Next-Gen MX-5 Miata Turbo Vision Blends 'Mazdaspeed' CUV Style With RF DNA

Mazda’s potentially largest crossover SUV – which sits atop the CX-series nameplate pyramid because it’s called CX-90 not only trumps every other CUV in the family (CX-3/CX-30, CX-4, CX-5/CX-50, CX-60, CX-7, CX-8, CX-9) but will also top all other upcoming CX-70 and CX-80 introductions with the company’s most powerful ICE mill, allegedly a mild-hybrid inline-six. So, families will be kept happy, going forward.

But how about the folks looking to fiddle around town or enjoy a quick, curvy mountain adventure solely with their significant other? Well, no worries, Mazda still has them covered with the affordable MX-5 Miata, an iconic roadster that kicks off at just $28,050 for the 2023 model year. If you want to make sure of year-round usability, then there is also the 2023 RF (retractable fastback) version kicking off at $35,750 with the same 181-horsepower 2.0-liter engine under the hood.

Of course, everyone is diligently expecting an all-new MX-5 Miata (NE) generation from Mazda in the coming years. After all, the current (ND) fourth iteration has been around since late 2014, and the subsequent 2018 and 2021 updates can only do so much to keep it relevant. The Japanese automaker hints that we are still some years from the generational switch, but for those of us who are more impatient than that, there is always a quick fix available from the imaginative realm of virtual automotive artists.

So, here is Dimas Ramadhan, the pixel master behind the Digimods DESIGN channel on YouTube, who has taken up the task of revealing an all-new MX-5 - in CGI. The digital vehicle content creator has returned to passenger car visions after an extensive stint across the crossover, SUV, and truck sectors – so it might be understandable why he cannot shake off the CUV styling just yet.

As such, we can easily draw some neat ‘Mazdaspeed’-style parallels with the author’s recent third-gen Mazda CX-5 compact crossover SUV while the RF (retractable fastback) DNA was also blended with cues taken directly from the Mazda RX-Vision Concept, such as the headlight treatment. Alas, this time around, we may not be looking at another rotary-powered idea, if we are to take after the CGI hints – but rather at a logical upgrade of the current 2.0-liter mill into the turbocharged territory.

That way, it could easily become even sportier and keep up with the times. Of course, if the Miata goes down that road, it will also become a lot more expensive, probably. So, the question is simple – do we need a turbocharged next-gen Mazda MX-5 Miata with RX-Vision and CUV styling, or is that just CGI overkill?