Mazda MX-5 Unofficially Revealed

Spanish site km77.com has been closely following the 2009 Mazda MX-5 facelift with breaking stories on the topic. Now, they have managed to get a hold of details and many more photos ahead of it's official debut in Paris this week.

For 2009, the facelifted model includes a revised front and rear bumper fascias, headlights and tail lights. Engines remain the same with the 126hp 1.8-liter and 160hp 2.0-liter, however, peak torque is achieved at higher rpm as a result of reduced friction via new pistons and valve springs.

The manual six-speed gets carbon coated syncros between gears 1 through 4 for softer/smoother shifts. Also for the first time in Europe, an optional six-speed automatic transmission called Activematic can manually shift gears via steering wheel paddles, similar to Audi's Tiptronic.

Other changes include revised suspension, increased leg room and increased insulation in the wheel wells as well as hard top roof to reduce road and wind noise. Also, wind noise for the canvas top has been reduced as well.