A Slightly More Powerful Mazda MX-5 Could Be On The Way

Like the idea of a more powerful ND MX-5 but don’t fancy going the aftermarket route? It looks like Mazda may have something up its sleeve which will interest you.

A document filed to the NHTSB this week by Mazda - and subsequently picked up by Road and Track - lists the power of the 2019 model year 2.0-litre version as ‘181 HP’ (178bhp). Considering US-spec 2.0-litre NDs make 155hp (153bhp), not a hugely dramatic bump, but a very healthy increase for such a light car.

The question is, where is this newfound power coming from? If Mazda was adding a turbocharger or supercharger, the gains would almost certainly be more substantial than that, and we doubt that the company’s new SkyActiv-X engine is being added - Mazda Europe CEO Jeffrey H. Guyton told Car Throttle recently that the unit will only be added to new models.

The ND’s 2.0-litre engine does have potential without forced induction however - UK tuner BBR GTI managed to push its power up to 190bhp using only breathing modifications and a remap, so presumably it should be possible for Mazda to unlock more modest gains and stay within its more stringent tolerances.

However they do it, we’re sure as hell up for a pokier ND MX-5. How about you?

Source: Road and Track