About 45 percent of European orders for the CX-30 compact crossover are specified with the SkyActiv-X, a four-cylinder engine with spark-controlled compression ignition, a supercharger, the Miller cycle, and a 24-volt electrical system. The mild-hybrid powerplant develops 180 PS and 224 Nm, which works out at 178 horsepower and 165 pound-feet of torque.
As opposed to the variable-compression turbo four-cylinder engine from Infiniti, there’s no denying Mazda came up with the winning design. The SkyActiv-X is proof that internal combustion is more relevant than ever before, although BEVs and fuel-cell hydrogen vehicles are increasingly popular.
"Since we launched the engine, we are seeing a very encouraging feedback," said Yasuhiro Aoyama as per Automotive News Europe. "60 percent of the orders for the Mazda3 are currently for cars equipped with the Skyactiv-X engine," concluded the chief exec of Mazda's European division. This demand is all the more surprising if you remember that there’s a 3,500-euro difference between the Mazda3 hatchback with the SkyActiv-G and the same car with the revolutionary powerplant.
SPCCI technology can be summed up as the best of both worlds. SkyActiv-X combines the compression ignition of a diesel with the spark ignition of a gasoline engine, and the transition between the two is seamless. Mazda claims the X is up to 10 percent more efficient than the G and 7 percent compared to the 1.8-liter turbo diesel known as SkyActiv-D in Mazda nomenclature.
CO2 emissions? Make that 122 to 157 grams per kilometer under the WLTP, thank you! The Roots-style supercharger on the side of the engine is meant to lean out the air-fuel mixture, thus improving fuel economy while reducing combustion temperatures, NOx emissions, and the amount of fuel.
Mazda would’ve wished to run 80-octane gasoline in the SkyActiv-X rather than 87 to 90 because higher octane makes combustion more difficult. In order to prevent knocking, the spark plugs control exactly when to ignite the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chambers at a compression ratio of 16:1.
Almost the same thing as the Atkinson cycle in hybrids and plug-in hybrids, the Miller cycle of the SkyActiv-X leaves the intake valves open for a portion of the compression stroke. This pushes air and fuel out of the cylinders to reduce the compression ratio, ensuring that knock doesn’t occur.
"Since we launched the engine, we are seeing a very encouraging feedback," said Yasuhiro Aoyama as per Automotive News Europe. "60 percent of the orders for the Mazda3 are currently for cars equipped with the Skyactiv-X engine," concluded the chief exec of Mazda's European division. This demand is all the more surprising if you remember that there’s a 3,500-euro difference between the Mazda3 hatchback with the SkyActiv-G and the same car with the revolutionary powerplant.
SPCCI technology can be summed up as the best of both worlds. SkyActiv-X combines the compression ignition of a diesel with the spark ignition of a gasoline engine, and the transition between the two is seamless. Mazda claims the X is up to 10 percent more efficient than the G and 7 percent compared to the 1.8-liter turbo diesel known as SkyActiv-D in Mazda nomenclature.
CO2 emissions? Make that 122 to 157 grams per kilometer under the WLTP, thank you! The Roots-style supercharger on the side of the engine is meant to lean out the air-fuel mixture, thus improving fuel economy while reducing combustion temperatures, NOx emissions, and the amount of fuel.
Mazda would’ve wished to run 80-octane gasoline in the SkyActiv-X rather than 87 to 90 because higher octane makes combustion more difficult. In order to prevent knocking, the spark plugs control exactly when to ignite the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chambers at a compression ratio of 16:1.
Almost the same thing as the Atkinson cycle in hybrids and plug-in hybrids, the Miller cycle of the SkyActiv-X leaves the intake valves open for a portion of the compression stroke. This pushes air and fuel out of the cylinders to reduce the compression ratio, ensuring that knock doesn’t occur.