New Mazda3 engines

[Ecosseven]

Mazda have recently released a new version of their 3. There are currently no hot versions of this car but I find it interesting that Mazda are using their sky-active technology to produce N/A petrol engines with good MPG and emissions.

The following engines are available, all N/A

1.5 petrol – 99 bhp
2.0 petrol – 118bhp
2.0 petrol – 163bhp.

I will be delighted if the next MX-5 continues to use a (relatively) high revving N/A motor rather than a downsized turbo unit. Time will tell.

[Jimbo.]

Sky-activ goes further than engines (higher comp petrols, lower comp diesels, all-alloy blocks etc, etc): it's also lighter cars, fancier gearboxes etc, etc. Good thinking.

[Harji]

And if it was Audi doing it everyone would have been saying how brilliant they are. Mazda (and most Japanese car makers) seem to just let the product do the talking and less self promotion, read a car review on the Mazda 3 recently , everything was good but it still got 3 out of 5, probably because it's not German. Pity , because Mazda's approach is bold and it works.

[iloveboost]

I'm not sure. Like sticking with rotaries for so long it could harm not help Mazda to try and use non-turbo petrol engines for longer than other manufacturers will. The only possible advantage is that a non-turbo petrol could be more reliable without a turbo and won't have any turbo lag.
The problem is there's a hard road ahead. People know smaller engines are more economical and if a 1.6 petrol turbo makes 180hp/180lb/ft easily Mazda have a hard road ahead to tell people they're wrong and that their 2.0 is better in every way! Also I have cynicism about it because I feel it can't be better otherwise everyone else would be doing it. Some other companies have huge R&D budgets they must have explored this option and decided it was a dead end. With a modern turbo engine you can get 150hp/litre with good drivability and with an NA engine you just can't get anywhere close to that.
I suspect it's really that Mazda want to be seen to be different and not just a smaller Japanese car manufacturer. It seems that they are trying to push the idea that a Mazda offers a 'superior' driving experience by having a 'unique' philosophy. Whether this works in reality I'm not so sure but I've briefly driven a sky-active mazda6 diesel which drove nicely for a 'boring' modern diesel saloon.

[Gilhooligan]

Jimbo. said:

Sky-activ goes further than engines (higher comp petrols, lower comp diesels, all-alloy blocks etc, etc): it's also lighter cars, fancier gearboxes etc, etc. Good thinking.

Let's hope they start applying this Sky-Activ methodology to corrosion resistance

[vsabljic]

Jimbo. said:

Sky-activ goes further than engines (higher comp petrols, lower comp diesels, all-alloy blocks etc, etc): it's also lighter cars, fancier gearboxes etc, etc. Good thinking.

Sky Active sounds good, but Mazda 3 weights same/or more than Golf mk7

[5lab]

Ecosseven said:

2.0 petrol – 118bhp

that's amazingly low - it's 16v too! I understand why, but these appear to be the anti-rotary when it comes to bhp/litre. My 1987 volvo did better (admitedly it didn't do 60mpg )

[Hub]

iloveboost said:

People know smaller engines are more economical and if a 1.6 petrol turbo makes 180hp/180lb/ft easily Mazda have a hard road ahead to tell people they're wrong and that their 2.0 is better in every way!

I agree. I think people are scared of 2.0 litre petrols these days, and probably only the 1.5 will sell in any number. Others will just opt for the diesel.

[hornetrider]

I'm quite interested in test driving one of these, as I like the idea behind the tech. Have also owned a few Mazdas in my time and they hardly ever go wrong. My mrs' 5 year old Mazda 2 Sport (bought new) has had one small problem with a boot switch replaced under warranty, and that's it. 40-odd thousand miles and still on it's original brake pads too.

[agxster]

Last week while dropping the family car off for some warranty work there was a Mazda dealer across the road so went to have a look. They had two new model Mazda3's in the showroom. I was really impressed, smart looking body and sharp interior. Looks better then the Golf mk7 IMHO, and a lot less common.

Top spec was something like £23-24k, that includes leather and sat nav. I'd seriously consider it if I was in the market. Also 0% finance if you put 50% down, so tempting!

[Axionknight]

5lab said:

that's amazingly low - it's 16v too! I understand why, but these appear to be the anti-rotary when it comes to bhp/litre. My 1987 volvo did better (admitedly it didn't do 60mpg )

It does seem very low and I'd bet my last penny that it won't do 60 MPG either :P

[hornetrider]

agxster said:

Top spec was something like £23-24k, that includes leather and sat nav. I'd seriously consider it if I was in the market. Also 0% finance if you put 50% down, so tempting!

If it's anything like Mazda usually do, they'll be heavily discounted with the year.

[vrooom]

what is Sky-Activ ?

[Mercury00]

What's the advantage of these engines over smaller ones with higher power output? Do they have more torque? Suzuki have a 1.2 that has 92bhp.

[Captain Muppet]

vrooom said:

what is Sky-Activ ?

Marketing label for trying to maximise MPG by tweaking the engine and vehicle.

Think of it like Bluemotion, or Eco something, i.e. ignore it totally and just buy the car if it suits you best.

[hornetrider]

Captain Muppet said:

vrooom said:

what is Sky-Activ ?

Marketing label for trying to maximise MPG by tweaking the engine and vehicle.

Think of it like Bluemotion, or Eco something, i.e. ignore it totally and just buy the car if it suits you best.

It's more to do with the major shift in engine tech as I understand it, rather than a gentle evolution.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyActiv

[buzzer]

Gilhooligan said:

Let's hope they start applying this Sky-Activ methodology to corrosion resistance

Well I suppose they get lighter as time goes by... with all the rust dropping off them... I think Mazda have a real corrosion problem, I have seen several mazda6 that the sills are completely rotten, and a couple of Mazda3 that are rusty as hell underneath, that coupled with the MX5 chassis corrosion problem is doing the brand no good at all.

Worse than Mercedes!

[ORD]

A system designed to improve test MPG with no relevance to real driving, I expect.

It is still probably better than the mainstream "ecodrive" etc engines. They are appalling to drive for anyone but the very worst kind of driver (i.e. who doesnt know how to use revs so mistakes mid-range torque for power and calls it "driveability"). They are "economical" in that they refuse to deliver anything but middling power at any time. Joining a motorway is like praying for death in one of these st boxes. Given that it doesnt have a turbo, the Mazda will be getting its max power at high revs, so will probably be a bit less flat and unsinspiring.

[Captain Muppet]

hornetrider said:

Captain Muppet said:

vrooom said:

what is Sky-Activ ?

Marketing label for trying to maximise MPG by tweaking the engine and vehicle.

Think of it like Bluemotion, or Eco something, i.e. ignore it totally and just buy the car if it suits you best.

It's more to do with the major shift in engine tech as I understand it, rather than a gentle evolution.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyActiv

It's not like they went in to production with an upsized 2-stroke. It's nothing revolutionary (other than the engine components that literally revolve, obviously).