Mazda CX-60 diesel: Suv test with e-Skyactiv D engine, consumption, technical specifications and price

Gianluigi Giannetti

February 27th

– Barcelona (Spain)

“I drove a diesel, nothing more to report.” On the threshold of the Italian border a sense of guilt is feigned which in reality is still the fault of those who do things with meaning. The arrival at Fiumicino airport is the return to a country where witches are hunted in public, but solutions are sought in private. We tested the Mazda CX-60 Sport Utility in Spain with the new 3.3-litre e-Skyactiv D in-line six-cylinder diesel engine. This Mazda has versatility and a list price that starts at 49,900 euros, it is fun and travels up to 100 km on 5 liters of fuel with CO2 emissions from a small car. Effectively “Nothing else to declare”.

Design

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The Mazda CX-60 is 4,745mm long, 1,890mm wide and 1,680mm high, with a wheelbase of 2,870mm. There is a Sport Utility look rethought in terms of proportions, which shows a strong front, very vertical sides and above all the displacement of the entire passenger compartment further back. Thus Mazda’s idea of ​​space built around car familiarity, position and driving sensations remains intact. Above all, CX-60 tells the evolution that is a leap of species towards the best European production.

Chassis

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It is the first car to rest on the Large Product platform, i.e. the mechanical one with double wishbone suspension at the front and multilink at the rear. The horizontal bonnet is wide as it should be to accommodate larger engines, positioned longitudinally. The alignment of the body panels is very precise, but above all the paint maintains the characteristics chosen by Mazda for its most recent models, i.e. it uses light to emphasize or hide the more decisive profiles of the wheel arches or the tail, which is rather tapered , but still able to guarantee a boot capacity of 477 litres.

Interior

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Talking about design and finishes in the passenger compartment can seem ridiculous. Mazda has been rivaling and even surpassing the experience of the German premium brands for several years now with some models. A question of attention to detail, starting from top quality materials and consistency, but above all of balance between the ever-present digital component and the real world, i.e. a space truly stitched around driving sensations. So let’s start with the latter, with the precise alignment between pedals and steering wheel, underneath a not too invasive cockpit.

Multimedia

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The instrument cluster has an LCD screen accompanied by a head-up display with a larger projection area than seen on other Mazda models, while the central infotainment panel has a diagonal of 12.3 inches. However, there is the underlining that Mazda does not miss its user interface style. The controls are operated by the HMI control knob, now moved forward and raised compared to other models of the brand, but with the same degree of zero distraction when driving. Japanese taste in the upholstery with woven fabrics and maple wood panels, the defect in the very protruding shape of the front air vents but also the great refinement in the central tunnel, with the automatic gearbox which, as we will see, does without the torque and therefore has a rather slim section that does not involve sensational bulk between the front seats, with a gain in space in favor of the passengers’ legs.

Mazda CX-60, the e-Skyactiv D engine

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The news will perhaps tell it as the last completely new diesel engine to debut in Europe, but Mazda has not taken the wrong road at all. The taste of the Japanese engineering challenge remains in taking the mechanics to the extreme consequences, with the theory of efficiency that almost has to border on practice, but this time the Hiroshima brand has also put in a not small ambition. The six-cylinder in-line architecture is in fact the one historically preferred by German manufacturers, all with a displacement of 3,283 cc which seems like the image of the grandeur of yesteryear, but which instead is used entirely in favor of efficiency, and not of power. The e-Skyactiv D engine exists in two variants, with the 200 HP one being the subject of our test combined with rear-wheel drive only, which allows acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 8.4 seconds, a top speed of 212 per hour and fuel consumption average fuel consumption of just 5 l/100 km with CO2 emissions of 127 g/km. Further up, CX-60 e-Skyactiv D with 249 HP, with all-wheel drive for 0-100 km/h in 7.4 seconds, top speed of 219 km/h, average fuel consumption of 5.2 l/100 km and emissions at 137 g/km.

