Fourth Gen MX5 News

[taminga16]

Mr M,
57kw (76hp) might be stunning in a shopping trolley, but for real world motoring I would want a few more ponies and a longer wheelbase (it would drive you mad on a freeway).
Greg.

[rjastra2]

Motor trend popped a US Spec Alfa Romeo 4C (no options) onto the scales...1105kg. Signficantly more than the original expected weight.

I am just wondering where Mazda are going to find 167kg (a manual Oz spec) to get it under 1000kg and still be a reasonable price. I thought Mazda always was looking at saving grams when developing the MX5.

It also has to give a 5 star crash test in all markets... with the new difficult to get a good result partial overlap US test.

Mazda needs a turbo engine in it. I don't think the buying public want to have to rev the crap out of car to get performance anymore.

[wun911]

I do hope it will be <950kg.

Maybe they will have 'light weight base model' with no air con, no passenger seat, no sat nav, etc etc.

[project.r.racing]

wasn't there a article about mazda falling short of 1000kg by 30kg?

[taminga16]

I do hope it will be <950kg.

Maybe they will have 'light weight base model' with no air con, no passenger seat, no sat nav, etc etc.

Be careful what you wish for, we could end up with a Cappuccino/ Copen.
A rational thinker might ask, "Where will the weight savings come from"? With the promise of more added safety features, Skyactive etc etc and remembering 'Gram Strategy' during the development of the NC (which still came in at over 1 tonne) were else could Mazda possibly save weight and at what cost?
Everything that we have seen and heard abouit the 'ND' ( and that is incorrect in it's self) apart from the recent release of chassis details, has been media hype, and while it gives us something to do on these cold winter nights, that is all that it does.
Search the forum and read the previous 300 odd posts in relation to this subject but all that you will find is more bullshit.
Greg.

[markwid]

Yep, all these teasing is a bit pointless really. Nothing is real until it is launched officially. Just do it already!

I am however hopeful that they go back to basics and avoid loading/larding up the car with extras.

[taminga16]

I am however hopeful that they go back to basics and avoid loading/larding up the car with extras.
markwid.
Sadly cars of the now and for the future will 'be larded up' because of pressure bought to bear by insurers and government departments to reduce their risk.
Greg.

[oztrackdays]

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupes/1309_2014_alfa_romeo_4c_first_drive/

Good find to the OP

Mazda must use Dry Weights for their brochures as well.

[doc]

As per,"larding up", Lets look at whom Buys New cars and what "They" want.
Not you guys buying ten year old cars and what you want.
If You were a Manufacturer looking at selling new cars, Would you care a rats A** what a bunch of guys with 10 and 15 year old cars want?
If I'm Buying a new Sports car at 50K plus, I want all the bells and whistles! Weight be damned! Add more power to pull it !
And I don't want a Bloody Turbo that will blow up every couple years!
No replacement for displacement!

[taminga16]

Authorities across the country are ruling more and more that 'Safety features' become mandatory and are pressuring manufactures to install same with huge budget advertising campaigns that suggest things like "If your considered new car purchase does not have these features, Look else where", the TAC in Vic are running an ad at the moment that suggests that if your vehicle dosen't happen to have 'Low speed frontal collision protection' then you are not safe!

I am with Doc, Cars are going to get heavier.
Many forumites here will have never experienced Vacuum powered wipers (the faster the engine revved the slower the blades travelled), cars without heaters (hence the tartan rug between the seats), conventional cross-ply tyres, lack of seat belts, slippery vinyl seats, piss yellow headlamps (incandesant), no rear window demisters, drum brakes (I remember the drums on my HJ Holden glowing red after a spirited run through the Dandenongs) and the list goes on.+
When a manufacturer has someone sit with a Dremel and 'Shave' an assembly to save a few grams, you know that they are scraping the back off the rear view mirror.
Greg.
Wun, you never cease to amaze me, I am still shuddering at the thought of you removing underbody bracing in an effort to reduce weight.

[Mr Morlock]

I also agree with Doc. We the general car buying public are right into bells whistles and the like. Why else are so many buying overweight tanks most of which hardly do a days work and never see a dirt road in 10 years. You cannot sell volume cars in the developed world and offer pov packs. But some of the makers know that lighter weights will pay dividends for some classes of cars and there are certainly ways to reduce the weight. Even during the development of the first MX5 there was a determined effort to cut weight example the width of the seam welds was reduced by a new technique.

I have a theory however that "we" are living a bit of dream at present with cars. They are very good very affordable and the makers in many instances are selling us things we don't need. The point about that is the behemoth cars- the family runabout - it weighs 2 tonnes. What did the 48/215 weigh ( I know but do the young blokes know) and what about a mini- the fabulous car that knocked our young socks off. Eventually Govts will really start taking the environment seriously and wake up to the fact that so many vehicles are leading us down an environmentally unfriendly path. All it needs is opinion to start to shift and them Govts legislating against car makers and taxing users i.e. us more to own and use big cars. It was done in Europe and it still done to some extent.

Govts have a lot of power to dictate to car makers and many developments of cars have been dríven by those demands.

The car park will change and it will change to lighter more efficient cars more suited to urban travelling and doing something for the planet.

[davekmoore]

First car I sold new was a 1972 Mini. It weighed 617kg. The most notable item of safety equipment was that it wasn't a motorbike or a scooter.

Please shoot me if I'm forced to offer smart city brake control, or blind spot monitoring, or lane departure warning, or any type of parking assistance* on the new MX5.

But I'm glad it'll have at least ABS, ESC, TCS, EBD, EBA, EBS and probs some other TLAs.

*Although my back is now so bad I'll be adding a camera and sensors to mine soon.

[Odd]

Also hoping for pricing to compare with the predicted $25k in USAland. Fat chance!

We've just done a deal with Japan....we don't have a local Industry to protect anymore

Why should it be any dearer than a Toyota 86???
MX5's in USA are cheaper than Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ

Imagine a simple 1.5 turbo ND.....for $30,000!!!

All the old farts would be queuing up!!

[markwid]

Yep, if this comes to pass, it would be a no brainer decision, old farts or not.

Imagine a simple 1.5 turbo ND.....for $30,000!!!
All the old farts would be queuing up!!

[davekmoore]

Also hoping for pricing to compare with the predicted $25k in USAland. Fat chance!

We've just done a deal with Japan....we don't have a local Industry to protect anymore

Why should it be any dearer than a Toyota 86???
MX5's in USA are cheaper than Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ

Imagine a simple 1.5 turbo ND.....for $30,000!!!

All the old farts would be queuing up!!

It should not be more than Toyota 86.
I'm an old fart and will indeed have a 1.5T for $30k please. I would also have one if I was younger.