The diesel, so it sounds from almost every boardroom in the automotive industry, is dead. The future belongs to electric vehicles, maybe we can still talk about hydrogen drives. Mazda cares very little. The manufacturer from Hiroshima, Japan, is launching its top model, the SUV CX-60, with a further developed new diesel engine.
The basis for the new in-line six-cylinder is the previous four-cylinder diesel with a displacement of 2.2 litres. The new one now has a displacement of 3.3 liters and is available in two performance variants. In addition to the increase in performance due to the larger displacement, Mazda has given the diesel a revised combustion technology. DCPCI uses the excess air during charging for better combustion. This improves the efficiency of the engine and increases thermal efficiency to over 40 percent.
The trick: The combustion chamber has a two-stage, egg-shaped piston crown that divides the fuel mixture into two areas. This results in more efficient combustion over a larger operating range. A small side effect: the ideal burn time and the wide spread spray pattern of the common rail injection ensure better noise reduction. And quite incidentally, the efficiency of the engine increases. After the first few meters it is clear: This Mazda does not sound like diesel. You could also sit in a well-silenced petrol engine. Nothing vibrates, nothing nails, even when the engine is still cold.
The 4,745 mm long, 1,890 mm wide and 1,680 mm high CX-60 diesel is available in two different performance levels. The e-Skyactiv D 200 delivers 147 kW / 200 hp and a maximum torque of 450 Nm in the range of 1,400 and 3,000 rpm. That’s enough to accelerate the Mazda from zero to 100 km/h in 8.4 seconds and for a top speed of 212 km/h. Thanks to the optimized engine, it is content with 5.0 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers according to WLTP measurements, which means CO2 emissions of 128 to 130 g/km.
The more powerful e-Skyactiv D 254 motor that we drive has an output of 187 kW / 254 hp and a maximum torque of 550 Nm between 1,500 and 2,400 rpm. That’s enough for the all-wheel drive vehicle to sprint to 100 km/h in 7.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 219 km/h. Consumption: 5.2 l/100 km, CO2 emissions between 137 and 139 g/km.
When driving, you only notice something of the 254 hp in the two-tonner. Sure: The Mazda is making good progress – but you don’t feel like you’re in a sprinter. He is also intended more as a comfortable touring car. And there fits – almost everything: The pleasant and spacious ambience in both rows of seats, the prompt throttle response thanks to the mild hybrid booster built into the transmission with its 153 Nm torque, the precise steering, the new eight-speed automatic transmission without a torque converter that shifts almost imperceptibly, the various auxiliary systems through to the overhead display in the windshield or the 360-degree cameras. Only one thing disturbs the round picture: the pretty rock-hard suspension. On bad roads, the Mazda complains heavily and sometimes hits the back.
The Mazda CX-60 in the diesel version is available from 46,150 in the 200 hp version. At least 51,350 euros are due for the 254 hp version. Mazda offers a six-year new vehicle warranty on the CX-60.
