It's Official: The 2019 Mazda MX-5 Comes with a More Potent Engine And A Louder Exhaust

Unveiled last week in Japan, the 2019 Mazda MX-5 is finally here to meet the rest of the world. Officially presented by Western Mazda PR teams in Canada, the U.S., and Europe, the refreshed Mazda MX-5 greets us with a 2.0-liter, naturally aspirated engine uprated to 181 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque. Those aren’t the only improvements, though.

Considerable Changes for a Gain of 26 Horsepower and 3 Pound-feet of Torque

The healthy 17 percent gain has been achieved through an engine overhaul which saw the introduction of lighter pistons and connecting rods. We already wrote a thing or two about this. Apart from new engine internals, Mazda engineers went the extra mile to reconfigure the intake ports and change fuel injectors. Crucially, improving vital parts of the engine brought healthy benefits for the torque curve. Torque has been increased throughout the rev range. With more torque at lower rpms and more power, Mazda moved the redline from 6,800 rpm to 7,500 rpm.

Quite a change!

Other notable improvements include the addition of a less restrictive exhaust with an increased inner diameter for a richer aural experience. The better-sounding 2.0-liter also benefited from “increased valve opening angle and valve lift height” which, in conjunction with the new exhaust system, resulted in lowering exhaust losses by a staggering 30 percent.

Reading about the 2019 MX-5, one can only assume that Mazda’s end goal was to fine-tune the car for the remainder of its market adventure. A single plate flywheel has been exchanged for a dual-mass flywheel in order to improve responsiveness. In addition, engineers modified the final drive ratio as well. With so many modifications, the new Mazda MX-5 should be faster, more daily-driver friendly, and cooler as a whole because of its better sounding exhaust and some exterior tidbits the 2019 model brings with itself.

Style, Comfort, and Safety

Complementing the offer, Mazda introduced a brown canvas softtop and black metallic 17-inch wheels for the MX-5. This might not be a style overhaul, but a brown roof on the MX-5 is off the charts, isn’t it? In addition to exterior personalization options, the Japanese decided to give the MX-5 a telescoping steering wheel (with 1.25 inches of travel). Finally, some would say. Also, the doors are somehow easier to open with restyled door stops.

Moving to safety, the new MX-5 has a full complement of i-ActiveSense safety technologies in store. A reversing camera is a standard issue now, with Traffic Sign Recognition and Smart City Brake Support available on higher grade models.

With all these changes, we might be tempted to think the MX-5 actually gained a few pounds.

Well, it did, but only 7. The fact Mazda implemented so many improvements without adding more weight is incredible, to say the least. There is no mystery to it, though. The Japanese followed the Gram Strategy Mazda engineers laid out 15 years ago. In short, the Gram Strategy is designed to remove a gram out of every nut and bolt used in the construction of a vehicle. Lighter engine, seats and many other elements are an additional weight saving measure.

Take a look at the video below that was published by Mazda Australia for more information on the Gram Strategy and the ways it was implemented.

In using the Gram Strategy, designers of the 2018 Mazda MX-5 2.0 Skyactiv-G managed to keep the weight at 2,315 lbs. The new model should tip the scales at 2,322 lbs (depending on the trim level and added equipment, of course).

Europeans Get a 1.5-Liter Engine Too

A smaller, 1.5-liter Skyactiv G is once more available for European buyers. It is not a powerhouse, but it will get the fun-job done. Aside from the 2.0-liter SkyActiv-G, which is much the same as the one in the U.S., European buyers will enjoy 132 horsepower and 112 pound-feet of torque from the smaller engine. Unfortunately, performance figures have not been disclosed yet, but let me just point out that the previous 155-horsepower Mazda MX-5 needed 8.3 seconds to hit 62 mph.

Expect 2019 Mazda MX-5 2.0 Skyactive-G to roll into showrooms this fall.