Next-generation Mazda MX-5 will remain a rear-wheel drive sports car
By Andrew, 12 Jan, 2012. 0 Comments
2011 Mazda MX-5
Mazda had considered switching to front-drive but it didn’t want to alienate its current customers and so it invested in the new compact rear-drive platform. This is why the all-new Mazda MX-5 will have an all-new steel spaceframe architecture, which was built under Mazda’s Sky Activ umbrella. This rear-drive architecture is referred to within the company as S-Platform. With this structure, Mazda could then achieve a kerb weight of less than 1000kg. This means that its weight has been reduced by 15% when compared to the current lightest MX-5, the soft-top 1.8i SE model.
Compared to the past two generations, the MX-5 has become larger and heavier. Mazda wants this model to go back to being a lightweight and an agile two-seater that offers enjoyable driving. The current 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre petrol engines that are heavy would be pushed out by the new MX-5’s powertrains, which are optimized by the car’s lightness. A source from Mazda engineering said that the company wants smaller, naturally aspirated, engines to power the new model because they offer a competitive power-to-weight ratio. The entry-level engine is expected to be a new direct-injection 1.5-litre Sky Activ petrol unit, which has an output of around 130bhp.
It isn’t confirmed yet but some sources say that a more robust, turbocharged, 1.5-litre engine will be offered. Mazda will also be offering lightweight SkyActiv transmissions. To save weight, Mazda will install lightweight speakers and will put in a simple cabin storage bin in place of a glovebox. Buyers can choose between a soft-top and a folding hardtop configuration for the new MX-5. It was initially planned to be launched in 2013 but this has been delayed to take place sometime in the middle of the decade. At the Geneva motor show this March, Mazda will unveil a slightly revised version of the current MX-5. [source: Autocar]
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