Around the block with the e-SkyActiv D 200
You could count on your fingers that the plug-in hybrid Mazda CX-60 would be our most successful. But that the diesel would not come at all is a small surprise. We will find out in Spain whether we are missing something.
Everything on board the CX-60 we are in looks more or less the same as in our endurance tester. Well, we are now dealing with a slightly less luxurious version than the Takumi opulence we are used to and there is no button to keep the battery charge at a certain percentage, but otherwise it is a feast of recognition. One push of the start button and everything changes completely. Not a few electronic beeps followed by the quietness we know from the PHEV, but a frantic starter motor followed by an old-fashioned agricultural sound. Yes, it’s a diesel! Since we are already in Spain for another Mazda model, we don’t want to miss the opportunity to get to know this power unit. In connection with the bpm, the self-igniter would be unsaleable with us, but elsewhere in the world the brand new SkyActiv-D will simply go on sale. Are we missing something about that?
Two variants of the CX-60 Diesel: 200 and 254 hp
Launching a brand new six-cylinder diesel engine in 2023, you just have to dare. The six-cylinder measures no less than 3.3 liters and comes in two power variants: 200 hp and rear-wheel drive or 254 hp and four-wheel drive. The maximum torque also differs: 450 Nm for the weaker version, 550 Nm for the thicker version. For this first introduction, we are satisfied with the 200 hp self-igniter, also because it has rear-wheel drive and our endurance tester is a four-wheel drive.
Diesel is a mild hybrid
The diesel is somewhat hybrid: it has a 48-volt mild-hybrid system on it, so the starter motor can help power a little while driving. Mazda has done everything possible to make the six-cylinder as clean and economical as possible. The philosophy: the relatively large engine can do so much of the time with a lean mixture that it consumes less than a smaller power source that has to work much harder. Whether that is true in practice, we obviously cannot confirm during an hour of steering, but the fact is that after that hour we see the on-board computer at 5.2 liters per 100 kilometers and you certainly cannot do that in our PHEV if the battery is once empty. Because of the lean burn concept, the engine sounds old-fashioned diesel-like. That is not unpleasant to listen to due to the six cylinders, but compared to the six cylinders of BMW or Mercedes it is less refined. Once at cruising speed, the engine hangs languidly below 2,000 rpm and you hear nothing. Compared to our endurance test, even this 200-hp version already gives the sense of self-evidence that you sometimes miss in the PHEV when you want to move forward quickly. Incidentally, we can now say with certainty that the crazy ‘whoop’ sound that sometimes comes from the transmission of our endurance tester is a product characteristic. The diesel also has it when the gearbox switches to ‘6’.
Mazda CX-60 with six-cylinder that is far back.
Lower weight is the biggest advantage of the diesel
The biggest advantage of the diesel is not the engine itself, but the effect of the lower weight of the powertrain on the handling. Compared to our PHEV, the rear-wheel drive 200-hp variant is about 175 kilos lighter and you can tell. Mazda would like the CX-60 to be dynamically steered and has therefore adjusted the chassis quite severely. That takes its toll in our endurance tester; comfort suffers greatly. The rear axle in particular sometimes bounces over bad road surfaces, as if the chassis does not get a grip on the mass in time. The Mazda does not immediately turn into a magic carpet due to the diesel engine, but we like the compromise considerably better. It’s tight on the road, but absorbs bad road surface, rather than delegating that task to your spine. If we are very honest: the more we drive the CX-60 diesel, the wish grows that it would come to the Netherlands.
.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl