Mazda MX-5 comes in under the tonne
BY TIM ROBSON | 23rd Mar 2015
Mazda Japan claims that the kerb weight of the base grade car comes in at 990kg – just 50kg more than the original MX-5 that debuted in 1989 – and about 100kg lighter than the folding hardtop-equipped outgoing model.
The JDM car will debut in its home market in three grades – S, S Special Package and S Leather Package – and will be sold initially with a 1.5-litre SkyActiv petrol engine that makes 96kW in Japanese tune. It returns 5.8 litres per 100 kilometres under the Japanese testing standard in manual form, and 5.3L/100km in auto trim.
A six-speed automatic transmission is available as an option on both the Special Package and Leather Package cars, while the base S is only offered with a six-speed manual gearbox.
Mazda Australia is set to offer the diminutive roadster in 1.5-litre form for less than $40,000 when it goes on sale here in the third quarter, which represents a reduction of more than $17,000 on the current model.
A more powerful 2.0-litre version has also been confirmed as a starter by local officials, and will produce up to 116kW/201Nm. United States figures have this version weighing approximately 1060kg.
Power and fuel figures have not yet been released for Australian-specification cars. Japanese domestic cars have access to higher-RON fuels as standard the same 2.0-litre SkyActiv-G engine makes just 109kW in the recently released CX-3, but it has the ability to use lower-grade 91RON fuel.
Mazda Australia would not be drawn on local specs, but a spokesperson indicated that final product details for the local range of cars are no more than a month away.
Unlike models such as the Mazda3, Mazda Australia has not had the same level of input into the MX-5. No pre-production cars were sent to Australia, and only a handful of top-line staff have even seen the vehicle up close.
