Automobile data & production history Independent reference · No advertising
Automobile History.org
Mazda · ND · Japanese S Leather Package · Engine /MANUFACTURERS/MAZDA/MX-5-MIATA/ND/JAPANESE-S-LEATHER-PACKAGE/SKYACTIV-G-1-5

Mazda MX-5 Miata ND Japanese S Leather Package SKYACTIV-G 1.5 Engine

The SKYACTIV-G 1.5 powered Japan’s ND Roadster S Leather Package with a high-revving petrol engine adapted specifically for rear-wheel drive.

Identity and application

The SKYACTIV-G 1.5 was the direct-injection petrol engine offered in the Japanese-market ND S Leather Package at the Roadster’s domestic launch on 21 May 2015. Roadster was the Japanese name for the car marketed internationally as the MX-5. S Leather Package identified the equipment grade; it did not denote a separate engine family. Mazda listed both six-speed manual and six-speed automatic versions with rear-wheel drive. Mazda’s launch announcement.

Original engine specification

Mazda’s 2015 engineering paper gives the Roadster engine a displacement of 1,496 cc, a 74.5 × 85.8 mm bore and stroke, and a 13.0:1 compression ratio. Its stated JIS-net output is 96 kW at 7,000 rpm, with 150 N·m at 4,800 rpm and a maximum engine speed of 7,500 rpm. The specification calls for premium petrol. These figures describe the original Roadster engine, rather than every subsequent version bearing the SKYACTIV-G 1.5 name. Mazda Technical Review, Table 1.

Development for the Roadster

The engine developed from the Axela’s SKYACTIV-G 1.5 architecture but received extensive changes for the Roadster. A steel crankshaft with full counterweights supported higher engine speeds; revised intake and exhaust systems improved breathing. Changes to the block, head, cooling layout and oil-pan arrangement suited the rear-wheel-drive installation. Mazda’s engineering account therefore documents a substantial sports-car adaptation of an existing engine architecture. Engine Technology for New Roadster.

Mazda positioned the engine behind the front axle and lowered its mounting position to support the car’s balance and agility. At launch, automatic S Leather Package cars included i-stop and i-ELOOP; these systems were optional on manual cars. Equipment configuration must therefore accompany any comparison of consumption figures. Japanese launch equipment.

Production and introduction

Mazda’s contemporary production announcement states that fourth-generation MX-5 vehicle production began at Ujina Plant No. 1 in Hiroshima, Japan, on 5 March 2015, initially for the Japanese market. This identifies vehicle assembly, not the manufacturing location of the engine itself. Production announcement.

The March announcement anticipated Japanese sales around June; Mazda’s subsequent launch release specified 21 May 2015. These are calendar dates, not a designation of an overseas model year. Confirmed Japanese sales date.

Later development and market boundaries

On 7 June 2018, Mazda announced revised Japanese Roadster models for sale from 26 July. The soft-top retained SKYACTIV-G 1.5 power, including the S Leather Package with manual or automatic transmission. Mazda described combustion improvements, torque maintained or increased across the operating range, and refinements to response and environmental performance. That announcement supports a later development stage, rather than an assumption that the 2015 specification remained unchanged throughout production. Mazda’s 2018 revision announcement.

The same release lists the Japanese Roadster RF separately with SKYACTIV-G 2.0 power. Its engine changes and specifications should not be transferred to this 1.5-litre soft-top record. The sources cited here establish the 2015 introduction and 2018 continuation, but do not establish an end date for this grade-specific engine application.

Return to the Japanese S Leather Package variant for the parent record. Other catalogued ND applications include the Japanese NR-A SKYACTIV-G 1496 cc engine and Japanese RS Soft Top SKYACTIV-G 1496 cc engine. These remain separate grade-specific records.

Sources