The fourth generation of the Mazda MX-5 will make its official debut in the UK in the upcoming 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed slated on June 25 to 28. Subsequently, the latest iteration of the 25-year-old roadster will hit the retail markets starting this summer for a price estimated to be a little over $28,000 for the base model.
Based on the specifications and features that have already been made available by the Japanese carmaker, the 2015 Mazda MX-5 shall be lighter, faster, sharper-looking, and promises to bring back the ‘fun-to-drive’ characteristics of the classic roadster, notes Autocar.
The roadster has been redesigned from the ground up and it now comes as a rear-wheel drive vehicle with options for two different gasoline engines, each one fully utilizing the company’s SkyActiv technology.
The 2015 Mazda MX-5 comes in five different trim levels, all with the option to either be powered by 1.5-liter gasoline engine or the 2.0-liter engine variant. The five different models are the SE, the SE-L, the SE-L Nav, the i Sport, and the i Sport Nav.
All of the five models feature six-speed manual transmission, air-conditioning, LED headlights and alloy wheels.
Five crucial rules
Nobuhiro Yamamoto, the 2015 Mazda MX-5 program manager, says the new roadster had to conform to five rules that now characterize the MX-5 including the rear-drive with a front-mid-engine layout, 50/50 weight distribution, minimal yaw inertia or the factor which determines how quickly the car can changes direction, a low kerb weight, and affordability.
The SE-L model features daytime running lights, climate control, cruise control, DAB radio, Bluetooth, and a touch-screen infotainment system.
Sports models on the other hand get automatic lights, heated leather seats, keyless entry, and an upgraded sound system.
The SE-L Nav and Sport NAV models feature satellite navigation for an added premium of about $760.
The high-end trim levels also feature a limited-slip differential, larger 17-inch wheels and a strut-tower brace. Sport models meanwhile come with upgraded Bilstein dampers.
Inspired by the first car
Yamamoto, who happens to be the same person who developed the original Mazda MX-5 25 years ago, disclosed that he went back to the first car for inspiration in developing the latest iteration of the roadster.
As such, the 2015 Mazda MX-5 somewhat arrested the generation changes on the roadster as the latest design is now lighter and smaller compared to its predecessor.
Mazda has yet to disclose the exact weight of the 2015 MX-5 but motoring enthusiasts and experts believe that the weight savings on the new roadster could be around 100 kilograms, give or take. The car made full use of aluminum to ensure that its weight is kept to a minimum.
Aluminum was used in most of the front suspension, the gearbox casing, the differential casing, and the pierced structural bracing that runs down the car’s center. In addition to using aluminum, many of the components have also been reduced in size to achieve more weight savings.