{"id":2112880,"date":"2026-08-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2112880"},"modified":"2026-08-26T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T21:00:00","slug":"mazda-has-killed-off-the-mx-5s-181bhp-2-0-litre-engine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2112880","title":{"rendered":"Mazda has killed off the MX-5\u2019s 181bhp 2.0-litre engine"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine in the nose of the Mazda MX-5<\/a> had already been dropped in Europe \u2013 because emissions regs \u2013 as far back as 2024. It continued in the UK because of \u201cdifferent derogation timings\u201d. Now, that time is up.<\/p>\n

Which means Mazda has to finally drop the four-cylinder from these sceptred isles too. Well, it will from January 2027, when the MX-5 will only be available with that 1.5-litre Skyactiv-G unit that offers about as much horsepower as a well-timed chuckle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We jest, of course. Neither the MX-5 nor you, the enlightened MX-5 buyer, has ever really needed more than the 1.5\u2019s 134bhp, because it\u2019s in a car that weighs around a tonne. And anyway, that 134bhp available in 2027 marks a whopping 4bhp increase over the old car. Four extra horses! What will you do with all that additional power? Yep, use it on the A\/C.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile it\u2019s a shame that changing legislation means we can no longer sell the 2.0-litre in the UK, the 1.5-litre engine remains at the heart of the MX-5,\u201d said Mazda UK MD Jeremy Thomson. \u201cThe current generation MX-5 was originally developed around this engine.\u201d Getting full ‘didn’t like you anyway’ vibes, there.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Speaking of emissions, they now drop to 139g\/km, and we managed to get around 44mpg out of the current 1.5, so it\u2019s fairly frugal, albeit a bit\u2026 tuneless. For its part, Mazda said it has made improvements to the engine\u2019s noise to \u201creinforce the MX-5\u2019s driving engagement\u201d.<\/p>\n

The new 2027 car rings in more changes than just No More 2.0-Litre: Homura and Homura Plus trim levels will be available, offering cool stuff like 16in RAYS wheels, Brembos, Recaros, Bilsteins, strut braces\u2026 that sort of thing. There\u2019s a dandy new metallic green paintjob on offer, more safety alerts, and still the option of a six-speed manual. A manual roadster that weighs around a tonne. In 2027. Who\u2019d have thunk.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Prices? Mazda hasn\u2019t specified, noting only that the current car is \u201cone of only three sub-\u00a330,000 convertibles on sale in the UK\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine in the nose of the Mazda MX-5 had already been dropped in Europe \u2013 because emissions regs \u2013 as far back as 2024. It continued in the UK because of \u201cdifferent derogation timings\u201d. Now, that time is up. Which means Mazda has to finally drop the four-cylinder from these sceptred isles […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,237],"class_list":["post-2112880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-topgear-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2112880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2112880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2112880\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2112880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2112880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2112880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}