So now that you have seen it…

 

 

2016 MX5 Chassis

What does it all mean?  The above picture gave us some great views into what the car is going to be like from a performance standpoint.

The obvious thing is the motor,a 2.0 Skyactiv engine with a decent looking header(ala the rest of the skyactiv models which have the cool looking scavenging headers).  There are more subtle details like how compact Mazda made the alternator/A/C compressor and throttle body location.  Mazda really hugged the block with them which makes me wonder how tight the engine bay will be in the production car.

You can see that Mazda is going with electric power steering which is built into the rack which is great, it keeps the weight low in the chassis and there is no power steering pump or lines to mess with.  If Mazda has the feedback setup like they do in the Mazda 2 which also uses electric assist this will be an incredible car with feedback through the steering.

If you look at the current MX5 chassis below you can see one of the similarities from the one above.

2014 MX5 Chassis

The rear suspension looks similar to the current MX5 but there are several subtle changes to make things better.  #1 look how the rear shock mounts to the new upper arm compared to the lower location on the older model.  This makes for a smaller/lighter shock and a stronger control arm.  The 4 bolt hubs and brake rotors are a move obvious difference which is saving weight too.  The last piece that come across as different is the PPF (power plant frame), the current generation is pretty narrow and the new version is much wider, much like the older FD Rx7s where is wraps around the transmission and differential more.  I’m sure Mazda spent the equivalent of months testing out the design difference in that piece alone to meet the requirements of the Skyactiv chassis.

I am still excited for the new chassis but I am bummed there is no turbocharger sitting on the motor but if Mazda can get us 200 wheel HP I will be happy!  We shall see.

 

-Derrick