About 100kg, or the weight of a hefty bloke: that's how much weight Mazda has managed to trim from the MX-5 with the launch of this fourth generation model. Based on an all-new rear-wheel drive platform using Mazda's light, low friction SkyActiv tech, the MX-5's kerb weight is now down to almost Lotus-levels at just 1,000kg.
This means that the on-paper-paltry engine output of 130hp from the 1.5-litre petrol engine should be more than sufficient for some fun motoring. The fact that Mazda has taken weight out of the nose and tail too - putting as much of the car's weight between the wheels as possible - also bodes well. Other small touches add up. The seats have been simplified, which allows them to sit lower in the car. That in turn means that the windscreen can move back a little, which then means the roof can be smaller and lighter. That means you can sit in the driver's seat and just reach back to chuck the roof up or down with one hand. Unless you've gone for the electric folding option of course, but either way, it means the roof eats less into the boot space.
Mazda will launch the car properly in the autumn so we'll find out then if the 1.5 engine hits the right balance or if you should upgrade to the more powerful 2.0-litre.
"The MX-5 has steadily evolved in a way that is only possible thanks to an unchanging passion shared between Mazda and countless MX-5 owners and fans around the world. As the current programme manager for this product, I am both profoundly appreciative and keenly aware of the responsibility I bear," said Nobuhiro Yamamoto, Mazda MX-5 Programme Manager.
"This explains why we can never take a break from "innovating in order to preserve" if we want the MX-5 to continue to be the recipient of such passionate adoration for the next 25 or 50 years. This is our duty as the developer, and at the same time it's an exciting dream, a source of happiness and something we are proud of. It is also a conviction that will surely be inherited by the next generation of engineers who work on the MX-5. We are ready for the challenges of the next quarter century and beyond, always inspired by the passion of our fans around the world."