Mazda Says Americans Wanted to Turn the Miata Into a ‘Harley-Davidson’

Part of the Mazda MX-5 Miata’s enduring appeal is that, on paper, it hasn’t significantly changed over the past 36 years. It remains nimble, affordable, fun to drive, and powered by a naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine. It hasn’t morphed into a crossover or spawned a trim line. But keeping the roadster true to its roots has been difficult, and Mazda said it notably shot down American requests to make it bigger.

“When I started designing this fourth generation, there was a request from the United States to make the car bigger, and to increase the power of the vehicle,” Mazda design boss Masashi Nakayama recently told Road & Track. “I said, ‘Do you really want a Harley-Davidson?’”

The idea that “bigger is better” might work when we’re talking about trucks and SUVs, but Mazda argued that it doesn’t fit the Miata’s image. Rejigging the model into some kind of plump, modern-day Toyota Camry Solara wasn’t necessary, either, because it stands proud as one of the world’s best-selling roadsters. It’s a niche model, there’s no doubt about that, but it nonetheless enjoys an exceptionally loyal fan base.

Nakayama got his way, and the fourth-generation Miata landed in 2015 with roughly the same footprint as the original model that made its debut in 1989. For context, the current Miata stretches about 154 inches long and weighs approximately 2,366 pounds. The first-generation car that was built until 1997 measured 155 inches long and tipped the scale at roughly 2,210 pounds. That’s a nearly insignificant weight gain, especially when you consider that the current Miata benefits from a generous bump of nearly 70 horsepower and 51 lb-ft of torque.

It’s worth noting that the 181-hp engine wasn’t available until the 2019 model year, however. At launch, the 2.0-liter made 155 hp.

The Next-Gen Miata

The current Miata will enter its 10th model year on the market in 2026, so it’s hardly a surprise that Mazda has already started developing a fifth-generation model. Presumably called “NE” internally, the model will need to comply with ever-stricter safety and emissions regulations in key markets around the world. It’s going to be hard to avoid summoning a dark cloud of disapproval from regulators while keeping price and weight in check, but Mazda is confident it can pull it off. Much to the delight of enthusiasts, it sounds like the basic recipe won’t change.

“What defines the MX-5? I would say the most important thing is that it is lightweight, and that the second most important thing is that it is lightweight. That is the key. Whatever the future MX-5 is, it must be very light,” Mazda CTO Ryuichi Umeshita declared to Road & Track.

Stunningly, the next Miata might actually be lighter than the current car. Nakayama said the brand is considering making the roadster “less than one ton in weight and less than four meters in length,” which are figures that represent 2,200 pounds and 157 inches, respectively. The trade-off, if you can call it that, is that the next Miata won’t offer significantly more power than its predecessor. There’s a catch, however.

Keeping the Miata in line with regulations without losing power will require using a larger-displacement engine. Umeshita revealed that the next MX-5 will launch with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, the biggest motor that the roadster has ever offered. Part of the upcoming SkyActive Z family of engines, the mill will continue to spin the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. It’s a relief to know that Mazda isn’t ready to give up the stick-shift yet, though it’s reasonable to assume that an automatic transmission will again be available at an extra cost.

As for an EV, well… it’s not happening unless Mazda doesn’t have a choice.

“If all internal combustion engines were banned, then we would have no choice. And, of course, our engineering team is studying both ways: Battery EV and ICE Miata. But whatever we do, the ICE one is lighter,” Umeshita concluded.

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