hks_kansei wrote:Personally I think the Fiat is the better of the two overall, looks wise.
I prefer the MX5 front end (except those awful daytime lights) but the MX5 rear and rear quarters just looks too big for the car.
Those weird small lights low on the bumper, the small tail lamps, and the number plate hole being so low makes the rear look tall and bulky from a lot of angles.
To me the Fiat looks like it was designed in one sitting. It's not the best car i've seen, but it at least flows.
The ND looks like one guy designed the front, got to the doors then went on break, and a different person came and finished the back of the car.
We're completely opposite in our views of the ND vs the Fiat.
I hate the "too small" front headlights of the ND but love the rest of the exterior and think it looks more like something penned in Italy than Japan.
The Fiat on the other hand to me looks like they gave the Mazda design to American designers who put a US-style ugly/bulky front end on it (like some of the Chevrolet split grills)), unnecessary sculpting of the bonnet in an attempt to form some link with the previous car's namesake, and the rear taillights look like someone couldn't even be bothered to come up with a style to suit the rest of the car (the ND's tail lights to me look look like they belong on an Italian designed car).
At least for 2019, "those awful daytime lights" are gone:
From
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/a21267933/2019-mazda-mx5-miata-horsepower-specs-details-news/"The rest of the changes involve some new interior and exterior colors (as well as the absence of the ugly LED running lights)".
https://www.leftlanenews.com/leak-details-2019-mazda-mx5-miata-power-enhancement-100275.html states:
"The upgraded Skyactiv-G 2.0-liter engine jumps from 155 horsepower to 181 ponies..."
This is going to impress anyone who's familiar with how the orignal 2.0 ND feels, the extra power is very noticeable (most people can only notice power differences in "10kw chunks" via their butt dyno; this is ~"25kw" so you're really going to notice it).
When I originally upgraded my SE to an AEM CAI and bumped the boost to 10psi, it took the car to ~ 135rwkw(181rwhp) vs the stock ~110rwkw(148rwhp) and the improvement was very obvious and put a huge smile on my face (unfortunately it also led me to the darkside in a quest for "MOAR POWA!").
If the SE had that power straight out of the factory, it would have sold 10x as many as what it did because the car actually felt quick - as it was, with only ~110rwkw and a turbo that didn't feel like a turbo, I think many people went elsewhere or didn't think it was worth the extra $$$ for a few more kw than the standard NBs offered.
This will definitely bring more people into the MX5 fold and I suspect will have some selling their NDs for the newest iteration.
Does this mean they've sorted out the manual's gearbox issues too?
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