Mazda set to give MX-5 more power
US news report suggests the MX-5 could receive a power upgrade later this yearReports out of the US tonight suggest that the Mazda MX-5 could receive a power upgrade later this year.
US magazine Road and Track reports that a document submitted by Mazda to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) this week show plans to offer a 135kW engine in the MX-5 for 2019.
If the submission is accurate, it means the MX-5 would benefit from a 17kW increase over that offered in current (118kW/200Nm) 2.0-litre variants. As the document states the engine will retain its two-litre displacement, we can only deduce that Mazda has reversed its decision to fit the MX-5 with its next-generation SKYACTIV-X Spark Controlled Compression Ignition powerplant.
Of course there’s always a chance Mazda will endow the lightweight convertible with its 2.5-litre SKYACTIV-G engine as found in the Mazda3 SP25 and Mazda6; though it would need to be re-engineered to fit the MX-5’s longitudinal application in the same way Mazda’s 1.5 and 2.0-litre engines have.
Locally the 2.5-litre engine makes 138kW/250Nm, which is suspiciously close to the figures quoted in the article by Road and Track.
If the gutsier MX-5 quoted were to land in Oz it would become the most powerful iteration of the world’s best-selling convertible since the turbocharged SE and SP limited edition variants of the early 2000s.
It would also give the MX-5 an advantage over its turbocharged twin-under-the-skin Abarth 124 Spider, which develops 125kW/250Nm.
Despite documents showing Mazda’s intentions for a more powerful MX-5 stateside, there has as yet been no similar submission to the RVCS website locally.
Speaking at the launch of the MX-5 RF Limited Edition last month, Mazda Australia marketing director Alastair Doak hinted that a more powerful MX-5 could arrive as yet an other limited-run variant.
“We’ll look at other limited editions down the track,” he said. “We’ve done many over the history of MX-5. At this point we wanted to do something based on the RF, if we do another one, it will be different.”
motoring.com.au has approached Mazda Australia for comment and will continue to follow the story.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
