2023 Mazda Cx-9 Signature on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mazda Skyactiv-D racer first diesel to run at Indy in 60 years

While it may not be touting the old "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" axiom we all know and love, Mazda recognizes that racing can only improve its cars. And so it's no surprise that the Japanese automaker is testing and refining its Skyactiv-D diesel engine by sending it out on various race tracks around the country - notably being the first diesel ever to compete at Daytona and the first to notch a Grand Am win at Road Atlanta.
Next up? Indy. It has been over 60 years since a diesel-powered machine ran at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the Cummins-powered racer that competed in the 1952 Indy 500 with a 6.6-liter inline-six-cylinder oil-burner was a fast and brutal machine that set a new lap record in qualifying leading up to the race. Though that car was withdrawn with turbocharger failure 71 laps in, its diesel powerplant left an indelible impression on the racing community, and that's something Mazda hopes to accomplish once again.
Mazda says that the diesel engine in its race car is pretty darn close to stock - 51 percent stock by parts count, and 63 percent stock by weight - which means the way it performs in competition is at least a somewhat meaningful way to the stock engine's durability in the real world. Check out the image of the Mazda6 Skyactiv-D racer posing alongside the 1952 Cummins above (click to enlarge) and feel free to peruse the press release below for the rest of the details.

Mazda's next-gen SkyActiv engines will drop spark plugs in favor of high compression

Homogeneous charge compression ignition, or HCCI, is the black art of internal combustion engines that aims to produce diesel-like fuel efficiency for the cost of gasoline. Although some of its competitors have developed and subsequently given up on the tech, Mazda confirmed that the next-generation of SkyActiv engines will employ HCCI technology, improving fuel economy by 30 percent and at the same time reducing exhaust emissions. According to Nikkei, a new SkyActiv family of engines is set to debut under the hood of the next-gen Mazda3 sometime in 2018 before making its way into other vehicles. In simple terms, an engine that uses HCCI burns the air/fuel mix using pressure instead of with spark plugs, just like a diesel. At 14:1, Mazda's gasoline engines already have some of the highest compression ratios out there, but a move to HCCI means cranking up the compression to 18:1. While the tech sounds relatively straightforward, using HCCI means dealing with a number of side issues. It's one of those "on paper" ideas that compounds problems when put into practice. Heat, revs, and fuel must all be carefully managed as gasoline doesn't burn the same way as diesel. Mazda is mum on details, but the automaker seems confident that the issues have been sorted. If the new engines do indeed make it to market with HCCI, Mazda will have out-engineered GM, Daimler, and Hyundai, all of which have tried and failed to develop HCCI engines in a cost-effective package. With the market moving towards electrification, it's interesting to see Mazda still focusing so heavily on traditional internal combustion gasoline engines. It's an indication of where they see the market heading for the next few years. Although the automaker has been hesitant to move forward with hybrid and electric powertrains, Nikkei also reports that Mazda will begin mass production of EVs in 2019. Related Video:

2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata 2.0L First Drive [w/video]

The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata is easy to comprehend. It is an enthusiast roadster in its purest form. There's no need for any sort of sales pitch. You don't have to ramp up in order to get people excited about it. Say the words "new Miata" to anyone who cares about cars, and you've immediately got their attention. And now that I have yours, I'll to cut right to the chase. It's brilliant. That's a fact I've known for a while. I drove the Japanese-spec ND Miata in Spain earlier this year, with the 130-horsepower, 1.5-liter engine that we aren't getting in the United States. The new Miata is a modern day reincarnation of the original NA that stole our hearts in 1989. It's smaller and lighter than the outgoing NC, yet boasts more interior room. It's comfortable. It looks great. And it drives like a Miata should. In other words, it's perfect. So what about this US-spec car, then? It's got more power – 155 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque from Mazda's 2.0-liter Skyactiv four-cylinder engine. But it's also heavier. Our car weighs 2,332 pounds, compared to the roughly 2,200 pounds of the 1.5-liter car. Yes, the ND Miata loses 12 hp compared to the outgoing NC, but it's up 8 lb-ft of torque. Plus, according to Mazda, because of the improved powerband, anytime you're under 5,700 rpm the new Skyactiv engine is stronger than the old MZR mill. It's more efficient, too. With the manual transmission, the Miata is estimated to achieve 27 miles per gallon in the city and 34 mpg highway. That a jump of six mpg in both categories compared to the old six-speed. Consider this: The Japanese-spec car uses a 130-hp engine, which I found to be perfectly adequate. The increase in power for the US-spec car mostly just balances out the extra weight, but it also improves performance on the highway. Hit the throttle in sixth gear with the 1.5 and nothing happens. Do the same with the 2.0, and there's movement. Low-end power is far more important in the US than it is in other markets, and that's why our car has the larger engine. "North America is why the two-liter car exists," engineer Dave Coleman told me. Plus, 155 hp power means you eke out the Miata's dynamics at legal speeds. 45 miles per hour in an MX-5 is a far more exhilarating experience than that same speed in any supercar. So yeah, it's not powerful. But to paraphrase Jay-Z, the MX-5 is a super car, not a supercar.