ND teaser video
 

2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata to be revealed on September 3 [w/video] - Autoblog

I think you can hear the intake noise in the video! just briefly at the end there (and a little at the beginning) as the car accelerates...wondering if that is turbo noise or just rough pre-prod. model?

That did sound suspiciously like a turbo at the beginning. My heart hopes it is, but my brain tells me that's probably the Alfa powertrain. There was an NC mule with a trubo and people expect the Alfa version to get a 1.4L turbo.

I am hoping no turbo and larger motor with lots of power adding potential.

What if it was supercharged? I know their in cahoots with FM! maybe theirs something awesome going on.

I kinda think whatever motor it is, it will be a Mazda made motor not a fiat/alfa one. Their not borrowing motors for the new ms3 platform, why would mazda barrow a motor for their best selling 2 seater? Seems like all the work they've been putting into their skyactive platform, kinda pointless to throw it out the window on one of their most recognized cars.

I expect a small displacement (between 1.0 and 1.4) turbo motor making less than 200 HP and 28 city 40 highway EPA fuel economy vs the NC's 22 city 28 highway EPA rating.

It is all about fuel economy now. They want to make it lighter than the NA, and the next fuel savings step comes from a smaller engine.

Keith

+1 - combined with light weight, pretty much the SkyActive concept

I will be honest, I was expect the motor out of the mazda 3 with some tweaks.

But without the RX8 and the longer time between refresh, hopefully Mazda put away some money for some good engine development. then agian shaving off 200 lbs is no easy feat.

Won't be turbo. I'll eat my shoe if it is.

I bet it's a version of the skyactiv 2.0 or a smaller displacement NA 4-cylinder. Mazda currently has 0 turbo powertrains and I don't think they're about to start with the MX-5. Turbos are not helpful for cutting weight, with their extra hardware and plumbing, and light weight is job #1 for the ND.

For sure it WILL be direct injected. I'm just hoping it's not less than the current HP, and at least 200 lbs lighter.

Edit: and HOLY TOMATOES fixed.

I'd just like to point out it's about emissions as much or more so than fuel economy. If emissions were out, we'd have 60+mpg gasoline powered cars.

From what I understand they can only run stratified mode (really lean and great mpg, think honda cvcc) for a small amount of time (about a minute or so) before the CO cat is filled. Then they must run richer than stoic. to burn all the CO stored.

Remember when you tuned a car to get max CO? Those days are over. I was taking all my automotive tech classes 15 years ago and that is exactly how they told us to set mixtures using a 5 gas. Now, the EPA would shit.

Oh well times are a changing. Good thing everything is flash tunable these days and we don't have to worry about mega squirt and DI.

I think the trend of today is small engine with turbo. That way they can keep emissions down and mpg up out of boost. Then when you need it, still a little power. I'll throw my guess out there with everyone else... Sub 1.5L with turbo. Miata has never had power and this car is supose to be back to the roots, so certainly sub 200 hp. But it should be light and good torque down low with a tiny turbo, so fun to drive. It will just need ~100 hp to the ground to make it really fun.

Meh. Toyobaru made that mistake with the FT86 - assuming that everyone will think it's "fun" without power. I've had multiple people tell me they didn't buy one because they thought it was gutless. These aren't power-heads, these are people coming from ~300hp sports cars who couldn't handle the lack of grunt.

If Mazda is smart, it's Rx8 power-weight ratio. If they aren't, we'll fix it for them ;)

I am with troy on this.

I am fine with a turbo, but I would rather it not be on a shitty eco motor.

I am sure Mazda has met enough emissions requirements anyway, they don't exactly have a bunch of big v8 SUVs to equalize with the subcompacts. Mazda, as an overall brand, probably has one of the better line-up mpg average.

I think Mazda knows that people like their Miata's with different flavors. Why would they take the financial/warantee risk with a higher power output when they can let the customers do it for them? That seems to be their direction for 3 generations now.