178 bhp...from a Miata. What do you guys (and gals) think? I for one think it is a good idea, about time they give the Miata a little more go. It would have been nice to see them crack the 200 hp
mark, but a little is better than none at all, i just took a look at it quickly at a magazine in the store the other day....is it turbocharged? i didn't get that far, and when does it go on sale? i saw it costed $25,000 for fabric interior and $26,000 for leather, can anyone help me out here?

 

I saw them award one on Fear Factor. I'm still trying to figure out where the "MX-5" nomenclature comes from. It's a Miata!

 

i just got my road and track last night that has a little write up about it. i believe that it is in fact turbocharged to 180-something hp. mazda wouldnt let them fully test it but the editors were guessing at a high 5 second 0-60. i dont think they mentioned a release date in the article.

 

I remember the editors saying it was a high 6 second 0-60.

 

Autoweek said 7.6 to 60.

 

Mazda would be foolish to produce a miata with more performance than their top of the line sports car rx-8.

 

yes it's intercooled turbo'd, putting out 178hp. it has stiffened suspension, and it looks awesome, w/ blacked out headlamps, racing hart wheels, and body kit. i love it! just remember it's not built to go after s2000's; it's still a fun cheap classic roadster, w/ more scoot

btw mx-5 moniker has been around since miata first came out

 

While I think it's great that Mazda is finally offering a turbo'd, beefed up MX-5 to the masses with a warranty, if you're really serious about performance you can put a Flyin' Miata turbo, clutch, springs, and shocks on and have a helluva lot more car... like 300rwhp. I just expected the Mazdaspeed MX5 to be at least 200hp or so...

 

Guys Guys, 178 HP , 0-60 6.7 seconds

 

200hp? AfterMarket, and maybe that Turbo can be upgradeable.

 

I'm sure it's a great car, but the performance numbers put me to sleep. Probably better to just add a flyin' miata kit to a miata.

 

Why bother... might as well do it all aftermarket and have a real performance monster while retaining the signature Mazda handling and balance. It's amazing what you can do with a $6k-$10k used Miata and a $5000 FM setup.

 

thats nothing a manual boost controller cant fix.

 

IT is not just the engine been upgraded, also the suspension and tranny I believe. It is an overall package not just turbo.

BTW did you guys see how small the intercooler is? Once upgraded to a larger intercooler and more boost I am sure 200hp is no problem.

 

178 HP... 0-60 6.7 seconds... i read on car and driver website ... CARANDDRIVER.COM ... They said Mazda didn't want them to redline it all the way.. becuase it was a protottype model... which it is quicker than 6.7 seconds 60 mph

prototype model

1/4 mile 15.2 sec
0-60 6.7 sec

Those numbers are higher than the production version.. as car and driver stated... they didn't give it a crazy hard launch...

It should be 0-60 6.1 - 6.5 sec
1/4 mile should be 14.8-15.1 second

 

Price is $26,720. I would rather have one of these for the money than an auto RX-8.

 

I think 25k for the cloth version, which is better IMO, you don't slide around when you corner.

 

I had a Miata ('96) for about 3 years. GREAT little car - tons of fun.

The problem is the "little" part - the car is too small for most things except driving by yourself (or wife/GF if one has no kids). Even to buy groceries the car was too small.

Here in Texas I almost got killed by trucks and/or SUV's 4 times.

So, no, unless the Miata was going to be an extra car, I would still rather get the RX-8 over it.

Lastly, the factory performance/power sucks for the money. A low miles used Miata with some good aftermarket parts would be a far better use of money, in my opinion.

 

I test drove one of these and imho it's exactly what the miata needs. Sure a used one w/ aftermarket parts may put down more power, but for Joe Average, you get a warranty with this one.

By no means does it suddenly feel like a supercar or anything, but the car is only ~2500 lbs, it has a good amount of power for what it is.

The intercooler is pretty cute =p hehe it's about the size of a cereal box or so. I'd guess it's pretty good on the highway with passing...couldn't really get it going that fast on a coned off course.

Lastly, if you go to RevItUp and plan on test driving this car, I'd recommend showing up early, I spent an hour in line for it at ~2pm or so. There was only 1 line longer than the mazdaspeed miata, and that was our beloved 6mt rx-8 =) the AT line was about 1/2 the length of the miata's.

 

Thanks for the heads-up-- I'm going to the Chicago RevitUp next month. I'd certainly be interested in a spirited test drive and judging the power differences between the MS and my old '96. Hopefully everyone will still be in line to drive the RX8's : )