ND2 roadster - 1.5 or 2.0?
Discussion
Afternoon all,
I currently have a 2010 NC 2.0 Sport Tech that I've owned since 2012. It's been a great car and provided lots of happy memories over the last 11 years. I was in my local Mazda dealer over the weekend and was impressed by the latest version of the ND. I'll probably wait until next year before changing but the big question is whether to go for the 2.0 or the 1.5..........
The 1.5 will probably be enough for most driving but will I miss the torque of the 2.0? Has anyone else made the switch and regretted going for the smaller engine? There looks to be roughly £3k between the models at 2 years old so not an insignificant amount. although if I do decide to change I'll probably keep the car for at least 8 years. Perhaps the extra will be worth it!
Thanks in advance.
I currently have a 2010 NC 2.0 Sport Tech that I've owned since 2012. It's been a great car and provided lots of happy memories over the last 11 years. I was in my local Mazda dealer over the weekend and was impressed by the latest version of the ND. I'll probably wait until next year before changing but the big question is whether to go for the 2.0 or the 1.5..........
The 1.5 will probably be enough for most driving but will I miss the torque of the 2.0? Has anyone else made the switch and regretted going for the smaller engine? There looks to be roughly £3k between the models at 2 years old so not an insignificant amount. although if I do decide to change I'll probably keep the car for at least 8 years. Perhaps the extra will be worth it!
Thanks in advance.
Personally I went for the 1.5 as my reason for choosing an MX5 was so that I could enjoy pushing the engine and enjoying the chassis at sensible speeds and after test driving the 1.5 I felt that this would be enjoyable enough to do this and moving to the 2.0 would simply increase the speed and I didn't want to do that for the roads around here.
That said if I lived somewhere with less traffic and flowing roads like maybe Scotland (which I see is where you are) or North West Wales then I'd have gone for the 2.0 instead.
That said if I lived somewhere with less traffic and flowing roads like maybe Scotland (which I see is where you are) or North West Wales then I'd have gone for the 2.0 instead.
Personally I went for the 1.5 as my reason for choosing an MX5 was so that I could enjoy pushing the engine and enjoying the chassis at sensible speeds and after test driving the 1.5 I felt that this would be enjoyable enough to do this and moving to the 2.0 would simply increase the speed and I didn't want to do that for the roads around here.
That said if I lived somewhere with less traffic and flowing roads like maybe Scotland (which I see is where you are) or North West Wales then I'd have gone for the 2.0 instead.
Pushing the engine and enjoying the chassis will only keep you at sensible speeds if you have a speed limiter fitted to it.
The 2.0 litre can be kept below the speed limits too...
That said if I lived somewhere with less traffic and flowing roads like maybe Scotland (which I see is where you are) or North West Wales then I'd have gone for the 2.0 instead.
Pushing the engine and enjoying the chassis will only keep you at sensible speeds if you have a speed limiter fitted to it.
The 2.0 litre can be kept below the speed limits too...
if it was the nd1 160 vs the 1.5, I'd go 1.5 as its a lovely rev happy engine.
But the nd2 184 is absolutely superb and basically 50 bhp per ton more powerful. Thats a lot and very noticeable.
To give you an idea, the 1.5 is similar performance to the likes of a junior hot hatch. The 184 is basically the same (straight line wise) to a 2.7 boxster or s2000. I've friends with these and it may or may not have been scientifically tested.
Combined with the absolutely fabulous handling (with the mazda pro/ebach kit and alignment) it makes it a difficult package to beat.
I had the 1.5 and enjoyed it, got sucked in to the gr yaris hype but soon got bored with how normal it felt 90% of the time and missed the mx5. Back in the nd2 2.0 now and it has enough performance to entertain while retaining all the mx5 capabilities.
Buying wise the middle one has all you need, the sport tech. Lsd, heated leather, bose sound, don't know the technical name but those fancy lights that make a box round the on coming car. The gt sport tech adds different wheels and light coloured leather.
Warranty is 3 years, can be extended with mazda for £330 per year if it hasn't dropped out. Slightly more if there has been a break. Not much goes wrong, the gear box is sorted by the nd2, the rear hub carriers can go but mazda normally offer good will and if not theres a guy makes the bearings cheap enough on the facebook group. The window regulators were also revised by the nd2.
Servicing is about £200 for a basic, as always best to get the basics done with mazda then any extras such as gear/diff oil, brakes etc at an independent.
Road and track summed it up well in their greatest car article. It was the only modern car to make the cut.
But the nd2 184 is absolutely superb and basically 50 bhp per ton more powerful. Thats a lot and very noticeable.
To give you an idea, the 1.5 is similar performance to the likes of a junior hot hatch. The 184 is basically the same (straight line wise) to a 2.7 boxster or s2000. I've friends with these and it may or may not have been scientifically tested.
Combined with the absolutely fabulous handling (with the mazda pro/ebach kit and alignment) it makes it a difficult package to beat.
I had the 1.5 and enjoyed it, got sucked in to the gr yaris hype but soon got bored with how normal it felt 90% of the time and missed the mx5. Back in the nd2 2.0 now and it has enough performance to entertain while retaining all the mx5 capabilities.
Buying wise the middle one has all you need, the sport tech. Lsd, heated leather, bose sound, don't know the technical name but those fancy lights that make a box round the on coming car. The gt sport tech adds different wheels and light coloured leather.
