Mazda’s chief engineer Nobuhiro Yamamoto has gone on the record insisting that both he and Mazda have no plans to make a quicker, more powerful version of the new, fourth-generation ND MX-5. The announcement was made in multiple interviews at last week’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Outright power and straight line speed has never been what the MX-5 is all about, as Yamamoto explained; “If a driver would like more [power], then I would invite him to drive a different car.”
“It’s important not to get hung up on numbers, not on power or torque. No, what is more important is the feeling. The driving experience and feeling is more important than power. In my mind it just has to be fun to drive. I never considered using a turbo, because naturally aspirated engines are just nice, especially for this kind of car.” Yamamoto said.
This then confirms that there will be no additional engine configurations for the car, meaning buyers will have to choose between a 96kW/150Nm 1.5-litre or a slightly beefier 115kW/200Nm 2.0-litre unit.