The SkyActiv Experience - 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Convertible Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

The SkyActiv Experience - 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Convertible Long-Term Road Test

The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata gets a new four-cylinder engine from the SkyActiv family. What are the pros and cons versus the previous Miata?s MZR engine?

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daryleason

"A wise Edmunds editor (is there any other kind?)..."

Dynamat. Need I say more?

longtimelurker

No. The 2.0 Skyactiv is a crappy engine for this car, but 129 hp and 111 lb/ft is just too little.

They need to provide an honest-to-god sportscar engine for this thing.

daryleason

I'd rather have an engine that can lope along at a lower RPM, yet still provide plenty of power, as opposed to having a high-winding engine that has all of it's power at the top-end. I just look at it as "lower RPM with usable power = less wear & tear along with theoretically better fuel economy." I've been in cars that you could feel the engine "pushing" you to move faster even at a low RPM (common with V8s) and been in cars that SOUNDED like you should be passing cars on the Autobahn, when in reality, a 70 year old was passing you on the left in a motorized scooter on the way to bingo. I get that slow cars are fun to drive fast, but a high-rev wail with no benefit isn't that fun to me.

markinnaples_

My old Camaro has a 302 small block in it that is built to pretty good specs, but I really have to wind it out to get the moving. I'm contemplating taking it out and putting in a newer LS motor or even a mild big block with more torque as I want something that hits harder earlier without having to rev it up to 7500 rpm. I had an old 944 that was like this, but it seemed like more fun back then than this is now.

allthingshonda

Wonder how it would perform if you could drop the Optima's 1.6 turbo or the Civic's 1.5 turbo engine under the hood?

banhugh

So the writer of this post wants a slower car with a less powerful engine that he can flog to 7,500 just to hear it squeal without going any faster than the current engine at 6,000.

daryleason

allthingshonda said:

Wonder how it would perform if you could drop the Optima's 1.6 turbo or the Civic's 1.5 turbo engine under the hood?

@allthingshonda : I'm not knocking either car brand, so don't misunderstand me. But I remember when the big thing was to drop a Ford Windsor 302 into a NA Miata. Think how far Kia (specifically) has come that people are actually contemplating dropping one of their engines into a Miata for increased performance.

allthingshonda

Mazda does have their new 2.5 turbo engine but I'm sure if that's dropped into a 2 door sports car it will be called RX-?

craigo7

I think most drivers are going to enjoy that midrange torque on sunday twisties vs track time where high rpm can be held. I know I'd rather have the low-mid torque. Track owners will change the relevant engine parts out anyway.

longtimelurker

allthingshonda said:

Mazda does have their new 2.5 turbo engine but I'm sure if that's dropped into a 2 door sports car it will be called RX-?

That is a very undersquare engine - 89mm X 100mm bore & stroke. So it's not going to rev, and will have a relatively small valve curtain area, plus it has a relatively small turbo which will run out of breath at higher rpm. It will make a lot of torque - 310 hp at only 2k rpm - but not a lot of horsepower - only 250 at 5k on 93 octane (227 hp if running on regular). It's a puller, not a revver.

So it will have even more of the character that they're complaining about here with the 2.0 NA.

I do agree that this engine belongs in one of the LT vehicles, though, but not the Miata. It would be AWESOME in the Tacoma.