Photo: Mazda
The latest Mazda3 is a cornerstone for the Japanese automaker for many reasons, starting with the SkyActiv-X engine option. A 1.8-liter turbo diesel is also available in Europe, and as for the SkyActiv-G gasoline four-cylinder motor, the M Hybrid system now numbers two choices.
At first, the Mazda3 and CX-30 crossover were both offered with the 122-PS version of the 2.0-liter plant with mild hybridization. The 2020 model year sees the introduction of a 150-PS option (148 horsepower), which differs from the lesser engine through new software.
By modifying the engine control unit, Mazda has also leveled up the torque. Cylinder deactivation technology is standard too, allowing the SkyActiv-G to operate in two-cylinder mode under light driving loads. A six-speed manual transmission is joined by a six-speed automatic of the torque-converter type, but on the downside, AWD isn’t available.
Customers who want the SkyActiv-G with all-wheel drive have to upgrade to the 180-PS (178 horsepower) version, an engine that’s also rather torquey thanks to 224 Nm (165 pound-feet) at 3,000 rpm. The SkyActiv-D, however, has the upper hand (270 Nm or 199 pound-feet of torque).
Both the Mazda3 and CX-30 are sold in the United States, but SkyActiv-X technology will take a little bit of time to arrive in North America. The most optimistic timeframe is summer 2020, meaning that the revolutionary engine would arrive for the 2021 model year at the earliest. Spark Plug Controlled Compression Ignition allows the SkyActiv-X to borrow a few tricks from the world of turbo diesel to maximize fuel economy.
Going forward, Mazda will bring back the rotary as a range-extending engine in a crossover-type vehicle the size of the CX-30 and MX-30. Many people at Mazda want the RX-9 rotary sports car to happen as well, but nothing official has been announced in this regard ever since the RX-Vision concept was revealed in the flesh at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show.
By modifying the engine control unit, Mazda has also leveled up the torque. Cylinder deactivation technology is standard too, allowing the SkyActiv-G to operate in two-cylinder mode under light driving loads. A six-speed manual transmission is joined by a six-speed automatic of the torque-converter type, but on the downside, AWD isn’t available.
Customers who want the SkyActiv-G with all-wheel drive have to upgrade to the 180-PS (178 horsepower) version, an engine that’s also rather torquey thanks to 224 Nm (165 pound-feet) at 3,000 rpm. The SkyActiv-D, however, has the upper hand (270 Nm or 199 pound-feet of torque).
Both the Mazda3 and CX-30 are sold in the United States, but SkyActiv-X technology will take a little bit of time to arrive in North America. The most optimistic timeframe is summer 2020, meaning that the revolutionary engine would arrive for the 2021 model year at the earliest. Spark Plug Controlled Compression Ignition allows the SkyActiv-X to borrow a few tricks from the world of turbo diesel to maximize fuel economy.
Going forward, Mazda will bring back the rotary as a range-extending engine in a crossover-type vehicle the size of the CX-30 and MX-30. Many people at Mazda want the RX-9 rotary sports car to happen as well, but nothing official has been announced in this regard ever since the RX-Vision concept was revealed in the flesh at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show.
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