R&T: Mazda wants to make the MX-5 lighter, not more powerful
05-14-2016, 11:36 AM
#26
Branching out is hugely risky. Mazda is playing it safe, and with good reason -- they are small enough that, if they don't play their cards VERY carefully, they could get squashed like a bug.
I don't blame them for sticking to what they're good at, and I don't understand how anyone else can.
I don't blame them for sticking to what they're good at, and I don't understand how anyone else can.
05-14-2016, 12:23 PM
#27
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Branching out is hugely risky. Mazda is playing it safe, and with good reason -- they are small enough that, if they don't play their cards VERY carefully, they could get squashed like a bug.
I don't blame them for sticking to what they're good at, and I don't understand how anyone else can.
I don't blame them for sticking to what they're good at, and I don't understand how anyone else can.
Last edited by 77mjd; 05-14-2016 at 01:03 PM.
05-14-2016, 03:15 PM
#28
Plus, they're already planting a hell of a flag with the MX-5, and with the whole Skyactiv thing (comprehensive weight reduction, friction reduction, etc. -- rather than hybrids).
And and there's still that new rotary sports car.
And their cars are getting nicer and nicer in terms of interior refinements and other things.
I'd say they're doing everything they reasonably can.
05-14-2016, 03:52 PM
#29
By the way, I completely agree with you and Bladecutter on (what I think is) the broader point: Mazda isn't exactly a power player in sports cars, and the MX-5 certainly does nothing to help that.
At the same time, I think it has to be recognized that Mazda is doing more than any other company to make good driving dynamics available to everyday people. In the grand scheme of things, yes, there's little daylight between a Corolla and a 3. But every single Mazda is generally considered the most fun to drive in its class, and that has to count for something. These are the cars people actually buy, and Mazda is making them respectable dynamically without reducing their mass-market appeal.
Mazda is also doing a lot to buck the trends that are ruining every other company's cars. While everyone else makes heavy sensory deprivation tanks, and resorting to hybrids and turbos for fuel economy, Mazda is doing everything it can to extract efficiency from things that also make its cars more responsive and fun -- light weight, low internal friction, etc. The ND is a prime example. Again, there's no shortage of cheap speed on the market. There IS a shortage of legitimately lightweight cars that offer world-class handling without breaking the bank. That's the ND's niche, and right now there's nothing better.
At the same time, I think it has to be recognized that Mazda is doing more than any other company to make good driving dynamics available to everyday people. In the grand scheme of things, yes, there's little daylight between a Corolla and a 3. But every single Mazda is generally considered the most fun to drive in its class, and that has to count for something. These are the cars people actually buy, and Mazda is making them respectable dynamically without reducing their mass-market appeal.
Mazda is also doing a lot to buck the trends that are ruining every other company's cars. While everyone else makes heavy sensory deprivation tanks, and resorting to hybrids and turbos for fuel economy, Mazda is doing everything it can to extract efficiency from things that also make its cars more responsive and fun -- light weight, low internal friction, etc. The ND is a prime example. Again, there's no shortage of cheap speed on the market. There IS a shortage of legitimately lightweight cars that offer world-class handling without breaking the bank. That's the ND's niche, and right now there's nothing better.
05-15-2016, 08:11 AM
#31
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05-15-2016, 01:16 PM
#32
Rockie Mountain Newbie
PASM suspension + PTV for the torque vectoring and the limited slip diff.
20" Carrera S wheels, which look really nice on the car
I added in the 14 way power seats, because I'm 6'1" and my wife is 5'2", so our keys are set with our seat settings, which makes sharing the vehicle much nicer that our silly little noises we make at each other when we're pumping up and down the Abarth seat, in comparison.
2 tone interior package with leather seats, because it just looks sharp.
Sport Design leather wrapped steering wheel was the only option that didn't look like it was from a Golf or an Audi.
Other little bits, like the rear wiper (I do drive it every day to work, including in the rain), aluminum pedals, Bi-Xenon headlights that turn through the corners and also auto dim the high beams when it detects other cars.
Fit and finish on the car is stellar, and the engine just sounds glorious when you rev it from 4500 through 7500. It's also amazing how much more space there is in the cabin for the passenger compared the the MX-5, due to the hump for the catalytic convertor. Plus slightly more legroom, and I can lean the seat further back than the MX-5 for long haul comfort.
We've got just shy of 18k miles on it, and we are still a bit over a month away from its 1 year anniversary. It's been just fantastic. Last summer we drove it to my mom's 70th b-day party in New Brunswick Canada, and this summer we're taking it to my father in law's place just off the California coast just a bit south of San Jose/San Francisco.
If you're considering a new Cayman, it's too late to order one with a Flat-6 engine at this point, but the base 2.0 Flat-4 is 300 hp, and the Cayman S gets a 2.5 Flat-4 with 350 hp, which should keep the driving enthusiast very happy. I'm looking forward to test driving the new cars as soon as they hit the showrooms, just to see how much it alters the personality of the car compared to mine.
BC.
05-15-2016, 01:30 PM
#33
Rockie Mountain Newbie
By the way, I completely agree with you and Bladecutter on (what I think is) the broader point: Mazda isn't exactly a power player in sports cars, and the MX-5 certainly does nothing to help that.
At the same time, I think it has to be recognized that Mazda is doing more than any other company to make good driving dynamics available to everyday people. In the grand scheme of things, yes, there's little daylight between a Corolla and a 3. But every single Mazda is generally considered the most fun to drive in its class, and that has to count for something. These are the cars people actually buy, and Mazda is making them respectable dynamically without reducing their mass-market appeal.
Mazda is also doing a lot to buck the trends that are ruining every other company's cars. While everyone else makes heavy sensory deprivation tanks, and resorting to hybrids and turbos for fuel economy, Mazda is doing everything it can to extract efficiency from things that also make its cars more responsive and fun -- light weight, low internal friction, etc. The ND is a prime example. Again, there's no shortage of cheap speed on the market. There IS a shortage of legitimately lightweight cars that offer world-class handling without breaking the bank. That's the ND's niche, and right now there's nothing better.
At the same time, I think it has to be recognized that Mazda is doing more than any other company to make good driving dynamics available to everyday people. In the grand scheme of things, yes, there's little daylight between a Corolla and a 3. But every single Mazda is generally considered the most fun to drive in its class, and that has to count for something. These are the cars people actually buy, and Mazda is making them respectable dynamically without reducing their mass-market appeal.
Mazda is also doing a lot to buck the trends that are ruining every other company's cars. While everyone else makes heavy sensory deprivation tanks, and resorting to hybrids and turbos for fuel economy, Mazda is doing everything it can to extract efficiency from things that also make its cars more responsive and fun -- light weight, low internal friction, etc. The ND is a prime example. Again, there's no shortage of cheap speed on the market. There IS a shortage of legitimately lightweight cars that offer world-class handling without breaking the bank. That's the ND's niche, and right now there's nothing better.
I would take a fixed roof sports car from Mazda with the 2.5 Sky-G engine, as long as they give the interior more room that what the MX-5 is rolling around with. And, if/when they get the Sky-R engine to where they want it, they can offer a version of the same car with it, to make everyone else happy.
BC.