New MX5 front wheel drive ?

[trig]

To the horror of MX5 owners...Mazda are considering Front wheel drive http://uk.autoblog.com/2012/03/07/next- ... eel-drive/

Its taken them a wile to catch up , but seriously I think this would be a big mistake for the MX5

[rip]

No matter how much we love our M100's, we can't deny the fact that the M100 was not as successful as the original Elan.
Mazda based the Miata on the original Elan. Would it really be wise to copy the M100 too?

[inkitin]

Seems like the Mazda "bean counters" have turned their attention to the MX-5!

[Gary1958]

They may use a smaller capacity engine and turbo charge it. My GF's car, a Alfa Giulietta Cloverleaf has a 1.7 turbo engine and in "Dynamic" mode it produces (Italian HP figures so it may be a bit optimistic!) 235 bhp, and this is "sufficent" for fast progress.

[hatters]

MX 5 with front wheel drive? not a good idea

[tigerdog]

My guess is, they'll style it like the M100, make it FWD and turbo and sell about half a gazillion over 20 years. Hey, it worked the first time they copied an Elan...

I'll get me coat...

[Monty]

No matter how much we love our M100's, we can't deny the fact that the M100 was not as successful as the original Elan.
Mazda based the Miata on the original Elan. Would it really be wise to copy the M100 too?

The M100 should never of been FWD

[Gary1958]

[/quoteThe M100 should never of been FWD [/quote]

Given what Lotus were able to do with the Elise it does make you wonder why the M100 wasn't mid-engined too ? After all, I belive that they had input into the original MR2 mk1 with Toyota. Probably on the suspension set up but they would have had several of those cars to work on and observe.

[hatters]

How better a car would it have been if had been mid engined I have also owned an Elise S1 and I prefer My Elan ??

[clemo]

How better a car would it have been if had been mid engined I have also owned an Elise S1 and I prefer My Elan ??

or the failed 4x4 version.

[JonT]

:agree:

The M100 should never of been FWD

Given what Lotus were able to do with the Elise it does make you wonder why the M100 wasn't mid-engined too ? After all, I belive that they had input into the original MR2 mk1 with Toyota. Probably on the suspension set up but they would have had several of those cars to work on and observe.

I thought Lotus argued that for most drivers getting from A-B, a FWD setup was more effective and easier to drive quickly. The Elans lack of edginess certainly makes it easier to press on compared to the Elise, particularly in crap weather. And if you look at the S1->S2 Elise changes, one of Lotus's improvements was to make it more understeery so owners didn't have so many car-hedge interface problems.

The problem then becomes one of marketing - people don't like being told they aren't driving gods and have been brought up to believe that a "proper drivers car" should be RWD - even if 99% of the time you couldn't tell the difference and they'd cover the ground more quickly in a FWD car.

[rip]

The Elans lack of edginess certainly makes it easier to press on compared to the Elise, particularly in crap weather.

You've got a point there.
When paxing with Murph around Donington in the wet, it was quite amusing to pass the same Elises which had been quicker all morning in the dry.

[tigerdog]

The M100 should never of been FWD

IIR, the FWD decision was imposed on Lotus by then-owner GM. At that time, they were mandating FWD for almost everything.