SkyActiv ups the efficiency of Mazdas
Last year, Mazda introduced its new SkyActiv technology. So what exactly is that? According to the company, it’s a complete nuts-and-bolts re-evaluation of the automobile as we know it, from stem to stern, and a new approach to engine management, suspension, steering, lightweight body construction, ergonomics, and performance. According to Mazda Canada executive vice-president Kory Koreeda, at least 80 percent of his company’s products will feature SkyActiv technology within about four years.
The first model out of the gate is the CX-5. Picking up where the Tribute left off, the CX-5 features its own platform and power train and is offered with two-wheel or all-wheel drive. There is but one engine choice: a 2.0-litre four-cylinder that develops 155 horsepower, and it features the highest compression ratio—13:1—in the industry for a gasoline-powered engine. It’s been designed with a view to efficiency, rather than performance.
One of the minor but important things Mazda engineers had to contend with to heighten the efficiency of this engine was move the air conditioner. Because one of the most important ingredients of a free-breathing engine is found in its exhaust system, Mazda designed a serpentine exhaust header that takes up a good deal of the engine bay. The A/C compressor had to be moved to accommodate it, and the catalytic converter for the car is actually housed within the exhaust header and not somewhere along the exhaust pipe. As well, the new SkyActiv engine has a plastic water pump impeller, as opposed to the traditional metal blades, to save weight and move engine coolant around more thoroughly, and lightweight Torx bolts everywhere, rather than the conventional hex nuts.
Two transmissions are available with the new CX-5: a six-speed manual and a six-speed automatic, and the AWD system is a purported 39 kilograms lighter than the one found in the CX-7.
Other engineering highlights include electric power steering taken from the RX-8, repositioned and redesigned rear suspension links, and an all-new body style. Mazda is calling this latter design a “leaping forward” concept, and the idea is to make the CX-5 appear more upscale.
Courtesy of Straight

