2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata Coming With 181 HP Engine
In March it was reported the 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata was set to get a slight bump in power and now more details have surfaced on the Miata’s upgraded four-cylinder engine.
Japanese automotive publication Car Watch recently sampled the Japanese-spec 2019 Miata, confirming rumors the sports car has been slightly re-engineered for the new model year. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder will receive a number of improvements, including different valve springs, lighter pistons and connecting rods and a larger throttle body, which have helped to raise the redline from 6,800 RPM in the 2018 model year vehicle to 7,500 RPM. This will also come with an increase in power from 167 hp to 181 hp. Rounding out the updates will be a dual mass flywheel and a new muffler with a meaner exhaust note.
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Other small changes are also set to arrive, including a telescoping steering wheel (a first for the Miata, surprisingly) and new exterior and interior options. Road & Track reached out to Mazda to comment on whether or not these improvements will be applied to US-spec Miatas, but were told they couldn’t comment on the matter at this time. We’d be very surprised if the US-spec Miata didn’t receive similar changes to the domestic version for 2019, however.
We’ll have full, official details on the 2019 Mazda Miata as soon as they become available.
[Source: Car Watch via Road & Track]
Discuss this story on our Mazda Miata Forum.
Sam McEachern holds a diploma in journalism from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, and has been covering the automotive industry for over 5 years. He conducts reviews and writes AutoGuide's news content. He's a die-hard motorsports fan with a passion for performance cars of all sorts.
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that's all well and good, but what will the engine improvements do for torque? Also, how will this increase in HP higher up in the rev range affect daily driving and will it benefit the daily driving experience or just reward one on track days? I'm guessing the dual-mass flywheel is for civil drivability absorbing some motor harshness. I'm sure a lot of owners will switch it out for a single mass unit.
All the info I've seen has the 2018 US spec model at 155 HP @ 6000. 181 is quite a good increase...almost 17%