Mazda Will Put a Bigger Engine in the Next Miata

People tend to criticize cars that have been around for many years, but the MX-5 is an exception. Although Mazda has been selling the ND Miata for a decade, you won’t find many enthusiasts ready to move on to the next generation. It’s understandable, considering new cars tend to be larger, heavier, and, in most cases, without a clutch pedal. But don’t fret, as the future roadster will keep the analog recipe.

General Manager of the Design Division Masashi Nakayama told Road & Track the intent is to make the next MX-5 even lighter. Ideally, Mazda wants to keep the curb weight below 1,000 kilograms, which translates to 2,205 pounds. For reference, the lightest version of the current Miata tips the scales at 990 kg (2,183 lbs) for the Japan-only 990S special edition. However, that car is equipped with the smaller 1.5-liter engine we don’t get in the United States.

If you’re tall and hoping for a more spacious cabin, it’s unlikely to happen with the next generation, unless the engineers have a magic wand to improve packaging without increasing the car’s footprint. Nakayama says the Miata will remain a small car, at less than 157 inches (four meters) long. That tells us it’ll have roughly the same length as the ND, which measures 154.1 inches (3.91 meters).

Mazda Chief Technical Officer Ryuichi Umeshita revealed that the next MX-5 will skip turbocharging once again. The naturally aspirated engine will be a new development, compared to the 1.5 and 2.0 Skyactiv-G engines found in the ND. Recently described as the “ideal internal combustion engine,” the Skyactiv-Z will be a four-cylinder 2.5-liter mill. Without going into specifics, Umeshita said, “power is very good, and the fuel economy will be very good.”

The current Miata tops out at 181 horsepower, although Japan recently got a slightly more potent 12R version with 197 hp. Mazda’s CTO explains that keeping displacement at 2.0 while switching to the lambda one combustion method would have resulted in lower output. That’s not going to happen, as the Skyactiv-Z has been engineered as a larger 2.5-liter unit. Lambda (“λ” in the Greek alphabet) refers to the air-fuel equivalence ratio. When λ = 1, the amount of air is perfectly balanced with the fuel during combustion. This optimizes efficiency to reduce emissions and improve fuel consumption.

Because Mazda knows its Miata audience well, the new gas engine will be paired with a manual gearbox. It’s reassuring to hear the clutch pedal is staying, especially with the growing prevalence of mandated driver assistance and safety features, most of which are primarily designed to work with automatic transmissions.

As for a purely electric MX-5, the Zoom-Zoom company is studying it, but admits it would be heavier than the gas model. Who wants an EV Miata anyway? It’s still unclear whether some form of electrification is in the pipeline for the next Miata. Given Mazda’s promise to keep the car small and light, we’re inclined to believe they won’t overcomplicate things. A mild-hybrid setup could be a possibility, as the weight penalty is minimal. A full hybrid, let alone a plug-in hybrid, would likely make it difficult to meet the targeted curb weight.

Whatever Mazda is planning for the next Miata, we’re hoping the 2.5-liter engine will make it to Europe. As a refresher, the ND is currently sold only with the smaller 1.5 after the 2.0 was dropped due to stricter emissions regulations. Assuming the next-gen model will have 48-volt tech, it would increase the odds of seeing the sporty roadster in the EU. Call it a necessary evil.

When is the next MX-5 coming out? Probably not anytime soon. The ND3 has been around since 2024, so it likely has a couple more years left in it. Mazda is set to roll out the first car with a Skyactiv-Z engine in late 2027, starting with a hybrid CX-5. This new four-cylinder engine is being developed to meet Euro 7 regulations in Europe, as well as LEV IV and Tier 4 emissions standards in North America.