Wanting to know how much the curb weight of the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata will be? Wonder no more.
AutoGuide says the icon’s curb weight with the manual transmission comes to 2,332 lbs, while the automatic takes the weight up to 2,381 lbs. In comparison, the outgoing Miata weighs 2,480 lbs with the manual, 2,542 lbs with the auto.
As a result of the ~150-pound weight reduction, the 2016 Miata has a power-to-weight ratio of 0.066 horsepower per pound. It also is lighter than the Scion FR-S, which tips the scales at 2,758 lbs.
Power for the new roadster in North America will be a 2-liter Skyactiv four-pot delivering 155 horses and 148 lb-ft of torque to the back, while the rest of the world also receives a 1.5-liter four with 129 horses and 110 lb-ft of torque.
That’s impressive and not sure if anyone is really down in this weight category any more for sports cars within this price range. Years ago I had a BMW M roadster that I think was around 2800. It’s amazing how low weight influences performance and handling. I have great respect for what this car is. Good for Mazda for building a specialized car like this.
I think you’re right. The Alfa Romeo 4C is under 2500 lb, but is quite a bit more expensive. The Lotus Elise isn’t sold in the United States any more and was out of this price range as well. The Toyota MR2 hasn’t been around for a decade now… I think the only other cars around this weight you can still buy new are compact economy cars.
The 500 Abarth is 2512LB and a manual with 160 HP. Sounds like a fun race to me.
Alfa’s 4C is more like 2200 lb (US version), source wikipedia.
Car and Driver put a 4C on a scale. 2,471 lbs is respectable.
Well Mazda did promise to “add lightness.”
Any idea of how much less the 1.5L weighs? Also, impressive that they got the AT down by about 13lbs.
Kudos to Mazda, the Miata was already a comparative lightweight.
I really, really don’t like that front fascia.
The front makes me want to see what the Fiat version will look like.
Mazda REALLY wants to move away from the Miatas girly image apparently, gotta make em MANLY and MEAN.
I think it would have been fine if they didn’t make the headlights so unnecessarily small. It ruins an otherwise good looking car for me.
0.06 hp/lb, eh. Or as is the accepted norm outside North America, about 145 hp/tonne. hp/lb is something nobody uses, but lb/hp is the norm in true “we do everything backwards and everyone else is wrong” North American style.
Your Jezza impersonation needs quite a bit of work.
The manual is 15 lbs/hp.
Cheers to the weight reduction, jeers to the style job.
Anybody know comparable “curb” weight stat on first year Miata?
A Car and Driver article from yesterday has the 1990 Miata as 2210 lbs., and a 1994 as at 2330 lbs., or 2 lbs. less than this new one. My 1996 5-speed manual is listed at 2293 lbs. by edmunds.com, which is interesting because that’s less than the 1994, even though 1996 was the first year of the 1.8L 133 HP engine, up from 1.6L.
94 was the first year for the 1.8 engine.
The 1.8L came out in 1993.
Wickipedia confirms you are correct.
@Mbella The first model year to be equipped with the 1.8 was 1994.
This is likely a Euro/North America distinction. In most of the world, a car’s model year is the year in which it was built, while in North America it can be the following year (for example, a car built in Sept. ’93 in North America can be sold as a ’94 model year, while in other parts of the world that isn’t so).
The Miata came out for the ’90 model year in North America, the 1.8 was introduced in ’94, the 2nd gen came in ’99. In other parts of the world, it all happened a model year earlier.
My stripped base model (no A/C, roll-up windows) ’99 I’ve seen listed right around the 2300 lbs mark. That makes the new one just about the same weight, with 15 more hp, and probably a healthier power band. As far as acceleration goes, that’s not particularly impressive, although I’m sure it’ll be a riot to drive, even more than my old one is.
Really impressive weight management. Especially considering they weighed this much 20 years ago with far less safety requirements and likely less creature comforts.
It’s 426 pounds lighter than an FR-S.
I think this is very impressive, especially considering it meets current safety regulations as well. My MR2 Spyder, which is basically a tin can in a crash test with no useable storage space, is about 2300 lbs as well. This should be a very fun car to drive.
So, it has more power, torsional rigidity (by far), creature comforts, safety equipment, technology & other features than the original, in spades, yet weighs less, and is less expensive in inflation adjusted terms.
Of any non-niche automaker (Mazda, like VW, holds just over 2% market share in the U.S., but does better in other parts of the world, such as Canada, Australia, Japan, etc.), only Mazda has the sheer competence and technical expertise to achieve this type of engineering feat.
Can’t wait to test drive this. I hope headroom is improved over the NC, because that is a deal-breaker for me in a lot of cars (I’m 6’1).