Diesel engines makes its way to Mazda in Malaysia

By ahmadzulizwan ,

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So here we go again; another push for diesel burners. This time it’s a Japanese company and Mazda’s Skyactiv-D technology is featured as additional variants to the CX-5 and Mazda6 family. The latter is fully imported while the CX-5 is assembled in Kulim, Kedah.

Mazda’s take on diesel engines are different, as we can expect from this innovative company. The problem with diesel mills is that it needs high compression ratio to compensate for cold-start issues, which in return contribute to incomplete combustion. The solution, often, is to delay ignition; but this causes a drop in fuel economy.

All this is resolved by precisely controlling the valves’ operation and fuel injection. By optimising burn mixture and exhaust valves, Mazda promises improved cold starts.

The Mazda6 and CX-5 with Skyactiv-D engine shares the same 2,192cc four cylinder unit which produces 173hp (4,500rpm) and 420Nm (2,000rpm). The gearbox is a 6-speed automatic.

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The turbocharger used features a two-stage arrangement – a small one with the other being slightly larger, which allows for performance at low and high engine speeds. The low compression ratio of 14:1 gives engineers the ability to significantly reduce weight. Extensive use of aluminium also helps. The new pistons itself are 25 per cent lighter than before.

Fuel economy has reportedly improved by as much as 20 per cent. As to exactly how much this translates to on-road performance, we’ll leave that bit of detail for the test drive report coming soon. For now let’s just say that we are not disappointed.

While the latest additions to the Mazda6 and CX-5 family are not the flagship variants, safety features are impressive. The D-segment sedan comes with the full suite of i-Activesense: Lane Departure Warning (LDWS), Rear Cross-Traffic Alert (RCTA), Smart City Brake Support (SCBS) and Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM). The SUV meanwhile, only misses out on the LDWS. Airbag count is six for both models, including front to rear curtain airbags. As with the rest in the respective families, both vehicles emerged out from the Euro NCAP crash test with the full 5-star rating.

The Mazda6 with the 2.2-litre diesel engine is sold for RM202,830 (without insurance).

The CX-5, which is only sold as a FWD, is priced at RM161,529 (without insurance).