Autoblog

2014 Mazda6 Skyactiv-D Wagon

Matt Davis — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:59:00 EST

Filed under: Wagon, Europe, Mazda, Diesel, Quick Spins

This was sort of a quirky surprise drive opportunity. I've been over here in Italy for a while now, and Mazda Italia contacted me seemingly out of the blue to drive test some version of the Mazda6 with a diesel engine. Supremo. The Mazda6 is a sexy everyday beast and I have been digging their SkyActiv-D engines for a while now. Very spirited units.

My contact phones me the day of, and says he can come by with the car, and then we'll head off to some sort of special spot for dynamics testing and technical conversation. Nice deal, say I.

My guy Ernesto pulls up outside of the house and - lo and behold - it's a dang Mazda6 station wagon with the very most recent 2.2-liter SkyActiv-D motor good for 148 horsepower and healthy 280 pound-feet of torque. The wee four-banger with 14.0:1 compression ratio hauls this 3,260-pound wagon around with the best of them. A decent 0-to-60-mph time of 8.7 seconds, too.

Best touch? This one had the standard six-speed manual gearbox. We at Autoblog know how we bend a few noses the wrong way with our open cravings for exactly this sort of un-American car setup. But, oh my, did we have a good day together.

Driving Notes

First off, the Mazda6 sedan we just tested is a fine-looking conveyance. But if you like wagons like I do, this 2013 Mazda6 wagon is even finer. To my eyes, it doesn't overdo it like some Infiniti models or the Nissan Juke, and any references to the swoopy Fisker Karma soon fade away. Mazda's "Kodo" ("Soul of Motion") design approach just works.
I was so geeked that this was a wagon. And the six-speed manual mated with the SkyActiv-D engine just took it over the top. Before hopping in, I noticed the optional set of really nice 19-inch wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Turanza T001 treads, the latest vintage of this fine rubber.
Ernesto tells me that I am the very first in all of Italy to drive this engine trim outside of the company testers. "What about the Italian journos?," I ask. He smiles and shrugs, meaning, "Too bad for them, I guess."
This revvy and strong 2.2-liter turbodiesel is not the 173-hp tune that arrives in the U.S. later this year in the sedan, but it would do just fine on American roads. If the hp bump seems modest on the trim we'll get, well, the torque bump is also a mild 30 lb-ft. Acceleration to 60 mph will be only a half-second quicker and fuel use will increase, though it will still be good at about 30 miles per gallon city and 40 mpg highway.
We pulled up outside of a go-kart track I know out in the middle of the northern Italian flatlands. Ernesto tells me this is the place. Seriously? Yes, seriously. Ever whipped a front-wheel-drive family wagon with manual shifter and small diesel engine around a karting circuit? Me either.
The terrific Turanza tires were smoking freely under the cranking enthusiasm of the 2.2-liter four. All of the torque was there at 1,800 revs and the action of the manual shifter proved smooth and precise. It was easy to heel-and-toe at all times - this, on an extremely tight kart track, not an open road with time to think built in.
The wagon handled my induced-oversteer moves well, with superb steering and exceptional weight transfers. (It's like this on almost any hopped-up wagon I've driven even a little like this. For instance, I prefer the Mini Cooper S JCW Clubman on a hot circuit versus the hatchback for this very reason).
All traction nannies were off and Ernesto and I were having a little more fun than I think his bosses had in mind. I started in with the Scandinavian handbraking, a technique that invariably enters the equation on such tracks, and we were giggling like school girls in short order.
The Mazda6's rear suspension setup's lateral arms do not, as many do, err forward and higher than the wheel hub. Instead they attach low, below the wheel center. This results in an extremely sporting attitude over twisty roads as the arms push at the rear wheel down lower and closer to the center line. This was most noticeable on track.

For the moment, no wagons are promised for the US, sadly. That's a serious bummer for all of us; this Mazda6 wagon is a brilliantly executed design. Pretty damn good on a kart track, too.

2014 Mazda6 Skyactiv-D Wagon originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mazda Skyactiv-D diesel to power Dempsey Racing LMP2 challenger at Le Mans

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 10:31:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Mazda, Diesel, Racing

The Grand AM GX class isn't the only place where Mazda will be running its 2.2-liter turbocharged Skyactiv-D four-cylinder diesel next year: it will power the LMP2 contender fielded by Dempsey Racing, a team co-owned by actor Patrick Dempsey. Mazda will also provide the engine to other teams running in the class at Le Mans, in the American Le Mans Series and the World Endurance Championship.

Mazda raced the 24 Hours of Le Mans for 18 years before winning in 1991, then took its rotary-powered 787B out of the running. Mazda was been providing its four-cylinder MZR engines for the past decade for teams like OAK Racing Pescarolo, but ceased development on those in 2011. The Skyactiv-D will replace the MZR series, and along with the non-running Lola-built LMP2 chassis (pictured) showed off at this year's Le Mans, is meant to mark Mazda's full-bodied return Le Mans after 22 years.

