The 1.5-litre Mazda MX-5 will receive a small bump in power and new kit, the brand has confirmed after it pulled the range-topping 2.0-litre from the UK market.

The MX-5 will now put out 134bhp and 114b ft in 1.5-litre form, a mild increase of 4bhp and 3lb ft. Nonetheless, it remains far off the performance potential of the now-axed 2.0-litre, which put out 181bhp and 151lb ft. 

Mazda is keen to emphasise, however, that the 1.5-litre is the engine the current-generation MX-5 was designed around. In a statement supplied to Autocar, it said the 1.5’s “light weight, responsive and accessible performance perfectly reflect [Mazda’s philosophy of] Jinba Ittai [‘horse and rider’]”.

Alongside more power, it has revised the engine’s sound for what it claims to be better driver engagement, and it emits 1g/km less CO2 than previously.

The range-topping Homura and Homura Plus trims levels also gain the Bilstein dampers and front strut brace that were previously exclusive to the 2.0-litre. These sharpen the roadster’s handling. However, the asymmetrical limited-slip differential fitted to the 2.0 – which further adds to its appeal as a driver’s car – is gone.

The updated 1.5-litre MX-5 is due in the UK in January, which is also when Mazda UK forecasts that it will run out of stock of new 2.0-litre MX-5s. Pricing for the updated 1.5 model has yet to be announced, but Mazda emphasised that the MX-5 is “one of only three sub-£30,000 convertibles on sale in the UK”, committing to the model’s affordability. 

Why the 2.0-litre MX-5 is gone

As first reported by Autocar yesterday, the 2.0-litre was dropped due to stricter emissions regulations.

A spokesperson for Mazda UK told Autocar: “The 2.0-litre was dropped from the European markets in 2024 due to changing emissions regulations. However, due to different derogation timings in the UK, we were able to continue with an extended sales period. This period has now ended and we will cease sales of the 2.0-litre Mazda MX-5 in the UK once the existing stock has been sold.”

It remains to be seen how much longer Mazda can continue to sell the MX-5 in the UK. Although it is effectively the marque's halo model, the current-generation version is now more than a decade old and sales have dwindled in recent years, falling from around 4000 in 2019 to roughly 1500 in the years thereafter.

Autocar this year awarded the 2.0-litre MX-5 a rare five-star rating in its road test, dubbing it the “definitive sports car”.