Spurred on by a most successful
previous 12 months, Mazda – now with one foot firmly in the Ford
camp – continues to show no let-up in its product push.
The Mazda3 gets the PSA/Ford produced 1.6 litre diesel engine |
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The RX8 will never become a mass seller, but the unique four-door
sportscar has injected an element of sporting prestige to the brand. The
now iconic MX5 continues to enjoy a cult following while the Mazda6 has
received rave reviews and achieved acclaimed status.
Yet it’s the Mazda3 that will prove to be Mazda’s magic number,
as this is the model that represents the Japanese carmaker in the all-important,
mass-selling, C-segment market.
Battling for market share against the likes of the new Vauxhall/Opel Astra,
Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, and even its cousin, the next-generation
Ford Focus, it was crucial the Mazda3 has a high-quality diesel option
on offer.
Ford has been generous in looking after its own, fore the Mazda3 gets
one of the best diesel engines around: the PSA/Ford joint-developed 1.6
litre powertrain.
Called the MZ-CD 1.6 litre by Mazda, the diesel unit has the capacity
to develop 109 ps (80 kW) at 4,000 rpm and a torque curve that peaks at
240 Nm from only 1,750 rpm. It’s a quiet and refined engine, with
NVH levels being minimal.
Mated to a low-friction, five-speed gear changer, the diesel Mazda3 in
hatchback guise sprints to 100 km/h in 11.5 seconds before reaching a
top speed of 182 km/h, with a combined fuel consumption of just 5.0 litres
of diesel per 100 km.
A Euro III stage version of MZ-CD 1.6 litre will be introduced in the
Mazda3 line-up this spring, with a Euro IV stage derivative armed with
diesel particulate filter technology being launched only a few months
later.
The diesel unit joins the Mazda3 petrol range that includes an entry-spec
84 ps (62 kW) MZR 1.4 litre, a 105 ps (77kW) MZR 1.6 litre, and a top-of-the-range
150 ps (110 kW) MZR 2.0 litre.
Built on the same platform as the Ford Focus C-Max and the new Volvo S40,
the Mazda3 diesel – like its cousins – has managed to achieve
a high quality engineering level. This naturally leads one to assume that
the next-generation Ford Focus, which rolls off the very same architecture,
should be of the same ilk. Watch this space. |
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