Miatas Missing Some Horsepower

Mazda Miata roadster fans who held out for 2001 models to get this year’s more powerful 155-horsepower engine got less than they paid for, Irvine-based Mazda North American Operations admitted Thursday.

Thirteen horses were lost in tuning the car for U.S. emissions standards, reducing output to 142 horsepower. Mazda caught the goof after a major car magazine ran its own acceleration tests and found the car’s zero-to-60 acceleration times about half a second slower.

Mazda then ran its own tests and confirmed the power decline, said spokesman Fred Aikins. Miatas sold in Japan have the advertised 155 horses, he said.

Engines on the U.S. cars can’t readily be retuned for more power, so Mazda said it will buy back at the original purchase price any of the 3,500 vehicles already sold in the U.S. if the owners are unhappy with their lower horsepower rating. The cars carried a $22,000-to-$24,000 average sticker price.

Owners who opt to keep the two-seat convertibles will receive a $500 debit card and a certificate for free maintenance on their 2001 Miatas for the remainder of the three-year factory warranty.