Hi H,
Sorry but I have to defend the Skyactive. It is able to go down below 30mph in 6th gear and pull cleanly and yet it will deliver spirited and smooth progress when taken towards 7,500 rpm in each gear yet will still deliver 50 plus mpg if treated with a modicum of respect.
I know it does not have the torque of a turbo diesel or petrol engine but it is definitely not lacking and its true glory is in the smoothness and instant delivery when up between 5500rpm and the rev-limiter. This is the whole point of a normally aspirated petrol engine, embrace and enjoy.
I have to concede that the co2 is a mystery for such an economical car but I suspect it is down to the space constraints of the engine bay that limits inlet and exhaust length shape
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Iām in support of this as well. While road conditions are generally terrible, the MX-5 is a sports car and well done to Mazda for fitting a high revving normally aspirated engine that needs revs to perform. It is not a GT and is not meant to pull strongly from 50 in 6th, but as noted, it will in 3rd. To make these go as fast as they can you donāt want to be below 5K and to have a Fiat type small capacity turbo just takes the sports car part away.
Good job that Mazda blessed these cars with great gearboxes with relatively short throws that are a delight to stir when there is any need to find revs to make progress! Sometimes I find myself running through the gears ājust becauseā¦ā!
Pretty much a latter day Mk1 RS ( and similar) really, 3 decades in the waiting.
l always held the view the ND was the good 'ol days revisited on a number of levels. I dubbed it after a VIP pre-launch driving day the Mk1 for the 21st Century. Which is a good thing.
Maybe the last of the mass-produced lightweight revvy twin-cam fun cars availableā¦ever. Who knows?
I bought mine for exactly this reason, it drives like a modern mk1 and gives me the same fun with 45mpg. Enough torque to keep you rolling and you can drop a gear for proper progress
I would like to try that. So far I have only used the Red Redex, which i can say that it improved the mpg in the first few months. Actually the car did not move for many years and that somehow revived the engine.
Bill