Autocar iconAutocarAug 28, 2026 ~1 min source read

RIP Mazda MX-5 2.0: The best fun engines left under £100k

Mazda doesn't sell very many EVs, so every gramme of CO2 counts and those extra 13g the 2.0-litre put out over the 1.5 were 13g too many. The removal of the 2.0-litre isn't as disastrous for the MX-5 's credibility as the circumstances that befell the Ford Puma ST a few years ago.

RIP Mazda MX-5 2.0: The best fun engines left under £100k

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Useful takeaways from this story.

Mazda doesn't sell very many EVs, so every gramme of CO2 counts and those extra 13g the 2.0-litre put out over the 1.5 were 13g too many.

The removal of the 2.0-litre isn't as disastrous for the MX-5 's credibility as the circumstances that befell the Ford Puma ST a few years ago.

The Fiesta ST on stilts had its 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine and manual gearbox replaced with a 1.0-litre automatic, destroying any interest I – and many others, I'm sure– may have had in it.

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The useful part

Mazda doesn't sell very many EVs, so every gramme of CO2 counts and those extra 13g the 2.0-litre put out over the 1.5 were 13g too many. The removal of the 2.0-litre isn't as disastrous for the MX-5 's credibility as the circumstances that befell the Ford Puma ST a few years ago. The Fiesta ST on stilts had its 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine and manual gearbox replaced with a 1.0-litre automatic, destroying any interest I – and many others, I'm sure– may have had in it.

How it works

  • The MX-5 is still brilliant with the smaller engine, because it fundamentally has the same character as the 2.0.
  • It sounds good for a four-cylinder, it's very responsive and rev-happy and it still comes with probably the best manual gearbox (still) on sale.
  • It's just not as fast, and it doesn't have the grunt that allows you to steer it on the throttle in the dry.

Details worth keeping

Sad news this week: the 2.0-litre version of the Mazda MX-5 is dead.

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