wondering if you guys have seen this video. its amazing and super innovative how mazda engineers designed the way that hardtop folds and stores itself which still leaves trunk space pretty much undisturbed. kudos to mazda once again

http://youtube.com/watch?v=eNxLsRBlrgQ&search=mazda

 

kool, but i wonder how the weight and weight distribution has become.

 

Shameful. A convertible-hardtop? No thanks. I'd rather have a dedicated hardtop. They didn't mention anything about the weight either. I'm guessing its gone up. Looks alot like an S2000 now with the top up from some angles.

Whatever, I'm still waiting for Mazda to announce the production version of the Kabura concept.

 

It's a cool video.

I like the 2006 Miata: it's a lot more comfortable than earlier versions. And, the increased power was needed to offset the added weight. It's a fair question to ask what effect the hardtop and mechanics will have on the car. My guess is that it will appeal more to people who want a "roadster," not a "sports car," and that those who want something truly tossable in the old-style Miata image will eschew the hardtop in favor of the soft.

 

i like the idea of the hard top. I always thought s2k's and miatas with hardtops are really nice so this is a plus on my part, saves the hassel of actually having to go outside and taking off your hard top and finding a place to put it. Maybe i'll trade in my 8 for this. Who knows.

 

i doupt they would change the weight and distribution as much. the new mx-5 was deigned to be as light and balaned as possible. they wouldnt screw that up no matter what.

 

It's a pretty modest weight gain over the soft top, something like 75 lbs. No loss of trunk space, none. I currently have a dedicated hardtop, but were I to buy another Miata today, I would definitely get the retractable hardtop.

 

The Sky looks nice

 

~80 lb gain. It's a composite roof. I'm guessing that those who can't see the benefit of the hardtop don't live in the North. Don't fret - the soft top is still available for you. This is just another option so good for Mazda. And yes, the Sky does LOOK nice... just don't look too closely.

 

The GXP Sky with 260 hp looks especially nice. But it's a shame that there's no real trunk and such a silly top design.

 

The official word is 36Kg heavier, times 2.2, so around 80 lb as stated by Socr8tes
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Its actually 30KG in weight=66 lb.

Mazda have stiffened/upgraded the rear shocks to help compensate for the extra weight, however, only the softop has the 50/50 weight balance.

I have heard that the handling changes are very minimal, ie, hard to really tell the difference.

 

Oh i see, I saw 36Kg on Mazda Canada website, perhaps the actual weight is even less
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nice ad. you can also follow the link in this thread to watch a short vid of it at the British Motor Show https://www.rx8club.com/general-automotive-49/whatcar-reports-2006-british-motor-show-94705/

 

as long as the handling isn't sacraficed.

 

It's cool, as long as the soft top is still available for the purists. If you look at it as an alternative to the removeable hardtop, it's a pretty good deal. I think it actually weighs less and costs less. If you live in a place where you're using a hardtop for many months out of the year, this would be the way to go.

I'd still like to see a fixed hardtop though. Especially if they could use it as a structural element and lighten the car up elsewhere, and/or make the car cheaper than the soft top.

 

Whether 66 or 80 lbs, if it's roughly in the middle of the car, handling shouldn't be noticeably affected.

 

Vid is cool, but don't know if I really dig it. I think the S2K pulled the hardtop look off pretty nice, but the MX5 just looks better with the top down.