Mazda CX-9 to be the Only ’Turbocharged’ Exception in the Fleet

MANILA: Let's break the good news first. Mazda CX-9 that made its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show last year is supplied with a turbocharger that boosts the capabilities of its SkyActiv engine beyond its threshold. The 2.5-litre SkyActiv powertrain generates around 230 hp and a torque of 420 Nm matted to a 6-speed automatic transmission. The installed turbocharger is also one of the finest examples of the technology used in a production vehicle and adapts to a wide range of exhaust pulsations. Although many fans might already be aware of all this, the CX-9 compact crossover will be the only vehicle in Mazda’s fleet to underpin such a technology.

Yes, this is certainly a bad news for the Mazda fans who were desperately waiting for the ‘turbo-power’ to trickle down on other models in the manufacturer’s catalog. Company’s new direction is also evident with the upcoming release of the Mazda CX4 in China that is powered by a standard gasoline engine. Despite the CX4 Crossover being marketed as a contender for the Subaru Outback, the manufacturers decided not to provide it with a turbocharger. While this is a possible evidence of Mazda Motors future take with their vehicles, but it is too early to say anything as the Crossover is only limited to the Chinese market for now.

In their defense, Mazda have made it clear that they want to focus more on vehicles that are fuel efficient rather than providing unnatural amount of power to a casual drivers. It is a well known fact after all that using a turbocharger certainly increases the fuel consumption of a vehicle and also increases the emissions by a significant percentage. Mr. Alastair Doak, the marketing director at Mazda Australia also shared the same view and stated that they are looking forward to set new standards in fuel-efficiency with their range of SkyActiv engines. Hence all the fans who were waiting for the turbocharged variants of Mazda vehicles will have to satiate themselves with the Mazda CX-9 for a very long time. But looking at their reputation, the Japanese automakers are certainly not afraid of following their own path and disregard any market fads.

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