The Mazda speed3 has become a favorite among auto enthusiasts for its powerful turbocharged gas engine, but that powerplant could be in for quite the transition as Mazda looks to improve its overall fuel economy.
At a recent event for the company’s new Sky diesel engine, Robert Davis, Mazda USA senior VP of product development, let slip that the automaker is considering a diesel powerplant for its next-generation Mazdaspeed3.
Although anyone that had a driver’s license in the 1970s or 80s is still terrified of the word ‘diesel’, the average Mazdaspeed3 buyer (read: young) doesn’t have a negative image of diesel technology. After all, most 20-somethings have only experienced diesel engines in the form of the clean-burning VW Jetta TDI or BMW 335d.
However, despite the general lack of resistance among typical Mazdaspeed3 buyers, it’s not a foregone conclusion that the next-generation of the car will be going diesel. Davis added that “performance wouldn’t be degraded” for future Mazdaspeed models and that “it’s going to take more than a 190 horsepower version of the diesel to make that happen.” Mazda’s new Sky diesel currently only puts out 190 horsepower.
The other hurdle for a diesel-powered Mazdaspeed3 model is the issue of torque steer. The current car comes standard with loads of torque steer, and the diesel model would seem to only exacerbate that problem. An all-wheel drive system could solve that problem, but would also add cost and weight. We’ll have to wait and see what Mazda ultimately decides, but don’t be surprised to see the Mazdaspeed badge on a diesel-powered vehicle within the next five years.
References
1.’Next Mazdaspeed3…’ view
