Consumer perception of turbodiesel engines may be near an all-time low in the United States, but that's not stopping Mazda from finally bringing its own oil-burning mills to American dealer lots.
Mazda is the king of slow-car-fast, and diesel could bring that to a new level. The automaker has offered a diesel choice outside of the country for some time now, and according to sources, it's finally cleared the environmental regulations necessary to offer it here.
This actually is a great time for Mazda to bring diesel to the U.S. market. There are a number of fans of that fuel type that feel left behind by the actions of Volkswagen, which intentionally violated emissions laws to sell TDI diesels here. Consumers now no longer have that TDI option at VW dealers and Mazda can fill the void. We have learned that the first offering will find a home under the hood of the all-new CX-5. The engine is the automaker's 2.2-liter.
This falls under the Skyactiv family, but it wears a "D" at the end. Paired with the four-cylinder engine is a two-stage turbocharger. In overseas applications, the engine is good for 173 horsepower and a mightily impressive 310 pound-feet of torque. If we can see that in a CX-5, it will be great for burning the front tires off and keeping things zoom-zoom fantastic.
If anything, the diesel may be entering a new heyday; Chevrolet says it's putting a diesel in its second-generation Cruze and, in a surprising move, the Bowtie brand has also confirmed a diesel Equinox crossover.
