The new Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe will be launched with the lively four cylinder engine as the soft top model. As a member of Mazda's MZR family of engines it has four valves per cylinder and a displacement of 2.0 litres. Installed in a front midship location this places it closer to the vehicle's centre of gravity than an east-west mounted engine, for outstanding handling characteristics.

The MZR 2.0-litre produces maximum power of 118 kW at 6,700 rpm and maximum torque of 188 Nm at 5,000 rpm. At least 90 percent of this is available at engine speeds of between 2,500 and 6,700 rpm, making the Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe fun to drive, even at low engine speeds. > The new MX-5 Roadster Coupe comes with either a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed activematic gearbox complete with wheel-mounted gear change paddles.

Fuel consumption remains the same as the soft top at an impressively economical 8.5L/100km for manual models and 8.8L/100km for the six-speed Activematic.

Like both early generations of the Mazda MX-5, the newest model has an aluminium powerplant frame in the transmission tunnel. This Z-shaped member functions like a strong backbone that connects the transmission and the rear differential and can be traced back to similar structures in the Mazda RX-7 and the current rotary engine sports car, Mazda RX-8, which is produced on the same assembly line in Japan as the Mazda MX-5 soft top and the MX-5 Roadster Coupe.