Another 3 on the dynamometer but now with the special engine
Yes, we have seen a Mazda 3 of this type before in Op de Rollenbank, but it did not have the innovative SkyActiv-X under the hood. What can we expect from this creation of the Hiroshima cross-thinkers? Just another typical Japanese ‘spot-on’ power statement or does it surprise us in some way?
If you want to think outside the box, it’s best to give Mazda a call. That sometimes wants to enter an area where others do not go. Think of the turboless SkyActiv engines or the rotary engines of yesteryear. SkyActiv-X is the latest piece of cross-thinking. It has no spark plugs, injects the fuel late and thus knows how to turn a petrol engine into a self-igniter. René de Ruijter likes to lend his car as a victim for our test. No electric or hybrid lease car for him, but ‘just’ a 180 hp Mazda. Today we enter the great unknown, it turns out. “I have not seen a dynamometer test of this engine anywhere, so I am very curious about the outcome,” says René. “I was looking for a sporty car that you don’t see very often and I think I succeeded well with the choice of the Mazda.”
And so it is, because unfortunately you don’t see the 3 much and certainly not with that innovative engine. And of course it’s about consumption. René has good stories about that. “I recently drove to France with four people. Then we drove a lot and I got 1 in 16. If I calmly ripple along with the traffic, that is 1 in 18.”
SkyActiv-X sounds terrible
Roller bank boss Ghisbert van Ginhoven is also enthusiastic. “Of course I find the technology interesting. This is the first Mazda with this technology that I see. I’ve never been offered one for tuning. I hope it stays that way, because actually I don’t dare touch it. I don’t know enough about this technique for that,” he admits. He dives under the hood with interest. Underneath is another bonnet. “Of course for the sound insulation, because a block like that obviously sounds terrible.” That proof comes when he opens the second hood. Suddenly we know what nailing is again. “I know from someone who works at Mazda that the first series of SkyActiv-X had all the engines bouncing together, but now they seem to have got it under control,” says Ghisbert. Well, René passed the first 40,000 kilometers without any problems.
On the advice of his dealer, he fills up with Euro 98, he reports even before the measurement starts. It soon becomes clear that the two-liter with compressor is dragging a lot. The 180 hp is soon in sight, but it doesn’t get much more. So that Japanese precision again. “This is folder material, you know,” says Ghisbert when he gets out and the Mazda is steaming. The car gives almost no straw to the manufacturer’s specification. There is nothing wrong with that, because we would immediately sign for more than 180 hp in a mid-sized car. Let’s hope he stays intact!
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl