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

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,315
edited March 2016 in Mazda
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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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    daryleasondaryleason Member Posts: 501
    "A wise Edmunds editor (is there any other kind?)..."

    Dynamat. Need I say more?
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    longtimelurkerlongtimelurker Member Posts: 455
    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.
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    daryleasondaryleason Member Posts: 501
    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.
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    markinnaples_markinnaples_ Member Posts: 251
    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.
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    allthingshondaallthingshonda Member Posts: 878
    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?
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    banhughbanhugh Member Posts: 315
    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.
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    daryleasondaryleason Member Posts: 501
    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.
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    allthingshondaallthingshonda Member Posts: 878
    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-?
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    craigo7craigo7 Member Posts: 51
    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.
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    longtimelurkerlongtimelurker Member Posts: 455
    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.
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