Mazda has released official prices and pics of the new MX-5. Prices will come up, with the base model up £925 to £16,345 and the top-spec model up over £1,000 to £21,695.
The Mazda MX-5 is to get the latest in an increasingly long line of facelifts and model changes over the past two decades.
From April of this year various tweaks to the range will see eight variants of the MX-5 available, two more than there are currently. As before 1.8 and 2.0-litre engines will be available, producing 124 and 158 bhp respectively, though engine tweaks have reduced CO2 output as well as fuel consumption across the range.
Aesthetically, the facelift brings styling more in-line with the new family look seen on its Mazda2, 3 and 6 siblings. The nose and tail of the car receive pleasant tweaks that lend a more tapered look to the '5, though not departing significantly from the pre-facelift Mk3. The biggest change is to the front bumper that has grown deeper, with more pronounced foglights and a bigger 'mouth'.
The 2.0-litre powerplant has also been tweaked to develop peak power at 7,000 rpm, a 300rpm increase from the previous version, with the red line raised by 500rpm to 7,500rpm - though with no figures released for performance we don't know whether this will make a significant difference. But hey, the MX-5 was never about grunt.
While 1.8-litre models gain some extra equipment including alloy wheels and an improved stereo, the 2.0-litre versions get DSC, traction control and a limited slip diff all as standard.
Top-spec Sport models benefit from a front strut brace as well as uprated Bilstein dampers, an option that dates back to the Mk1 Eunos Roadster in the early nineties, though which is now touted to provide the same handling benefits without as much cost to ride quality.
Mazda also claims to have put an eye to keeping insurance premiums low by fitting a cat 1 alarm and immobiliser and working towards 'modest' repair costs, though in practice much will depend on the actions and demographic of the people who buy it. But by making specific efforts in this area, Mazda do give the impression that they are going after a young market. But will the facelifted MX-5 be enough to drag them out of their hot hatches?
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