[Auto] Updated Mazda MX-5 revealed in Japan, gets first ever design tweaks

[El Máster Edwin]

Current-gen sports car finally gets a refresh… eight years after it was launched

 

Amid much chatter about the long-term future of the MX-5 - Mazda’s stand at the Japan Mobility Show is headlined by this RX-7-esque, rotary-powered sportscar concept after all - we bring news more relevant to the here and now.

You see, an updated model is set to land in the UK in March next year. And for the first time since it was launched in 2015, Mazda has actually bothered to tweak the exterior design this time.

Admittedly the changes are oh-so-subtle - check out the gallery above to study the new LED headlights and taillights - but given Mazda’s shifted more than 25,000 of these on our shores, there was no need to rock the boat, was there?

Inside the updated MX-5 gets a larger 8.8-inch touchscreen running Mazda’s MZ Connect system, as well as an updated instrument panel. Meanwhile the rear-view mirror is now a frameless number (yup, feels like straws are being clutched) and USB-C ports have been introduced. Score!

 

The engine line-up is unchanged, meaning you can either have a 1.5-litre petrol with 130bhp or a 2.0-litre with 182bhp. However, the dynamic stability control has been recalibrated to step in later (but not too late to prevent misadventures), the throttle response has supposedly been improved and power steering adjustments – combined with reductions in rack friction – deliver and even more fluid drive, claims Mazda. 

The 2.0-litre car still gets a front strut brace, limited slip differential and Bilstein dampers as standard, although new for 2024 is an ‘Asymmetric’ LSD that uses a new cam mechanism to optimise ‘limiting force of slip’ during acceleration and deceleration. It’s more stable, in other words.

Elsewhere, active safety tech like lane keep and intelligent speed assistance are brought into the fold, while the traffic sign recognition tech has been updated.

“When it comes to driver engagement, the current generation MX-5 has established itself as a benchmark sports car, and with the 2024 Mazda MX-5 we continue to offer one of the most exciting and satisfying to drive cars money can buy,” said Jeremy Thomson, Mazda UK’s MD.

 

“Our engineers created a sports car that incorporates our ground-breaking Skyactiv technology, modern safety and superb efficiency with the driver focused enjoyment for which the MX-5 is loved. The MX-5 is Mazda’s brand icon and it embodies all that is great about our products. Mazda’s unceasing commitment to refining the vehicle over its 30-year history is highlighted again with the subtle but focused updates to the 2024 MX-5, which ensure this car continues to be an affordable, engaging, world-class sports car”.

 

 

Link