Mazda is the maverick of the motoring industry. The company that brought you the funky rotary engine-powered RX-7, Japan’s first Le Mans 24-hour race victory, multiple global design awards, a signature brand-defining red paint, and the world biggest selling roadster, the MX-5, now challenges the industry with a revolutionary new gasoline engine, the SkyActiv-X. Initially fitted to the new production Mazda 3, I traveled to Germany to see what all the fuss was about.
According to Mazda, this new engine is a game changer. The SkyActiv-X offers the economy of a diesel with the high-revving response of a gasoline engine. It’s what carmakers have tried to do for decades. Mercedes Benz experimented for years to create an engine like the X but could not make the process work.
So is this the Holy Grail of engines? Does it deliver on the promises to combine the best of diesel with the best of gasoline? Nearly. But it’s a huge step in the right direction. Mazda’s techno-wizardry is complex so let’s keep things simple.
Instead of using spark plugs like a gasoline engine, it employs compression to ignite the fuel, in the same way as a diesel does. The SkyActiv-X is a 2.0-liter gasoline engine employs a common rail-style system from a diesel engine, a supercharger and a mild hybrid system to create an engine that produces 178hp, generates beefy bottom-end torque, like a diesel, but spins freely to 6500 revs, like a gasoline engine.
SkyActiv-X is the brand’s new, spark controlled compression ignition (SPCCI) engine that effectively burns a very lean air-to-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber via compression ignition, rather than utilizing a spark. This process reduces the amount of fuel used in each combustion cycle, while also lowering temperatures in the cylinder, thus improving thermal efficiency and reducing pumping losses. A small supercharger rams yet more air into the cylinder at low revs to aid the compression ignition system.
A color monitor mounted atop the dash displays what’s happening in real-time with the combustion cycle enabling you to see the engine running on compression most of the time. The engine also operates in conjunction with a mild-hybrid system, feeding a small battery pack through a 24V electrical system, but does not provide enough power to support engine-off coasting at low speeds.
So what’s it like to drive? Probably the most impressive thing about the Skyactiv-X is how normal it feels. In fact, it feels exactly as its 178hp power and 165lb-ft torque figures portray. It does not feel explosively quick, but keep your boot buried and overall acceleration feel comes across as adequate and sporty. Some drivers may have been expecting beefier acceleration, but when you consider that this engine aims to improve fuel economy by over 17%, delivering between 42-54 mpg, while reducing emissions, then the contributions of the supercharger and hybrid unit, while subtle, do produce an entertaining driving experience and a car with a conscience.
Combine this engine with the 6-speed manual and you’ll get short throws and creamy smooth shifts that help achieve a 0-62mph time of 8.2 seconds. The steering feel is precise with good weight that builds predictably as speed rises. While it’s not quite as quick as some rivals, it does allow you to maneuver the 3 through the S-curves with little effort or drama.
For many years, the VW Golf has been this segment’s benchmark in terms of refinement, design and interior quality. What Mazda has achieved with the new 3’s cabin design and quality is outstanding. And the level of support and comfort supplied by the new seat design, that focuses interestingly on maintaining an upright pelvis, is a feature that takes the game right up to the Golf.
One other aspect of the 3 that stands out is its catchy exterior styling. When we speak of design, we are talking about the very best penmanship to come out of Japan in a decade, styling that won the World Car Design of the Year award for the MX-5 in 2016. The all-new Mazda 3 however, takes the brand’s design language and completely redefines it. “We don’t just want to make good cars, we want to make beautiful cars,” says the firm’s head of design, Ikuo Maeda. In a radical design rethink that eliminates strong edges, Maeda and his team transformed the Mazda3’s styling from a double motion to a single motion theme, a design that follows on from the award-winning Vision Concept that captured the 2018 “Most Beautiful Concept” at the prestigious Festival Automobile International in Paris. As Maeda explains, ’single motion’ is a new treatment of the way light and shadows interact with body panels, a process in which stylists generate ever-changing reflections on surfaces.
The only downside, if you can call it that, is that the styling-centered design process means that the rear seat can feel claustrophobic due to the high belt-line and small rear window. And rear visibility around the C-pillars, especially when reversing, can be challenging at times. To counter that, a rear monitor delivers clear reversing visibility.
Given that Mazda has just added a revolutionary new engine to its lineup, one that claims so much, the bulk of this story had to be focused on this new powerplant. That’s a given. While the SkyActiv-X engine may not quite be the Holy Grail of engines, it certainly gets a thumbs up for performance and fuel economy. But we cannot ignore the other significant attributes of this new model. Apart from the all-new highly praised styling in both hatch and sedan body styles, the new Mazda 3 also comes with the option of all-wheel-drive, a 6-speed manual or automatic gearbox, greatly improved seating and comfort levels, a higher quality interior and a newly designed sound system that will impress the most hardcore audio critics. Yes, I would have to put the new Mazda3 on a par with the segment leading Golf. That’s how good this new car is.
