SkyActiv-X has some official MPG and power figures – for Europe.
Initially, we were expecting Mazda to debut its SkyActiv-X engine in the United States in the all-new Mazda3. Unfortunately, that never happened. Mazda is still planning to bring this engine to our market, but there’s no exact date just yet, other than later in 2019 or possibly in 2020. When it does arrive, the SkyActiv-X engine is suppose to be much more efficient than the carryover SkyActiv-G unit we have now.
It’s a complex power unit, combining some of the qualities of a traditional gasoline engine with compression ignition commonly associated with diesels. “Mazda’s unique Spark Plug Controlled Compression Ignition (SPCCI) technology, the 2.0 litre, four-cylinder SkyActiv-X engine is the world’s first commercial petrol unit to combine the spark ignition of a petrol engine with the compression ignition of a diesel,” the company said of its new technology.
Fortunately, we now have some numbers, at least of the European version of the engine. Mazda says that the European-market 2.0-liter SkyActiv-X will make 178 horsepower and 165 lb-ft of torque. By contrast, the 2.5-liter Skyactiv-G that comes standard in the 2019 Mazda3 puts out 186 hp and 186 lb-ft of torque.
Fuel economy improvements?
Its combined fuel economy numbers according to the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) are approximately 53.5 mpg. Mind you, the NEDC cycle test is quite different to the EPA, so our numbers will certainly be lower than that. Even still, it should manage better fuel economy than the older 2.5-liter engine.
We’ve actually had a chance to get up close and personal with the SkyActiv-X when it was testing in the United States. Given how much time and resources they poured into its development, Mazda will almost definitely bring the engine here sooner or later.
Stay tuned to TFLcar.com for more updates. Check out our time with the prototype below:
