- Mazda6 diesel gets 2.2-litre SKYACTIV-D engine, good for 168 hp and 290 lb.-ft.
- Combined city/highway fuel economy estimated at 30 mpg
- Diesel engine likely only offered in top-level Mazda6 Signature edition
The Mazda6 sedan will soon be offered with a SKYACTIV-D diesel engine, and the midsize sedan just received its emissions regulations certification from the California Air Resources Board, or CARB.
The U.S. market will get the Mazda6 diesel within the next few months, which will likely join the Mazda CX-5 diesel in the Japanese brand’s lineup as a 2021 model. Both models use the same 2.2-litre, turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine that develops 168 horsepower and 290 pound-feet of torque, matched to a six-speed automatic transmission.
However, there are currently no plans to sell the Mazda6 diesel in Canada.
In the U.S.-spec CX-5, the SKYACTIV-D engine is only offered in the top-level Signature trim level, and requires an extra investment of about $4,000 over the turbocharged, 2.5-litre gasoline mill. The latter produces 227 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque with regular unleaded—or 250 hp and 320 lb.-ft. with super fuel. We expect the Mazda6 diesel to also be offered in Signature trim only.
The CX-5 diesel boasts city/highway/combined ratings of 27/30/28 mpg, making it more efficient than with the 2.5T SKYACTIV-G engine, which is rated at 22/27/24 mpg. If we project that 14% improvement in the Mazda6 diesel, it should consume about 30 mpg on the combined cycle.
The SKYACTIV-D mill was promised for the sedan way back in 2011, but the automaker ran into emissions certifications issues and never ended up putting it into production for the U.S. and Canada.
Will the arrival of a Mazda6 diesel stop the model’s sales skid in the United States? Likely not. In 2019, Mazda6 sales dropped 30.4% in the U.S. and 39% in Canada.
