confirmed that the new MX-5 is powered by a newly developed SkyActiv engine that will be longitudinally mounted in the nose. However, there are likely to be two new direct-injection petrol engines on offer; a 1.5-litre and a 2.0-litre. Both are reworked versions of engines already powering Mazda hatchbacks and are likely to offer around 140bhp and 180bhp respectively.
The Mazda MX-5 has double-wishbone front suspension and a multi-link rear end. The engine now sits lower and further back than previously, lowering the centre of gravity.
The design work was mainly carried out at the Mazda’s Japanese headquarters.
The new Mazda MX-5 is a two-seater and it allows lowering the manually operated soft-top hood with one hand. You sit low in the car but the view out is claimed to be superior as the bonnet has been lowered and the A-pillars and windscreen header rail have been made thinner.

The centre of the dash top is dominated by an infotainment screen, derived from the Mazda 3 hatchback. It’s controlled by a rotary knob, nestling next to the conventional handbrake. There are also more soft-touch surfaces and more stowage space. More attention has also been paid to keeping passengers from being buffeted whilst driving with the hood down. There are headrest-mounted speakers, intended to help maintain music volume with the roof down.
The Mazda MX-5 is the world’s best-selling two-seater sports car with good reason. This multi-award winning MX-5 delivers the true roadster elements — outstanding agility and driving dynamics, optimal power-to-weight ratio and thrilling rear-wheel drive. And of course a Soft-top roof that takes up no space in the boot and in seconds can go from a stunning roadster to a sleek and stylish convertible.
Typifying our unconventional approach this sports car is inspired by the Japanese notion of Jinba Ittai – ‘horse and rider as one’. And it’s this special bond between car and driver that makes the Mazda MX-5 feel so responsive, sprightly and fun to drive.