Is the UK 1.6 THAT slow?

[anonymous-user]

Hi all

Been looking around MX5's on and off for a few months, and understand that the UK 1.6 is underpowered compared to the other engines.
Is it so underpowered so as to not be fun any more - or should a decent example still be considered?

What is the best way to identify these "underpowered" ones?

Thanks

[Richyvrlimited]

Nyphur said:

Hi all

What is the best way to identify these "underpowered" ones?

Thanks

They're not that bad, but they are considerably slower, you'd expect so with 25bhp less.

Identification is easy, just look at the year of manufacture if it's from 1994/1995 on and is 100% a UK it's the low power version.

[MX-5 Lazza]

As above, it's only the post 95 UK 1.6 that has the lower power engine. The earlier UK 1.6 had the same engine as the JDM 1.6.

Also, from what I've seen, there isn't really a lot in it. It seems that most make more than the 88bhp they were supposed to have (I've seen close to 100bhp a couple of times) while most other 1.6 that were supposed to have 114bhp actually lose a fair chunk and also end up close to the 100bhp.

[Reechard]

Richyvrlimited said:

They're not that bad, but they are considerably slower, you'd expect so with 25bhp less.

Identification is easy, just look at the year of manufacture if it's from 1994/1995 on and is 100% a UK it's the low power version.

I must of struck gold my 1996 uk 1.6 had 115bhp. I was expecting the 90bhp model though.

But thats a general rule of thumb.

[Digby]

Had a Eunos 115bhp car and a 90bhp car at the same time and where it counts (chucking it round the backroads) you would be hard pushed to shake a lower powered one off.

No problems at all on motorways etc either.

[anonymous-user]

Thanks all. Seems its nothing to be too picky over.

[Lazygraduate]

You'll be having too much fun to notice, IMO. (I drove a few). Only difference will be above 70 on the motorway but then all 5s are slow there!