Mazda's new MX5 monstrosity, and what I think they should've done

[The_Paladin]

i think mazda could have done a lot worse........

v35

[funkymonkey]

yeah that proto mx5's not bad... i mean it keeps the general shape of the older mazdas...

[Baz]

Just for interest I believe this MX-5 would kill most cars in a straight line. Imagine this..... if this pulled up next to you only to roar away with the power of a....... V8

http://www.prestigemotorsport.com.au/au/st...asp?StockID=902

Really cool!

[32vspecII]

Hmmm, no, MX-5 IS a performance car. While the dude that tried to drag you would never have succeeded, on the track an MX-5 is brilliant - it's light, low, short and wide. I'd go as far as saying that it would be faster than a GTST on a reasonably twisty track.

thats gonna have to be one very twisty track , especially if it was an earlier mx5 with b6 1.6l

there are 2 australian delivered turbo mx5 , there was a limited edition one a few years back which had an aftermarket gt25 setup done by mazda avaliable through them which put out 150ish kw and the more avaliable factory turbo of last year which only had 120ish kw . id imagine that 150kw one would not be to bad .

and i dont mind the new front actually

[The_Paladin]

this thread started in the right section but i reckon a mod should move it to a general car discussion board.........it'll get more oppinions

[Silver-Arrowz]

Track doesn't have to be that twisty. My mates MX5 was giving another mates VT GTS a hard time at Wakefield.

Last time I took a rental MX5 and blew all my other mates away going though the national park (S15/14's, R33's, Corolla GTi, Magna, Supra N/A, Celica). It's not about how much power it produces that makes the differnece. The MX5 simply could carry lots more speed into and out of corners.

[32vspecII]

its like an australian motor magazine reviewer once noted , the mx5 is great on those one day a months where you take it through some tight mountain road or even better to a twisty track meet , but then for the other 29 days of the month 18 year old girls in their barinas are blowing you away at the lights .......

[funkymonkey]

I dunno, after having seen a few of the MX-5's that have gone thru the workplace I'm tempted to try one out on the track...

http://www.j-spec.com.au/list/index.php?ID=1103

mmmm

and then there's this one...

[The_Paladin]

that orange one looks like a joke...............

if a mx-5 is going to get work to it, it should remain a sleeper..........maybe a british racing green respray if it didnt come in that colour

[Dahtone Racing]

yuck, british racing green should stay on e type jags and nothing else

[Busky2k]

I wasin the hills with my S14 and a few other 180s and R33s, and the leader of the pack was an MX5. He handed all of us our asses, and he only had a paltry 60rwkw. Talk about new-found respect! Although he is a very good driver, which doesnt help either LOL

[predator]

hmmm.. well I think the new ones look pretty cool actually. It's the weight balance that separates them on the twisties. The new ones will have the option of a 2L engine...now that would be a nice jigga, even before you do too much to it.

They had to change it one way or another. Flared guards give it a new dimension and matches with the new Mazda6, RX8, etc, etc look they are going with now.

[The_Paladin]

If RX stands for Rotary eXperiment, what does MX stand for?

just wondering...........

[funkymonkey]

mediocre/miniscule/miniature eXperiment? oh wait... how about Miata eXperiment

out of all the Japanese design companies, kudos to Mazda for not following the Euro look design that nissan, toyota and honda have taken. With that layout, and a 2L engine it'll be a really fun package to drive.

[Silver-Arrowz]

It's more than just the weight balance that makes the MX5 a great little car. It's the way the car communicates. The brakes and steering had good feedback, it was so easy to make the car understeer or oversteer when you needed it. The light weight made the car change direction easily (as opposed to the GTR where you had to really tame the thing)

I was rather skeptical about the cars abilities at first. I wondered why every motoring jounalist raved on about the car's abilities but it's something you have to drive at 10/10ths for yourself to find out.

[funkymonkey]

agreed... the only small car I'd pick over an MX5 would be a Starlet Turbo.

[Evo_Lee]

To those who dislike the MX-5, I suggest you go and drive one and if your pouring that much money into your Skylines. How would a MX-5 be with half that money spent.

Monkey, the MX-5 provides a great platform for greater things to come. As you have pointed out heaps of turboed MX-5 over in Japan.

To many who question why so many new cars no longer come with a turbo engine in Japan. Simple answer behind that is, manufacturers don't need to spend the extra R&D money on the engine when there are so many tuning shops in Japan who will happily tune an MX-5, 350Z etc. Manufacturers know owner's/enthusiasts who really wants to tune a beast will be willing to spend the extra after...and would rather take the car to a specialised tuning shop with years of experience.

All we can say is lucky them and unlucky us!

[The_Paladin]

i spose those manufactures could buy out some of the tuning shops..........but that would get rid of the personal factor..........

[funkymonkey]

like mazdaspeed?

[PHATR32]

the mx5 with the v8's a popular in the states. theres a site showing you how to fit a v8 in mx5.

steve