Photo: autoevolution
There's no question Mazda did a fantastic job with its new sedan. It's better engineered more economical and we think twice as handsome as the old one.
Since all cars are made in either Hofu or Hiroshima, they're pretty much identical the world over. However, even though a 2.2-liter diesel varian is on sale in Europe and doing quite well there, you can't buy that in the States.
That was supposed to change this Spring, but Mazda suddenly changed its mind and decided to push back the debut of the diesel-powered sedan. The reason? According to Automobile Magazine, Mazda North America CEO Jim O’Sullivan says there's not enough power.
"If it doesn’t go well, I don’t want to add to the reputation," he says, referring to the reputation diesel engines still have in the US.
Over in Europe, the 2.2-liter diesel engine is available in two stages, equivalent to 148-hp and 173-hp (US spec). However, the top model is the most expensive engine you can buy on the car, so it's likely they were considering the 148-hp unit for the US market. With an automatic, that would have gone 0 to 62 mph in 10 seconds or maybe more, so it's no wonder they didn't launch it.
Last month, the Mazda6 Syactiv-D engine's was announced as being delayed. No reason was given, but the company did say the unit “can meet emission regulation requirements without the use of a NOx after-treatment system.”
In its statement at the time, the company said “it was decided that further development is required to deliver the right balance between fuel economy and Mazda-appropriate driving performance.” Only now do we understand exactly what that meant. Hindsight is 20/20, isn't it?!
That was supposed to change this Spring, but Mazda suddenly changed its mind and decided to push back the debut of the diesel-powered sedan. The reason? According to Automobile Magazine, Mazda North America CEO Jim O’Sullivan says there's not enough power.
"If it doesn’t go well, I don’t want to add to the reputation," he says, referring to the reputation diesel engines still have in the US.
Over in Europe, the 2.2-liter diesel engine is available in two stages, equivalent to 148-hp and 173-hp (US spec). However, the top model is the most expensive engine you can buy on the car, so it's likely they were considering the 148-hp unit for the US market. With an automatic, that would have gone 0 to 62 mph in 10 seconds or maybe more, so it's no wonder they didn't launch it.
Last month, the Mazda6 Syactiv-D engine's was announced as being delayed. No reason was given, but the company did say the unit “can meet emission regulation requirements without the use of a NOx after-treatment system.”
In its statement at the time, the company said “it was decided that further development is required to deliver the right balance between fuel economy and Mazda-appropriate driving performance.” Only now do we understand exactly what that meant. Hindsight is 20/20, isn't it?!
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