If a document filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is accurate, the 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata will have more horsepower.
According to Road & Track, a new VIN filing with NHTSA on February 27 indicates the MX-5’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine has 181 horsepower, a bump from the current 155-hp figure. That’s about a 17 percent improvement in performance, but Road & Track‘s Bozi Tatarevic is a bit skeptical. That’s because the most powerful SkyActiv-G engine Mazda currently offers is found in the overseas version of the Mazda3, with 162 hp. A possibility is that Mazda will use the SkyActiv-X engine in the MX-5 Miata, but the automaker has said in the past that the MX-5 wouldn’t receive the new compression-ignition gasoline engine anytime soon.
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But since the SkyActiv-X engine isn’t heading into the engine bay of the convertible sports car in the near future, it makes sense that Mazda is giving the current MX-5’s engine a boost in performance. Don’t expect forced induction, however, as Mazda has been adamant that adding a turbocharger and its requisite components would add too much weight to the MX-5 – something it doesn’t want to do.
Tatarevic reached out to Mazda for a comment but received the standard reply that Mazda won’t speculate on future products. He did point out that while this is a common response, the automaker didn’t immediately point out that the figure in the document is a mistake.
It gives us hope, even if it’s little, that the upcoming refreshed MX-5 will be a tad quicker.
[Source: Road & Track]
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