Mazda is a a lot smaller firm globally than fellow Japanese manufacturers Toyota, Nissan and Honda but it surely has a storied historical past, being initially based as a cork manufacturing unit in 1920 earlier than switching to car manufacturing in 1931.
Arguably extra so than its Japanese counterparts, Mazda is unafraid of taking dangers. A few of these, corresponding to the event of the MX-5, have paid off.
Others, such because the continuous funding in rotary engines, have been much less profitable, regardless of producing some iconic automobiles. Some have even introduced the corporate near chapter, corresponding to its over-investment within the Amati and Eunos luxurious marques through the peak of the Japanese financial growth within the 80s and early 90s.
Mazda’s most up-to-date long-term gamble has been the event of a brand new strategy to creating extra environment friendly automobiles with out compromising on efficiency, or the lauded ‘Zoom-Zoom’ and ‘jinba-ittai’ (unity of rider with horse) driving feeling that Mazda claims its automobiles are famend for.
This strategy is named SkyActiv, and represents a collection of applied sciences starting from engines to transmissions and chassis applied sciences.
Transient historical past
Components of Mazda’s SkyActiv philosophy have been in manufacturing for greater than a decade, and the primary automotive to be bought in Australia underneath the SkyActiv banner was the BL Sequence 2 (mid-life facelift) Mazda 3 hatch and sedan launched in late 2011.
These fashions had been outfitted with SkyActiv engines and transmissions solely, and whereas the ability and torque will increase of the two.0-litre SkyActiv-G engine had been modest in comparison with the previous MZR 2.0-litre engine, the automobiles did have a considerable 25.6 per cent enchancment in gas consumption.
Immediately, your complete Mazda passenger automotive and SUV vary makes use of the total gamut of SkyActiv applied sciences. The one exception is Mazda’s BT-50 ute, based mostly on the Isuzu D-Max. Nevertheless, Mazda claims that, as the newest BT-50 options considerably extra economical engines than its predecessor, it aligns with the general SkyActiv philosophy.
It’s necessary to notice that whereas Mazdas on sale immediately share SkyActiv branding with fashions bought a decade in the past, this doesn’t imply that Mazda has been standing nonetheless, with Mazda commonly bettering and refining SkyActiv expertise.
SkyActiv engines
Mazda’s SkyActiv engine household can finest be considered a collection of engineering rules and shared design parts, that span all kinds of naturally aspirated, turbocharged (each petrol and diesel) and hybrid powertrains.
These embody comparatively excessive compression ratios for petrol engines, and relatively low compression ratios for diesel engines.
Mazda claims that for petrol engines, a excessive compression ratio improves thermal effectivity, resulting in higher gas financial system, while additionally bettering low and mid-range torque for higher on a regular basis drivability.
Mazda’s naturally-aspirated petrol SkyActiv engines due to this fact typically use excessive compression ratios starting from 13.0:1 to fifteen.0:1 within the modern SkyActiv-X powertrain, whereas even turbocharged petrol SkyActiv engines undertake a ten.5:1 compression ratio, excessive in comparison with related powerplants.
One of many dangers with utilizing high-compression ratios is an elevated threat of engine knock, whereby the air-fuel combination combusts prematurely, and may trigger critical harm to the engine.
One widespread answer to that is limiting the engine to solely settle for high-octane gas (corresponding to 98 RON), nonetheless, Mazda has designed a extra everlasting various by adopting a ‘4-2-1’ exhaust system. This bodily will increase the size of the exhaust manifold, and lowers the possibilities of scorching residual gasoline being pressured again into the combustion chamber and inducing engine knock.
For diesel engines, a low 14.0:1 compression ratio is used, which Mazda claims permits its engines to satisfy stringent Euro 6 emissions rules (particularly referring to nitrous oxide or NOx emissions) with out the necessity for AdBlue or different exhaust gasoline remedies.
Lately, SkyActiv expertise has moved into the mild-hybrid house, with the e-SkyActiv G engine making use of a 24V mild-hybrid system to enhance gas financial system.
Maybe probably the most notable innovation within the SkyActiv engine lineup, nonetheless, has been the introduction of the SkyActiv-X engine. Mazda claims that this engine combines the most effective features of petrol and diesel engines by means of a course of often known as Spark Managed Compression Ignition (SPCCI).
