NEW MAZDA MX-5 2014 PRICE SPECS

NEW MAZDA MX-5 2014 PRICE SPECS
The fourth generation Mazda MX-5 roadster is twinned with the Alfa Romeo Spider and will launch by the end of 2014. Price, specs and news here.
The fourth generation Mazda MX-5 roadster will launch by the end of 2014. Frequently thought of as one of the most fun sports cars money can buy, can the new MX-5 live up to the legacy of its three predecessors?

Mazda’s credentials stack up well. It’s the maker of the world’s most successful sports car; since its incarnation in 1989 over 900,000 MX-5s have sold across three generations of development. Read about the original 1989 Mazda MX-5 here.

But this time Mazda won’t be going it alone. Joining the Japanese carmaker in the development of the new car will be Alfa Romeo, with the Italian outfit producing its own two-seater sports car – a reborn Alfa Spider - from the shared platform. Despite sharing the new car’s underpinnings, styling, and potentially engines, will remain independent to each manufacturer. Both will stick to the front-engine/rear-wheel drive layout that defines the MX-5, but which will be a variation from recent Alfa Spiders.

Whilst previous generations of the MX-5 saw an evolution of the lightweight roadster into a slightly heavier, more luxurious car, plans for the mk4 see it going on a strict diet, with lightweight materials and smaller mechanical components. Mazda initially wanted the new car to weigh in at just 800kg, but perhaps more realistically has recently announced that the car will be closer to the 1000kg mark, which would mean savings of up to 150kg over the outgoing model. The slimmed kerb weight also hints at the loss of the Roadster Coupe vody style, the next MX-5 likely to boast only a fabric soft-top, though hard-tops may appear on the aftermarket.

Couple this weight saving with a selection of high revving, petrol engines, and the new MX-5 is set to hark back to its late 80s roots. Initial rumours of turbocharged and even diesel engines have gone quiet, so we can expect to see a naturally aspirated 130bhp 1.6-litre variant of Mazda’s SkyActiv petrol engine being fitted to entry-level cars. Top end models will most likely use larger SkyActiv units, with a predictable increase in power and performance, perhaps taking the MX-5 close to the 197bhp Toyota GT86, which is likely to gain a convertible variant to closely rival the mk4 MX-5.

The new car will be available with a six-speed manual gearbox, which should feature a shortened throw and be more mechanically precise than the current transmission, which is already pretty slick. There could also be a paddleshift automatic gearbox available to satisfy the increasing number of customers happy to forgo a three-pedal layout. This would further assist the MX-5’s improved CO2 emission and fuel economy figures; the SkyActiv technology benefiting the new Mazda 6 and CX-5 should help the new MX-5 well past 40mpg.

Prices are yet to be confirmed but a starting point below £20,000 is predicted. Value for money has always been an MX-5 strong point, and the new car is unlikely to change that. The first cars should arrive on UK roads towards the end of 2014.