2003 Mazda Protege Lx Sedan 4-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata priced from $24,915

When Ford introduced the 2015 Mustang, it gave us 300 percent more car for about 10 percent more money. Mazda has done even better with the MX-5 Miata: the current roadster starts at $23,970 in Sport trim with a five-speed manual, the smaller, lighter, sharper 2016 model is just under $1,000 more, starting at $24,915 with a six-speed manual. Destination, unchanged, adds $820 to that MSRP. It is divided into the same three tiers of Sport, Club, and Grand Touring but the standard feature set grows, with the departure of that five-speed manual for six-speeders across the board, LED headlights, and extra infotainment functionality. Mazda says it will release more pricing in the future, but so far things just keep looking up for the one of the best little roadsters out there. The press release below has more. Related Video: MAZDA ANNOUNCES STARTING PRICE FOR 2016 MX-5 Fourth-generation MX-5 stays true to affordable convertible sports car roots IRVINE, Calif. (March 30, 2015) – Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today announced that the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata will start at $24,9151 in entry-level Sport trim. Mazda has instilled the latest MX-5 with the pure driving experience that has won worldwide fanfare since the arrival of the first-generation MX-5 in 1989 as a 1990 model. Yet, the fourth-generation MX-5 provides Mazda's latest safety features and technologies and maintains an inflation-adjusted price close to that of the original roadster. The 2016 MX-5 launches this summer and will be available in Sport, Club and Grand Touring trim levels. "As we get closer to the MX-5's summer on-sale date, we're seeing a surge in interest and excitement from enthusiasts and journalists," said Jim O'Sullivan, president and CEO, MNAO. "Already, early MX-5 reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, and we expect the momentum that MX-5 has garnered to continue to build as drivers get behind the wheel of our fourth-generation sports car." Infused with SKYACTIV® TECHNOLOGY and KODO-Soul of Motion design, the 2016 MX-5 is smaller, lighter and more aggressive than its predecessor, with the base MX-5 Sport expected to outperform the sportiest previous road-going variants. However, even with its focus on delivering maximum driving enjoyment, the 2016 MX-5 boasts more creature comforts and a more functional interior than the vehicle it replaces.

Will the new Mazda Miata be available with multiple engines?

At this point, the countdown until the launch of the all-new, fourth-generation 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata can be measured in hours until its September 3 unveiling as easily as it can in days. With the debut of such a highly anticipated model so close, the rumors about the new sports car are starting to boil over.
We recently heard that the new Miata would likely get a 2.0-liter Skyactiv four-cylinder with a six-speed manual, plus a decent drop in weight compared to the current gen. There's even the rumored possibility of a fastback coupe version sometime in the future.
Now, Australia's GoAuto is adding another dollop of speculation into the mix with the claim that there could be "potentially more engine options," according to Mazda Australia managing director Martin Benders to the website. The more potent option would still be the 2.0-liter Skyactiv with a power bump from its current 167 hp to closer to 200 ponies. The other possible powerplant option would be a 1.5-liter, naturally aspirated four-cylinder taken from the upcoming Mazda2 replacement. This version would also ditch some of the MX-5's more premium features to cut the weight and the price slightly.

Mazda2 with extended-range hybrid rotary tech shown

Every story dealing with a new rotary engine from Mazda lands in a different place on the matrix of possibilities between "Coming soon!" and "Never gonna happen!" In 2011 it was speculated that the rotary engineering program would be shut down with the demise of the RX-8, in 2012 the program was still alive and taking lessons from the SkyActiv engines, in August 2013 a Mazda insider said a rotary engine called 16X would be here in two years, in November the CEO said the only way we'd ever get a new rotary is if Mazda could sell 100,000 of them per year. Meaning that, for the moment, you can forget about it.
And yet, last month Mazda was putting journalists in a Mazda2 RE Range Extender, an electric car using a 0.33-liter rotary to power its lithium-ion batteries when the charge runs down. With a 75-kilowatt, 100-horsepower electric motor turning the front wheels, the Wankel generator and its 2.6-gallon gas tank living under the trunk double the range of the electric-only Mazda2 to 250 miles.
There's been talk of using a rotary to assist an alt-fuel vehicle for at least seven years, with Mazda pairing an electric motor with a rotary that ran on gas and hydrogen in a Mazda5 in 2007. Since then, almost all of those stories debating its return or demise also spoke of the oddball motor's advantages, such as compact size and ability to run on various fuels, as an aid in an unconventional powertrain.