Mazda has released info on the refreshed 2013 Mazda MX-5 Miata. The most obvious changes will be to the front grill, which loses some of its smiley-face look in favor of a slightly more aggressive grill opening.

The 2013 Miata will get a new front fascia complete with a larger grill opening, a new fog lamp bezel, new front chin splitter and a different gray exterior paint color. Inside, Mazda says that the soft-top models will get black accents to accentuate the sporty feel of the car while retractable hard-top models will get silver accents to emphasize their luxurious feel.

The upgrades to the 2013 Mazda Miata MX-5 won’t be limited to the superficial. The 2013 Miata will have better acceleration control on manual transmission models, a more responsive throttle management program specially designed to create a linear, more nimble feel out of corners and changes to the braking system that make it easier to control load distribution between front and rear that Mazda says will increase a feeling of mastery over the vehicle.

The most interesting new feature on the 2013 Mazda MX-5 Miata is an active hood that will automatically raise the rear of the when it detects a low speed collision in order to reduce injuries to the head of a pedestrian in the event of a car-on-person crash. That feature may not make it to the United States though, according to Autoblog.

Image via Autoblog.