For 35 years, Mazda’s MX-5 has shown us that you don’t need tons of power to have fun. But Miata power outputs have still grown through the last three decades and tough new emissions rules threatened to make the next-generation car less powerful and slower. Mazda’s response was to give the upcoming sports car an engine almost a full liter bigger than the 1989 original’s – and yes, it’ll still be bolted to a manual transmission.

The 2027 MX-5 will arrive packing a 2.5-liter version of Mazda’s SkyActiv Z engine, the automaker’s CTO, Ryuichi Umeshita, told Road & Track. That compares with the 2.0-liter capacity of America’s 2025 Miata and dwarfs the 1.5 liters of swept volume of the only model now available in Europe as well as the 1.6-liter capacity of the very first NA car.

Related: What Is The Best Four-Door Equivalent To A Mazda Miata?

Before we all get too excited at the idea of a 230 hp (233 PS) naturally-aspirated MX-5, Umeshita warns that the new 2.5 won’t necessarily make a ton more power than the existing 2.0 motor, which is rated at 181 hp (184 PS) in the US, but was upgraded to 197 hp (200 PS) in Japan for the Spirit Racing variant. The capacity is all about negating any losses accrued from meeting new tailpipe rules, rather than making gains.

Performance Gains Through Lightness

“The current power-to-weight ratio is enough,” the 37-year Mazda veteran said. “We don’t think we need more power for the car.”

But maybe the new car will still be quicker than the ’25 model, because Mazda’s comments suggest it could be even lighter. Design boss Masashi Nakayama told Road & Track his team was targeting a curb weight of “less than a tonne (2,205 lbs) in weight.”

The lightest ND MX-5 sold in the US is the 2,366 lbs (1,073 kg) Sport, although Japan did get the featherlight 1.5-liter 990S, whose name comes from its 990 kg (2,183 lbs) weight – a weight achieved by thinning out the sound insulation and shaving grams from the brakes, wheels and infotainment system.

Electrification Questions Remain

Although R&T’s interview doesn’t mention hybrid tech, Mazda previously stated that the next MX-5 would featured some form of electrical assistance, and we know the Skyactiv-Z family – which debuts on the 2027 CX-5 – is designed with future electrification in mind.

Adding hybrid hardware and coming in less than 2,200 lbs is a big ask. We’ll find out more, plus how much of the Iconic SP concept’s styling ideas it borrows, when we get closer to the 2027 MX-5’s debut, which could be next year.