Follow-Up Test: 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata MX-5

[GreenGhost]

Do new Miata's have a better interior room? I'm 6'4" and I test drove one back in 1992: my head would stick out of the car. The sales guy suggested I had the sunshade removed, because it was right in the way.

I think it's maybe the best handling car I've ever driven.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

They put a turbo on it and it still only has 178hp. Pathetic. And the same gas mileage as a Corvette.

 

[geno]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
They put a turbo on it and it still only has 178hp. Pathetic. And the same gas mileage as a Corvette.

Like I said, look at the Mazdaspeed Protege, they got something like 30 extra HP out of the motor by adding an intercooled turbo... what's the point of adding all that hardware to get so little of an HP boost?

I'm sure the beancounters won't spring for a stronger tranny/drivetrain, you have to take that into consideration, but jeez, you can get that kind of HP with a massaged stock motor...

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: geno

Originally posted by: Howard

Originally posted by: geno

Originally posted by: Howard
What kind of turbo did they install that spools up at 4500RPM???

They didn't say it spooled by then, just that the power boost was noticable. Small motors like the 1.8 in the Miata take a while to build up the steam required to get a good kick in the pants from a turbo. I'm sure Mazda could've found a more suitable setup, but I'm guessing there was limited R&D funds available and they just slapped on what they know will work.

Come on, a smaller turbine housing would have been how much more difficult? I think the torque curve would be a lot more entertaining if the boost rose faster.

you sacrafice top end though, with a motor this small, the powerband is very narrow with the use of a turbo. Top end is more important in a car like this since it's marketed as being sporty. A *good* 1.8 turbo can be done, just look at VW/Audi's offerings, however that Mazda motor wasn't designed from the ground up for turbo use I'm guessing, which makes getting it to work with a turbo tougher...

Edit - don't get me wrong, this could have been better executed, but Mazda *really* half-assed the turbo setup on the Protege, and I suspect the same happened here.

Yes it was. It's the old 323 turbo motor sans turbo. The 2000 model year on have oil spray even tho they are NA. All MX5 motors can be blown with no internal changes and the 1.8i is good for 200hp minimum. This Mazdaspeed version is very conservative, but will ensure it becomes a modders delight!

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
They put a turbo on it and it still only has 178hp. Pathetic. And the same gas mileage as a Corvette.

Any spirited or city driving will dump the gas mileage of the Corvette into the mid teens -- well below that of the Miata under the same conditions.

I agree with DivideBYZero. Unlike, the Protege, this car will make for a decent modders toy. Flyinmiata.net has a turbo kit known to get near 200hp at the wheels on the stock block and pistons.

 

[TheAudit]

My Miata ('96) was the most fun you could have.
There are always "better" cars. The Miata is not about that, it's about being elemental, in tune with the road, seeing, smelling and hearing the scenery.

I drive an RSX now and it's a turd in comparison. It has more space, of course, but it's heavier, numb, and nowhere near as much fun as the Miata. The Miata fit me perfectly, all the controls feel to hand, and, of course, it's a convertible. What didn't I like about the car? It's loud inside with any road noise not being filtered out by the top (the later M2's are supposed to be vastly superior in this respect) and the lack of space. Space is not an issue until you end up doing a little food shopping and have to put all of the groceries in the front seat because your trunk is filled with the spare and subwoofers. At one point this was my only car and I had to pick up a friend at the airport. I told him that I got a new car and it can't hold much, "I'm not going to pick you up if you have a lot of baggage." Yeah, yeah, he said. So I go and get him and he only has one bag, but it's huge. No way is that thing fitting in the trunk. We had to put the top down and place his bag on the shelf behind the seats and hold onto it. Problem was that it was April then and a COLD April evening. People were laughing at us and we were freezing. That's my Miata story about space.
But, seriously, if you really are worrying about space then why would you ever buy this car? It was never a problem with me. Most of my girlfriends liked the car but hated being in it.

I think the Mazdaspeed version of the Miata made a good thing even better. I'd love to get one. I'm looking to find a low miles version of the Miata that I had to buy to tool around in when it's warm and to take to work occasionally.

Oh and asked a Mazda mechanic how much work maintenance the Miata needs. It's the best car that Mazda makes. Mine was atomic. I put 120k on it and nothing broke except for wear items.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: KokomoGST

Originally posted by: Howard

Originally posted by: geno

Originally posted by: Howard
What kind of turbo did they install that spools up at 4500RPM???

They didn't say it spooled by then, just that the power boost was noticable. Small motors like the 1.8 in the Miata take a while to build up the steam required to get a good kick in the pants from a turbo. I'm sure Mazda could've found a more suitable setup, but I'm guessing there was limited R&D funds available and they just slapped on what they know will work.

Come on, a smaller turbine housing would have been how much more difficult? I think the torque curve would be a lot more entertaining if the boost rose faster.

Then again, you don't want your stupid leadfooted, stability control-overconfident drivers to constantly spin their cars into telephone poles if you're Mazda. But you're right... a 3K rpm kick-in-the-pants turbo with lower compression pistons would be total hooligan fun.

9.5:1 is pretty friggin high for a turbo car... then again, mebbe they weren't sure if the chassis would be able to handle the addition of that much torque without major modifications. The thing seems similar to the MzSpd Protege... the slapped a turbo on it with minor modifications and parts bin tweaking. Thing would prolly grenade with 200+ hp & 200+ ft/lbs from a slightly bigger turbo.

This car is getting close to the RX8 in price as well... Mazda, plz bring back the RX7!!

Larry Widmer runs a compression ratio of 11.2:1 on his daily driver @ 27psi, from a Roots-type blower, no less - pump gas. (D16 engine)