Warranty is 3 years, can be extended with mazda for £330 per year if it hasn't dropped out. Slightly more if there has been a break. Not much goes wrong, the gear box is sorted by the nd2, the rear hub carriers can go but mazda normally offer good will and if not theres a guy makes the bearings cheap enough on the facebook group. The window regulators were also revised by the nd2.
Servicing is about £200 for a basic, as always best to get the basics done with mazda then any extras such as gear/diff oil, brakes etc at an independent.
Road and track summed it up well in their greatest car article. It was the only modern car to make the cut.
irish boy said:
if it was the nd1 160 vs the 1.5, I'd go 1.5 as its a lovely rev happy engine.
But the nd2 184 is absolutely superb and basically 50 bhp per ton more powerful. Thats a lot and very noticeable.
To give you an idea, the 1.5 is similar performance to the likes of a junior hot hatch. The 184 is basically the same (straight line wise) to a 2.7 boxster or s2000. I've friends with these and it may or may not have been scientifically tested.
Combined with the absolutely fabulous handling (with the mazda pro/ebach kit and alignment) it makes it a difficult package to beat.
I had the 1.5 and enjoyed it, got sucked in to the gr yaris hype but soon got bored with how normal it felt 90% of the time and missed the mx5. Back in the nd2 2.0 now and it has enough performance to entertain while retaining all the mx5 capabilities.
Buying wise the middle one has all you need, the sport tech. Lsd, heated leather, bose sound, don't know the technical name but those fancy lights that make a box round the on coming car. The gt sport tech adds different wheels and light coloured leather.
Warranty is 3 years, can be extended with mazda for £330 per year if it hasn't dropped out. Slightly more if there has been a break. Not much goes wrong, the gear box is sorted by the nd2, the rear hub carriers can go but mazda normally offer good will and if not theres a guy makes the bearings cheap enough on the facebook group. The window regulators were also revised by the nd2.
Servicing is about £200 for a basic, as always best to get the basics done with mazda then any extras such as gear/diff oil, brakes etc at an independent.
Road and track summed it up well in their greatest car article. It was the only modern car to make the cut.
Fifteen months into ND 2 184 ownership and I’m still taken aback by it.But the nd2 184 is absolutely superb and basically 50 bhp per ton more powerful. Thats a lot and very noticeable.
To give you an idea, the 1.5 is similar performance to the likes of a junior hot hatch. The 184 is basically the same (straight line wise) to a 2.7 boxster or s2000. I've friends with these and it may or may not have been scientifically tested.
Combined with the absolutely fabulous handling (with the mazda pro/ebach kit and alignment) it makes it a difficult package to beat.
I had the 1.5 and enjoyed it, got sucked in to the gr yaris hype but soon got bored with how normal it felt 90% of the time and missed the mx5. Back in the nd2 2.0 now and it has enough performance to entertain while retaining all the mx5 capabilities.
Buying wise the middle one has all you need, the sport tech. Lsd, heated leather, bose sound, don't know the technical name but those fancy lights that make a box round the on coming car. The gt sport tech adds different wheels and light coloured leather.
Warranty is 3 years, can be extended with mazda for £330 per year if it hasn't dropped out. Slightly more if there has been a break. Not much goes wrong, the gear box is sorted by the nd2, the rear hub carriers can go but mazda normally offer good will and if not theres a guy makes the bearings cheap enough on the facebook group. The window regulators were also revised by the nd2.
Servicing is about £200 for a basic, as always best to get the basics done with mazda then any extras such as gear/diff oil, brakes etc at an independent.
Road and track summed it up well in their greatest car article. It was the only modern car to make the cut.
Costs next to nothing to run and maintain.I’ve had a 2.7 987 boxster and it did feel more eager but on a B road the ND to me is more engaging.I was going to mention boxster running costs and problems but that’s not relevant to here.
Definitely the 1.5 ......lighter and generally much more rev happy than the 2.0. I have had my R - Sport ND just over two years now and love it to bits. We did test drive both thinking the larger engine was a no brainer, but the smaller one is such a sweet motor, unless you like drag racing away from the lights, the second and a bit slower to 60 is kinda doesn't really matter. Driving down your favourite back road, there's little or no difference. As mentioned, it's a car you can enjoy without worrying about your driving license. The R-Sport was a limited run of 150 sold in the UK with lightweight Rays forged alloys and Polymetal grey metallic paint and weighs in at 960kg the same weight as the original first gen MX-5 back in 1989.
I had test driven the 1.5 and the engine was great, I had an ND1 2L for a bit and the engine wasn't as good although the torque was noticeably stronger.
Best of both worlds ... now I've got now a 2L ND2 - had it for a some years and it was fantastic.
That was before having it lowered and given the BBR super200 treatment, with GT exhaust...
The result is a car that I just love to bits.
A worthy successor to my SC Elise, feeling less special bit much more usable and comfy everyday.
So if I had to choose today between a 1.5 and a 2L, I'd go for the latter again.
I'd keep it standard for a while, and then redo the 'upgrades'.
Best of both worlds ... now I've got now a 2L ND2 - had it for a some years and it was fantastic.
That was before having it lowered and given the BBR super200 treatment, with GT exhaust...
The result is a car that I just love to bits.
A worthy successor to my SC Elise, feeling less special bit much more usable and comfy everyday.
So if I had to choose today between a 1.5 and a 2L, I'd go for the latter again.
I'd keep it standard for a while, and then redo the 'upgrades'.
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