SPCCI combines the most effective parts of spark ignition, as utilized in petrol engines, with compression ignition, as utilized in diesel engines.
An preliminary spark is used to generate a fireball to start the combustion course of, much like a petroleum engine. Nevertheless, the precise combustion of the air-fuel combination happens quickly and persistently, much like compression ignition, fairly than the gradual combustion of a typical petrol engine.
Mazda claims that this expertise permits it to ship 30 per cent extra torque than a normal SkyActiv G 2.0-litre engine, whereas additionally besting the SkyActiv D diesel in gas financial system.
Actual-world testing of the Mazda 3 with this powertrain has proven its mixed financial system to be barely higher than that of the extra highly effective 2.5-litre engine, if not as frugal as, for instance, a Toyota Corolla hybrid. It’s additionally provided in the associated CX-30.
SkyActiv transmissions
Mazda has additionally utilized SkyActiv rules to the transmissions it makes use of, together with each guide and automated transmissions.
Guide transmissions have had greater than a century of refinement, but the guide transmission in Mazda’s MX-5 is broadly lauded as top-of-the-line accessible within the business no matter worth.
With its new SkyActiv-MT, Mazda aimed to copy the shift really feel of the MX-5 throughout manuals used all through its lineup, facilitating a discount in transmission weight of 16 per cent, by means of developments such because the removing of the reverse idle shaft.
Computerized transmissions have lengthy overtaken manuals in reputation in markets corresponding to Australia and the US, and maybe the extra spectacular improvement is Mazda’s SkyActiv-Drive automated transmission, which it claims combines the most effective parts of normal torque converter, CVT and dual-clutch transmissions utilized in different autos.
Virtually, SkyActiv-Drive works as a traditional automated transmission. Usually, these transmissions function a lock-up clutch that matches transmission velocity to engine velocity, however solely function 50 per cent of the time to take care of low ranges of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH).
With its SkyActiv-Drive transmission, Mazda makes use of a lock-up clutch that may function 80 per cent of the time and, with the addition of a vibration damper, doesn’t trigger any loss in refinement.
Mazda claims this permits its transmission to have the sleek takeoff and creeping of a conventional automated, with among the responsiveness and direct driving really feel of a dual-clutch, and not one of the slippage or droning noises generally skilled in CVT transmissions.
SkyActiv physique and chassis
Physique and chassis buildings are key contributors to the load and security of a car, and Mazda claims it has made vital enhancements underneath its SkyActive philosophy.
The general strategy right here was to coordinate the assorted disparate buildings which can be mixed to type a monocoque, with a give attention to load switch and rigidity. This meant that, the place doable, beforehand curved features of the monocoque would get replaced with a extra inflexible, straight half, whereas extra superior welding and bonding strategies can be used to create a repeatedly bonded framework.
These developments allowed Mazda to enhance security by making a extra refined multi-path load construction such that within the occasion of a collision, forces are distributed in a number of instructions fairly than by means of a single a part of the physique.
Supplies-wise, Mazda claims that autos with a SkyActiv physique additionally incorporate a higher proportion of high-tensile metal, bringing advantages to each physique energy and weight.
Whereas suspension and steering methods can range based mostly on mannequin (e.g. the Mazda 3 makes use of a less expensive torsion-beam rear suspension, fairly than an unbiased setup just like the Mazda 6 and CX-5), Mazda claims it has revised its strategy to suspension improvement, and has additionally launched a brand new electrical energy steering system that gives higher high-speed stability and low velocity agility.
Different car dynamics
Alongside enhancements to the bodily physique and chassis, Mazda has additionally launched extra superior digital car dynamics applied sciences, that intention to enhance cornering at velocity. Referred to as G-Vectoring Management and G-Vectoring Management Plus (GVC and GVC Plus), these can successfully be considered Mazda’s tackle torque vectoring.
The unique GVC minutely modulated engine torque output based mostly on the motive force’s steering and acceleration inputs, aiming to handle the forces that act on the car and supply delicate enhancements to car turn-in.
The newest system, GVC Plus, extra carefully mimics the brake-based torque vectoring methods utilized by different carmakers, in including momentary braking, in an try to enhance car stability and improve dealing with.