Cayman is probably the route I'm gonna end up going as well. I'm a couple years away from buying anyway so I'll be able to see what happens with the Supra and see if the Z ever gets a refresh. It's probably a safe bet to give up on Mazda for any high performance at this point.

 

I've been searching for a Cayman GT4 or possibly biting the bullet for a 997 or 991.2 GT3. It seems like a natural progression for purist that we end up with a Porsche in our garage one day.

 

I went from a '98 Boxster to an '11 RX-8, and then on to the '15 Cayman.
I have no idea what might be available in the future, but I hope it's going to be epic.

BC.

 

How do you like Cayman over the rx8?

 

hi, I'm here for the Cayman owner's club...err.... wait...

 

 

Comparing a 2015 Cayman to an Rx-8 is silly. More so if it is an S or GTS.

 

Honestly, I wish I could have both cars at the exact same time.
I would rather Mazda step up its damn game and make a replacement for the RX-8 with everything we want as Mazda fans.

The RX-8 is a lighter feeling car at the steering wheel and controls compared to the Cayman, even though their weights are nearly identical. The Cayman feels more stable on mid corner bumps because of all the weight behind the seats, of course. Both cars are lightning fast when pitching through esses and tight corners, and are rock stable in those weight transitions.

Mazda wins for interior room, and ability to lean back and relax, or to carry passengers (no duh, I know), but the Cayman wins for being able to drive from Denver to Detroit to Maine, and then back without bankrupting you in gas and oil purchases. We had our car for just a couple of weeks and had put 2k miles on it before our 5500 mile journey with the Cayman to my mom's 70th b-day party in New Brunswick, Canada.

Both cars are stunning to look at, and I never get tired of looking at either one.
I always keep my eyes out for RX-8's while driving, and miss mine.

But, when the road is open in front of me, and I get to open up the Cayman to 7500 rpms, with that engine howling just behind my back, I'm not missing the RX-8 all that much.

It may be silly for you, but it's not for me.
It was the direction I was planning to go as I owned the RX-8 (unless Mazda released something in the time frame that I was ready to make a purchase), and it was just a matter of time before I bought it. That damned sexy CX-5, however, delayed that plan by 2 years.

Also, my Cayman is a Base, so 231 hp vs 275 with nearly the same weight is a good progression in life. Perfectly fine comparison to make, in my opinion. All the sporting options are checked (MT, PASM, PTV w/LSD), without any of the fluff (except the 14 way memory leather seats option since my wife and I are on different height spectrums, and for the adaptive xenon headlights).

I love the Cayman, and I don't sit in it, thinking I wish it had a bit more power, or more torque, or got better fuel mileage, or that it has a less squeaky interior. That car is a gem, and you get exactly what you pay for with the money you put down - an expertly built canyon carving no compromises sports car that sounds and looks as good as it drives.

And I daily drive the hell out of it.
Over 30k miles in the 2 years I've owned it so far.

BC.

 

A speed3 would be amazing.

 

Because torque steer is awesome!

They just did the 3. They need to Speed something RWD.

 

They'd need a RWD platform first.

 

Insightful and very well said. How refreshing! Thanks.

 

I have not driven a base, but the GTS I looked at was wonderful, no comparison to an RX-8 in anyway IMO and that is as it should be since you can buy an RX-8 for $10.00 now days.

 

That's gonna become more and more common. A lot of other manufacturers are using turbos now on family cars.

Honda, for example, is already using a 1.5 I4T for the new Civics on the higher trims. Words have it that the new 2018 Accords will ditch the 3.5 V6 for a 2.0 I4T.

Turbos are not necessarily a bad thing, but an I4T doesn't exactly have the same smoothness as a V6, so a lot of people still prefer a NA V6 setup.

 

They have one.

 

The one car in their rwd platform is the least likely to receive Turbo Skyactiv anything, for now at least. MX-5 is still about 'balance' and lightweight is a very important part of that equation.

Paul.

 

There was a Mazdaspeed Miata in 2004 and 2005. It wasn't that great, but it existed. With a few mods, those cars are pretty quick.

 

As well it should be.

 

Not saying it could never happen, rather it is HIGHLY unlikely as it was not a success when they did it and the sports car heads at Mazda have repeated their intention to keep it naturally aspirated. Left to them the purists there also would not have given us the 2.0 option. That would have been a mistake. All of that being said, at one point they said Skyactiv G would never be turbocharged .

I think Mazda 6 is the obvious candidate.

Paul.

 

Yeah, if they do the ND MX-5, they will have to upsize everything--brakes, hubs, spring rates, etc. It is probably the 6's turn again.

 

I think that with the new accord(2018) and the new kia stinger out there they need to do something to give the 6 more power

 

I read the Stinger was going to be close to 50k, that is just nuts for a KIA. Even the most expensive Accord (fully loaded hybrid) is not expected to be over 40k. My buddies fully loaded 6 GT was just over 30k so if they added the turbo engine and don't increase the price much they could have a winner.

 

And of course a 6MT option.

 

And ditched FWD but that's doubtful.

 

Turbo SA-G in the Mazda 6 with optional AWD.
winning!