External changes include a new five-point lower air intake that visually aligns the Mazda MX-5 with the Mazda6, Mazda2, all-new Mazda3 and Mazda RX-8 R3. There are new head- and tail-lights, front foglamp housings, restyled front and rear bumpers and more prominent side sills.
The exterior modifications result in a slipperier and more aerodynamic shape, lowering the soft-top aerodynamic drag to Cd 0.38 and that of the Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe to Cd 0.36.
There have been changes inside, including new faces for the instruments, silvered climate control dials and a brushed aluminium panel that runs the length of the dashboard.
Stiffer door modules and additional sound insulation materials provide a 2.7 dB drop in cabin noise levels compared to the outgoing model.
Depending on market, MX-5 customers will now have a choice of four powertrains – the 126ps 1.8i; the higher-revving 160ps 2.0i with five-speed gearbox; the 160ps 2.0i with a revised six-speed manual gearbox; and the new 160ps 2.0i ‘PowerShift’ six-speed sequential paddle-shift transmission with full-auto mode.
