Quote:
Originally Posted by abraxis
You really think the Miata will have the same gearing as the Mazda 3?
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It's possible they (almost) retain the final drive + top gear ratio because this is a much lighter car. Despite the convertible part, it's probably still going to have less drag as well. 30+ mpg in the city is basically guaranteed even with 10% shorter gearing (and this only affects the EPA test, close ratio and short gearing is good in the city in real life cuz you have more gears to use at low speed). With 6 speeds and a solid amount of torque and power, it's pretty hard to mess up the gearing.
Even if they do the typical 2000s strategy of making everything shorter because sports car, remember that roughly speaking 20% higher cruising rpm = 10% less fuel economy, but if you have 10% less drag it kind of cancels out.