speedflex

Mazda has always been great at keeping their sporty cars light and tossable.

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

Tell me you're kidding.....

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

The only advantage fwd has in the winter is it's much easier to control when you drive normally.... I don't know how fun that is. For the majority it is safer, if safer and more controlled to you is fun, then I guess it is more fun.

caddyowner

My wife had a 92 Miata and with winter tires it did better than my FWD 626 in snow and ice. We drove home is separate cars during a snowstorm and I parked the 626 and we took the Miata.

CleanSC

There's no way. The Elise is 1900 pounds and made completely of aluminum. It has NO interior to speak of, no creature comforts, and is loud and uncomfortable. Plus it's barely road legal in the US having to file for exemptions.

There's no way they can make a 1700 pound Miata unless they use very exotic materials adding tremendous cost; or completely changing what the Miata is and turning it into an Ariel Atom.

mmarshall

Too many potential problems with a rotary engine. True, they are small and light, and would help the car's overall balance. But they have little torque, especially at low RPMs, gas/oil-consumption problems, spew out a lot of pollutants that makes it very hard for the catalyst/emission system to clean up, drive up the car's price, and, of course, have some expensive parts because there is currently no American-market competition to the Mazda rotaries.....the company has the market all to itself. In fact, its brother RX-8's days may be numbered due to low sales.

TRDFantasy

I'll believe it when I see it. Seems impossible, especially given the car has to meet modern crash and pedestrian safety standards.

jaseman

I would love to see a sub 2000 lb Miata. But I doubt it'll happen.My 95r was right around the 2k mark, and it was pretty spartan on amenities. No power windows, power steering, power roof, power seats, etc.. all that adds weight, and most modern consumers (enthusiasts excluded) expect these creature comforts. Not to mention federal safety regulations that add weight.

Could it be done with a special model, targeted towards enthusiasts? Maybe. Mazda has a long history of special package Miatas.

More motor? Who cares. My 95 only had ~130 stock, and it was plenty. The cars prowess had nothing to do with power, but just how nimble the overall package was. Keep it in the revs, and you could hold your speed through the twistiest of roads.

Lotus territory? No thanks. The Miata doesn't need to. It's always been a budget sportscar for the true enthusiast. It's low cost of entry has always been part of it's appeal. You could get a truly fun, pure sportscar, for a fraction of the competition.

But Mazda would be remiss to switch over to FWD. It would absolutely ruin it. It would change the whole driving dynamic of the platform, and quite frankly, make it much more pedestrian.

ydooby

Impossible. Period.

nine3es

iTrader: (3)

i wouldnt care if it was 1500lbs with 300 horses, a miata is the gayest production vehicle made, period...

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

hand over your man card immediately.

miata has always been rwd and i certainly hope it remains that way, particularly to maintain it's wonderful front/rear weight balance.

if you want a fun car for snow, get a subaru.

I8ABMR

nice idea but there is no way in hell they can remove 700 lbs from a car in a single generation .


I will believe it when I see it. I dont buy this . Neither does inside line's source. Its great to see that they are getting aggressive but ........

robloc93

Are you serious?...Maybe the first gen did have that stigma( Didn't help that Corky romano drove one), but the Miata/MX-5(whatever) is certainly no feminine vehicle. There are plenty of race tuned first gen Miata's around here that I'm sure would out handle most vehicles.

GFerg

Even if they do not hit their goal, I'm happy they are motivated to at least try to cut weight. Something a majority of companies are not doing. If its a minimal weight loss, it is still an improvement and lessons learned will filter to other model lines.

cenix

i've always respected mazda in a sense that they still keep it real with sports cars. but please bring back the rx-7!