Four engines, one bloodline: every Miata runs a small, oversquare Mazda four and a reputation for taking abuse. Here is the lineup.
- 1.6 B6ZE (1990-1993, NA) - 1597cc DOHC 16v, roughly 116 hp. Rev-happy and light; its small-input-shaft gearbox and short-nose crank are the weak spots. Belt-driven, non-interference.
- 1.8 BP (1994-2005, NA/NB) - 1839cc. Grew from ~128 hp (1994-95) to ~133 (1996-97 NA), 140 hp (NB1), and ~142 hp with VVT (NB2, 2001-2005). The sweet spot: strong bottom end, belt-driven, non-interference.
- 2.0 MZR LF-VE (2006-2015, NC) - 1999cc, ~158-167 hp, S-VT variable intake timing, timing chain. More torque and refinement; watch oil use on some cars.
- 2.0 Skyactiv-G PE-VPS (2016-present, ND) - 1998cc, high-compression, timing chain. ND1 (2016-2018) made ~155 hp with a ~6800 redline; the revised ND2 (2019+) makes ~181 hp and spins to 7500.
| Gen | Engine | Disp | Power | Valvetrain | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | B6ZE 1.6 | 1597cc | ~116 hp | DOHC 16v | Belt |
| NA/NB | BP 1.8 | 1839cc | 128-142 hp | DOHC 16v (VVT on NB2) | Belt |
| NC | LF-VE 2.0 | 1999cc | ~158-167 hp | DOHC S-VT | Chain |
| ND | PE-VPS 2.0 | 1998cc | 155/181 hp | DOHC dual VVT | Chain |
All four belt cars are non-interference and famously durable. Keep the oil clean and the cooling honest and any of them will run past 200,000 miles.