How many people r going to buy the new model ND

[Vat]

Had my first test drive this morning.

Well after driving it (manual version) what can I say, nice CAR but when I compare it to my NA it felt claustrophobic but on the plus side it feels very willing to rev, very nice engine and gearbox.

I've only had a couple of sits in the ND, and my initial impression was of how tight the cabin felt, I think because the seats sit pretty much 'in' the rear bulkhead whereas with the NA/NB if you bring the seats forward there's a bit of room there (enough to slip a small bag or case) and it's much airier behind the backseats.

I think the NA/NB are lower around the shoulders too. Can't speak for the NC, think I might have look at one at the Sydney Motorshow when they initially launched.

Suspect it might have been part of the compromise of shrinking the car but maintaining strength for safety.

[ND-MX5GT2.0]

I haven't even test dríven an manual yet, I've done hours upon hours of research on line. But I've only dríven the 1.5 GT manual.

The one I've order which is a 2.0 GT Manual has apparently sports tuned suspension, 17" wheels with wider tread & the LSD (Manual Only). I felt that the 1.5L Auto was responsive when you used the manual shift or paddles. But normal it was a little boring and had to rev it's guts out to move.

Steering was excellent on both drives, very responsive!

[Mr Morlock]

Vats impression of size I reckon is right. Its a car apparently made for cruising around town not a tourer. The boot is a pathetic 100l compared to 150 on the NC and no glove box and almost no where to store those things that we all pick up in our day to day travels. Some guys mentioned hard tops but you would have to wonder if its possible to engineer a power top and bolt on bolt offs are last century.

[tennyson]

Seriously, Morlock, what a load of rubbish.

Comments like that make me think you have never even seen an ND, at alone sat in one....not a Roadster...horseshit!

Anyway, for those with some real interest in the ND, I got my new AutoExe kit from Hong Kong today.

It's an expensive kit, but I was really pleasantly surprised at the quality of the components.

Here's some pics::















Unpacked it all and discovered they have packed in a nice set of instructions....all in Japanese!
I contacted Sun Vigor and asked for the English instructions.

It doesn't look all that complicated, but firstly, I need to get the covers painted to match the car.

This is what is should look like all fitted:




Frank

[Okibi]

Very cool Frank, thanks for sharing.

[davekmoore]

Some posts about pricing, delivery and contracts seem to have gone missing.

[Vat]

Automotive Plus turned up with their black ND today with some prototype bits...well, in 1.5 guise you don't have to worry about these things being competitive in club sprints as this thing ran very quickly. The 2 litres will be utter rockets.

[davekmoore]

Some posts about pricing, delivery and contracts seem to have gone missing.

My mistake. They're in the pricing thread. Glad the person who "ordered" in May seems finally to have a contract.

[Mr Morlock]

Tennyson you obviously missed my drive impression of the ND. I was underwhelmed . I think it's supportable that storage space on the ND is inferior to any of the predecessors and I think it's reasonable to speculate how Mazda can engineer a retractable hard top on a already stylised body.

[Nevyn72]

They're getting some good results with tuning of the 2.0L over in the US!

Nothing more than 95 octane fuel, axle-back muffler and a tune = 25hp & 30ft/lb increase at the wheels......

Linky -> http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=589349

[sailaholic]

But is that 95ron on 95pon?

Americans measure their octane rating at the pump rather then a research value . The research value is always abit higher.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[zero00]

Can you get a full size spare in the boot of an NC? Appears you can in an ND

Can you get a 15x6.5 in the boot of an NB8A? Yes - in an NB8B - No, that same alloy plus tyre will not fit unless cut in half

Well done Frank, enjoying your posts and also the FIRST ND to attend [even if by chance!] the weekend coffee meet-up north of Brisbane

Nothing wrong with the ND on track either - just check NATSOFT from Queensland Raceway yesterday and look for Car #1 [incorrect name posted beside it but the number is correct]

[Nevyn72]

But is that 95ron on 95pon?
Americans measure their octane rating at the pump rather then a research value . The research value is always abit higher.

91 AKE, which equates to roughly our 95 RON. So potentially even better on our 98 RON (which is 93 over there).

It should also be noted that the tuner said he's getting even bigger increases (by a big margin) on SAG engines from other Mazda models when using E85.

[StillIC]

Americans measure their octane rating at the pump rather then a research value . The research value is always abit higher.

Well, the Americans use two measurements, then take the average. That is, they take the Motor Octane Number (MON) and the Research Octane Number (RON) and then average the two to get the number they use, which is called the Anti Knock Index (AKI). As above, the RON is the highest for most fuels, the MON is the lowest and the AKI is therefore in between.

As it turns out, all this is available on Wikipeda.......
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating

[JBT]

Can you get a full size spare in the boot of an NC? Appears you can in an ND

I know that it is no to the former and I'm pretty sure it is no to the latter Roger. The ND boot is much smaller than the NC and the ND wheel/tyre combo (even the 16") is about the same size as the NC.