say that the overview of the new MX-5 was "exclusive" would be like calling the moon "rarely visited". Only eight North American journalists had the chance to drive one of four cars available in two days. The good news is that we each took nearly two hours in the "ND", all the roads mostly empty and without a training partner.
The best news is that I have two extra hours to interrogate key management and technical staff of Mazda after my drive. I do not understand all the answers I wanted, but Im a few you will not find anywhere else -. At least not yet
You can see my review of the MX-5 right-hand drive, 1.5 liter JDM (yo) form here. Due to lack of space, however, that article does not include several bits of interviews a nd additional information. So without further ado:
- As part of efforts to reduce weight and lower the polar moment of inertia, the arches of safety and support structure are now manufactured from aluminum. Since making welding a roll cage competition a tricky business, the MX-5, which are used in the new MX-5 Cup World will have a steel frame instead of aluminum - but that does this mean for future generations of Spec Miata and other road car series race-car?
- part of the reactivity of the new MX-5 comes with a lighter flywheel. This is an old trick to increase the perceived power of a car, but it all comes at a price of driveability at low speeds and NVH. To reduce the resulting vibration, there are damping weight fifty grams mounted on the differential. How light is the wheel? Mazda would not say. They showed an engineering diagram which seems to suggest that weight savings comes from the machining of the outer rim with oval depressions. The flywheel in the NC was 16.2 pounds; Flying street / of the after-sales race may be as low as half. My guess. Fourteen books
- However, Mazda did disclose that the steering wheel is unique mass instead of dual mass / damped rubber
- In conversations with the transmission engineer, he expressly declined. to say that the rear differential much lighter aluminum case has the same capacity of processing power than the old. He was only willing to declare that it was the same for both engines and it was designed to handle two liters, a little more torque (148 lb-ft vs. 141 lb-ft) that previously.
- The suspension is single-rate springs and very soft, which I think is a good thing. This car drives well enough for the size and weight.
- There is more legroom in this Miata than there was in its predecessor, and I felt crowded during my two-hour drive. That said, I have short legs to my waist, and used to wear a inseam thirty-two or thirty-three inches. What about height? A lthough the driver sits twenty millimeters lower, lower windshield. I had no problem sitting in such a way to align me with umbrellas. Large drivers beware. This could be especially true with the top up; it is the profile lower than it was in the CN.
While the Internet is already foaming at the mouth about the rating of 155 horsepower for the SKYACTIV two-liter, I continue to believe that this is the best in the Miata history and well worth the money, assuming that it costs at least a penny less than a Boxster 2.7. Not that the Boxster is also fun to drive, sad to say. Whatever power, if you want to be one of the first to adopt my recommendation would be put online now .
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