One More Year:
4th-Gen Mazda Miata to Bow in 2015
Autoblog reports enthusiasts pining for a long-overdue fourth-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata will have to stick it out for one more year.
Fortunately, there are three big upsides to such a long wait:
- The automaker’s recent product offerings have been roundly praised in top-flight publications, giving the company a fair bit of brand momentum.
- The introduction of the Toyota/Subaru 86 twins presents a fresh challenge to the Miata’s market segment. Nothing like a little healthy competition to sharpen the mind and re-focus development.
- Mazda’s achingly lovely Kodo design language—as seen on the new CX-5, 6, and 3—has firmly supplanted the old, unlamented smiley-face theme, and the new version of Mazda’s iconic roadster will reap the benefits, eschewing the cartoon-y grin for an altogether more sophisticated look.
Regarding that last one, according to the Autoblog article, a Mazda insider has pegged it as “our best-looking car ever.” Frankly, I really wish they wouldn’t. Not only is that a mighty tall order with a car like Mazda’s nail-bitingly sexy 3rd generation RX-7 in the history books, the automaker should learn from its mistakes and let the car’s looks speak for themselves. To whit: During an initial review of the awkward, fussy (though dynamically excellent) RX-8, Patrick Hong of Road & Track embarrassed himself with a bit of effusive hyperbole by declaring it “perhaps the prettiest looking car to come out of Japan—ever.” Err…no. And on the powerplant front, Mazda was forced to offer to buy back early production cars after independent dyno tests found the Renesis rotary engine producing 12-odd horsepower less than its advertised output. Whoops.
The lesson in all of this? Under-promise and over-deliver. Mazda already has with a trifecta of excellent models (the aforementioned CX-5, 6 and 3); here’s hoping the new MX-5 makes it four.
Editor’s note: The images gleaned for this article are concept renderings produced by automotive publications and may or may not reflect Mazda’s actual design.
Image credits: vehicles2014.com, motorward.com
Does anyone else see a little bit of BMW M4 in there somewhere? And the back end kind of reminds me of a Lexus. Neither is a bad thing. Just saying. I like the rendering. Especially the front end. Organic yet organized, classy yet aggressive.
I always did wish they would come out with a more powerful version of the Miata, while still keeping it light. Nothing crazy, but a solid 240-250hp would make it a hoot. Didn’t they have a turbo charged version at some point? If so, I’m guessing it didn’t catch on for some reason…
Here’s to hoping they can bring some muscle without a huge weight penalty. That would kind of ruin it. (Although each generation has been going that way, hasn’t it?)
Mazda offered a mildly turbocharged Mazdaspeed Miata for the NB (2nd) generation back in the early 2000s, but that’s the only factory turbo iteration.
As much fun as 240-250 hp would be, I’m of the school that thinks that would compromise the “Miata concept.” There is such a thing as too much power, y’know. :)
Glad to see that the ‘head is back! And good advice in life: under promise, over deliver.