Advanced diesel

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The most obvious question has no obvious answer. Mazda declares a thermal efficiency of more than 40%, a fact which for a diesel engine means obtaining torque and power with lower fuel consumption and emissions, with the large displacement needed to achieve this result in a non-theoretical window of use, restricted to a ideal, but in a less exasperated, wider and more daily range of use. How to get there, then, is a question that lies in the acronym Dcpci, which stands for Distribution-controlled partially premixed combustion ignition. Translated, it means lowering the temperature in the cylinder to have a better mixture between diesel and air before combustion. Mazda has designed the piston crown with a “Double Egg-Shape” shape, i.e. with two cavities on the edges which receive the first fuel injection even earlier than the normal diesel engine cycle, leaving the center of the piston a colder area. With a sequence of 4 further injections at 2,500 bar of pressure, the fuel warms up more progressively during compression, better saturating the cylinder before ignition and therefore transferring more energy to the crankshaft during combustion.

Hybrid power train

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In summary, the Dcpci system allows you to stabilize the spontaneous combustion of diesel by lowering the temperature, with flame propagation at the moment of best composition of the mixture. Beyond mechanics, however, there is also electrification in the strict sense. At the top of the CX-60 range is the e-Skyactiv G Phev version, the first plug-in hybrid variant ever made by the Japanese manufacturer with a four-cylinder petrol engine and all-wheel drive for a total of 327 HP, fuel consumption of 1.5 l /100 km and CO2 emissions of 33 g/km. However, the combination with an electric motor also applies to the new diesel CX-60 e-Skyactiv D, with the arrival of the 48 V M Hybrid Boost system consisting of a 0.33 kWh lithium battery, inverter and naturally electric motor with 17 HP of power and 153 Nm of torque. The latter supports the internal combustion engine thanks to the energy recovered when cruising or slowing down at low load. The electric motor is then inserted between the 8-speed automatic transmission and an electro-hydraulic clutch that replaces the classic torque converter.

How is the Mazda CX-60 e-Skyactiv D

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“Inline 6”, what we are looking for is all in that plate on the upper part of the side, almost under the beginning of the front pillar. Six cylinders in line, like the challenge to Germany that this very balanced engine architecture has brought high and far, but all of this experienced in the Japanese way, with a grit that lies in the results of low consumption and good engine torque. The CX-60 3.3 e-Skyactiv D is both enjoyable and possible, with the 200 HP edition being tested equipped with rear-wheel drive only and the strong idea that it has the behavior of a high-class sedan and versatility of an SUV. The new Large Product platform features double wishbone front suspension and multi-link rear suspension, without electronic management but with a calibration that is rather attentive to the compromise between stiffness and springing. The rear suspension of the Mazda CX-60 uses a system called Kinematic posture control which precisely stabilizes the vehicle’s posture when cornering, braking the inside rear wheel to reduce body roll. It works as a kind of torque vectoring and crushes the rear of the car out of corners, resulting in more grip, as well as some old school flair.

Couple and feeling

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Good results also from the steering, with a double pinion electric power assistance derived directly from that used on the iconic MX-5 spider. The feeling is clear in setting the trajectory, less in the return of the steering wheel, which is not as fast but for this reason closer to a less demanding drive. Fun is always in a good balance, even when the taste is sportier. The 8-speed transmission without torque converter uses a multi-disc clutch that brings sensations closer to those that are certainly sharper than a dual clutch gearbox. The curb weight is 1,891 kg, but the driving torque of 450 Nm already arrives from 1,400 rpm and the low-end reactivity of diesel engines returns to the fore, without the obligation of higher power, but with real logic attention to consumption. The declared figure of 5 liters every 100 km is more than realistic, because it can be achieved with a smooth ride, but also without sacrificing the average speed. With a round functioning that can be enjoyed from a real driving position, lower and more enveloping than the average SUV, with the taste for travel. The diesel one is not finished yet.

Mazda CX-60 e-Skyactiv D, trim levels and prices

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The Mazda CX-60 e-Skyactiv D 200 HP is available in 4 different trim levels. The entry-level Prime-line (49,900 euros), the intermediate Exclusive Line (51,900) and the high-end Takumi (56,050 euros) and Homura (57,550 euros) trim levels, richer and more quality. The intermediate and top trim levels can be equipped with different optional packages: Driver Assistance (1,750 euros), Convenience & Sound (2,650 euros), Panoramic sunroof (1,550 euros) and Comfort (from 1,750 or 3,000 euros). Mazda CX-60 e-Skyactiv D 249 HP has a price list that starts at 55,550 euros (Exclusive Line version)