The engines are being developed by Mazda in Japan and the U.S. as well as SpeedSource Engineering in Florida. Track testing should commence later this year, and it's frankly good to see Mazda making such moves in spite of its financial battles. Scroll down for a press release with more details.

Continue reading Mazda Skyactiv-D diesel to power Dempsey Racing LMP2 challenger at Le Mans

Mazda Skyactiv-D diesel to power Dempsey Racing LMP2 challenger at Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Next Mazda6 to go four-cylinder only

Jeff Sabatini — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:29:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Technology, Mazda

Beneath the gorgeous and impossibly long looking hood of the Mazda Takeri Concept lies plenty of real estate. By our estimation there's room for any number of powerplants, from a high-revving rotary to a twin-turbo V6. However, when Mazda launches the new 2014 Mazda6, which will ape the looks of the Takeri show car, it will only contain a measly little four-cylinder, according to Autoweek.

So that's being a bit harsh, as despite the reported demise of a V6 engine option for the Mazda6, at least it will be getting a Skyactiv four-banger, according to the report. Skyactiv is, of course, Mazdaspeak for its suite of technologies that includes its next-generation powertrain with direct injection and a fancy new automatic transmission design, a combination we liked a great deal when we sampled it in the CX-5 crossover.

With Hyundai, Kia, and Chevrolet having dumped their V6's in favor of an all-four-cylinder lineup for their midsize sedans, we're not surprised to see Mazda follow course. We do, however, wonder how the beleaguered Japanese brand intends to compete when it comes to performance.

With 155 horsepower and 150 lb-ft of torque, the 2.0-liter Skyactiv four in Mazda's new crossover isn't particularly powerful, so we hope we might see a slightly larger displacement version with a few more ponies for the bigger sedan. Or one with forced induction. Or how about a diesel engine option? Mazda has promised a diesel for North America, though it hasn't specified which vehicle it will arrive in. The automaker has committed to deploying a stellar 2.2-liter turbodiesel four making 173 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque for the CX-5, at least in Europe. Now that might be just the ticket to make a top-trim Mazda6 get up and go.

Next Mazda6 to go four-cylinder only originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: Mazda considers offering diesel CX-7 in the States

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:32:00 EST

Filed under: Crossover, Mazda, Diesel

2010 Mzda CX-7 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Two years ago, Mazda introduced an advanced new 2.2-liter four cylinder diesel engine in the European market. Since then, we've asked Mazda officials on several occasions whether they would offer that engine in the U.S. market. The company has never ruled out bringing a diesel here, but it has also never said it would. Instead, Mazda has always said that it's watching the market and if there was demand for a diesel in the U.S., it would look at offering the efficient engines. Perhaps the success of Volkswagen's diesel offerings in the U.S. has convinced Mazda to look more seriously at oil-burners.

Mazda also offers a higher revving, more powerful 2.3-liter diesel which would be better suited to U.S. tastes. Mazda already offers the CX-7 with an SCR after-treatment system that would go a long way to meeting American emissions standards. However, at last fall's Tokyo Motor Show, the company also showed a next-generation diesel dubbed Sky-D, which is 20 percent more efficient. According to Road & Track, Mazda has acknowledged that the Sky-D diesel could be part of the lineup for the next generation CX-7 and CX-9, but the obvious question is: When?

Gallery: 2010 Mazda CX-7

[Source: Road & Track]

Rumormill: Mazda considers offering diesel CX-7 in the States originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mazda makes commitment to diesels, weight reduction over hybrids

Jonathon Ramsey — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:58:00 EST

Filed under: Green, Technology, Mazda

2010 Mazda CX-7 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Not long ago, the premium German manufacturers said they were going to push diesels instead of hopping on the hybrid train, but we see where that's gone: Porsche has hybrids, BMW is pushing its coming hybrids, and Mercedes is oozing its hybrid desires everywhere. Of course, all three brands have diesels, too, but they seem to be hedging their bets that gas-electric is the wave of the future... at least for North America. Now, Mazda has gone on record with CNN, saying that it is dedicated to diesels and weight reduction, and the company plans to have a diesel that can post mild hybrid-like fuel economy numbers by 2011.

The 2.0-liter clean diesel that Mazda has in mind would sip gas like the 660-cc gas engine in a kei car, and be as efficient as a hybrid like those using GM's BAS system or BMW's Efficient Dynamics. The diesel will employ Mazda's single-nanotechnology system, which can allow for fewer precious metals in catalytic converters, and a newly developed particulate filter that alone can do the job of additional treatment systems.

What's special about the plan is that Mazda says its diesel engine will be cheaper, and the weight reduction will "be achieved at lower cost." Mazda's R&D chief said, "We believe that improving today's conventional engines at a low cost is the most effective way to get fuel-efficient cars to proliferate." If Mazda really can sell a lighter, more efficient production car with proven technology, then sign us up. We'll even put up with that happy-face grille...

Gallery: 2010 Mazda CX-7

[Source: CNN]

Mazda makes commitment to diesels, weight reduction over hybrids originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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