4th gen ND Mazda MX-5 Miata

[NemesisPrime909]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Now for the big question. Scheduled production car or concept?
To lazy and don't care enough to go search.

pre-orders open in summer

will be out towards the end of the year or early 2017

[raven1231]

This is awesome! So much awesomeness is happening!

[zigzagz94]

Can't wait for these to depreciate so i can pick one up used in about 5 years as a second/weekend car.

[finch1750]

wish its was power operated and was a true removable targa top

[Ultramaroon]

Looks really sexy but put me in the "meh" column. No substitute for a good stiff chassis.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

Judging by this pic which doesn't even include a helmet, doubtful it will have any effect.

Let me redefine my question:
I wonder if, like the NC, the stock rollover protection is inadequate on the hardtop and modification is too difficult and unsightly for most owners rendering hardtop ND's nearly untrackable.

Maybe the stock rollover protection is adequate for track use (at least casually).

However your picture is enlightening, it's likely they followed the same philosophy as the NC and sacrificed the rollover protection for styling and performance (weight, c.g.) assuming track junkies would opt for the lighter soft top.

However given the clunkers that show up to track days (vintage pre-90's metal) I'm surprised the NC rollover question was such an issue, seems backasswards to me, I'd rather be in a NC PRHT Miata with stock rollover protection in an on track crash than a non caged '69 Corvette, 80's Toyota's, Fox Bodies etc. but plenty of those show up every weekend...

[GhostRai]

Originally Posted by jawn

PEACE GUYS. IT'S BEEN FUN. BRB BUYING MIATA COUPE.

Hold the door I'm coming with you!!

[LOLS2K]

Hardtop Miata > 86 refresh

[funwheeldrive]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BDRjSRmzSiG/

Here is a link showing the top in action.

It reminds me of the Del Sol SiR over in Japan.

The front and side views look good, but the rear looks awkward. I think I would rather have the softtop. It will be cheaper, more reliable, and lighter. Now if they made a fixed top coupe I would start getting excited.

[Hen3ry]

Official hi-res pics and a video:
http://www.mazdausamedia.com/2017MX5RF
Calling it a "retractable fastback". I think its a pretty slick design, especially in profile view.

[gymratter]

Mazda is raising the bar, or rather the top, in the compact sports car segment with the unveiling of the new MX-5 RF, which stands for ‘Retractable Fastback’, on the eve of the New York Auto Show.

For the second generation of their retractable hardtop model, Mazda chose a very different solution, as whereas the previous PRHT (Power Retractable Hard Top) turned into a fully open roadster, the RF gets an intricate targa top mechanism with a removable middle section and a retractable rear window.

It’s very similar to the system Porsche is using on their latest 911 Targa, as at the touch of a button and in 12 seconds at speeds of up to 6mph or 10km/h, the rear section lifts up and swallows the middle part of the roof, stowing it right behind the rear seats, which is also were the retractable back window slides down. As a result, the MX-5 RF offers the same (limited) luggage space of 130 liters as the soft top roadster model.

With the top in place, the new MX-5 RF looks like a proper coupe model, which is exactly what Mazda designers were aiming for with this generation.

Mazda offers the central roof panel in a contrasting piano black finish or in the same color as the body, while the RF also gets a model-exclusive Machine Grey exterior paint, which it says, is the firm’s first “premium color” that “looks as if it were hand-painted by a master craftsman” using “a three-coat paint structure consisting of color, reflective and clear coats”.

The RF comes with a re-tuned suspension and steering system, and will be offered in Europe with the same 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter powertrains as the soft top MX-5, with North America getting only the larger displacement four-pot paired to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic.

Prices for the new MX-5 RF will be announced closer to launch later this year.

http://www.carscoops.com/2016/03/new...-fastback.html

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

Let me redefine my question:
I wonder if, like the NC, the stock rollover protection is inadequate on the hardtop and modification is too difficult and unsightly for most owners rendering hardtop ND's nearly untrackable.

Maybe the stock rollover protection is adequate for track use (at least casually).

However your picture is enlightening, it's likely they followed the same philosophy as the NC and sacrificed the rollover protection for styling and performance (weight, c.g.) assuming track junkies would opt for the lighter soft top.

It doesn't look like the PRHT adds any additional rollover protection over the softtop; certainly not enough for track day standards. And of course the bigger issue remains that most people won't pass broomstick (2" reserve with helmet) on the softtop or hardtop ND Miatas so an aftermarket roll bar will be required on many tracks either way.

What irks me is Mazda obviously went to great lengths to make this look like an actual coupe. It would have been better if they had designed an actual coupe or at least something with track-worthy rollover protection for normal-sized adults with helmets on. Seems like an odd omission given how much Mazda likes to tout how the Miata is the most tracked car in the world.

Originally Posted by strat61caster

However given the clunkers that show up to track days (vintage pre-90's metal) I'm surprised the NC rollover question was such an issue, seems backasswards to me, I'd rather be in a NC PRHT Miata with stock rollover protection in an on track crash than a non caged '69 Corvette, 80's Toyota's, Fox Bodies etc. but plenty of those show up every weekend...

True but as I've been getting faster on the track and moving up groups, I've been thinking more about safety, and not just meeting minimal requirements. Most people say HPDE3/4 and TT is really where you should start thinking about cages and fire-proofing, even though not technically required. Everyone's got different tolerances for risk obviously, but I wouldn't want to track in any Miata with stock rollover protection, not with the way my helmet sticks above the rollover line.

[jawn]

THOSE BUTTRESSES THOUGH.

Sorry about the capslock. New Miata has broken my brain.

[FR-S.13]

I've always said that the roofline is one of the defining traits of a great looking sports car, and I think this is proof. SO much better than the cloth top.