Mazda’s next CX-9 crossover is likely to forego V-6 power in favor of a turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine, according to an interview with Mazda’s global head of sales and marketing Masahiro Moro, published in Australia’s CarAdvice .
The current CX-9 rides on a dinosaur of a platform that debuted on the first-generation Mazda 6 back in 2002, and is powered by a 273-hp V-6 from Ford’s parts bin. But with Ford having untied itself from the Japanese company, Mazda is free to explore other options to power vehicles like the next CX-9. Such a vehicle will certainly require more horsepower than the 155-hp 2.0-liter and 184-hp 2.5-liter Skyactiv four-cylinders currently offered in the 10Best-winning 3 and 6 sedans, as well as the CX-5 crossover.
According to Moro, a turbocharged four-pot is the most likely candidate, although it’s unclear if he has a particular engine in mind. Due to their high compression ratios and other internal engine tech, simply slapping a turbocharger on Mazda’s current Skyactiv engines isn’t an easy solution, so Mazda may have to source the engine from some other place, or engineer a version of the Skyactiv engine with turbocharging in mind.
What about that sweet, 2.2-liter Skyactiv diesel engine that’s been delayed time and again for the U.S.-market 6 sedan? It’s unlikely for the CX-9. “With the CX-9, the main market is the U.S.A. In general, these customers don’t have a strong preference towards diesel engines. So probably the main engine should be a petrol engine in my opinion,” said Moro. And what about a hybrid? “Not really a high priority for us other than in the Japanese market.”
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As with the 6 and the 3, the next-generation CX-9 is expected to be considerably lighter than its predecessor, so a relatively robust turbo four could indeed be sufficient. At minimum, we expect the next CX-9 to be entertaining to drive, a feat Mazda managed to pull off with the current iteration. Whatever the automaker decides upon for the CX-9, it likely will make its way into more models, and we’d like to see it put some real zoom-zoom into, say, in a new Mazdaspeed 3 or Mazdaspeed 6. Or both. (Production of either model would still be some time out, and neither is officially confirmed as of today.)
Will a six-cylinder engine ever return to the Mazda lineup? Not any time soon, but Mazda’s thinking about it. “As Mazda is moving up towards premium territory, at some point in time we will need a six-cylinder,” Moro said. “It’s too early, we don’t have a car yet. But we are collecting advice as to V-6 or straight-six.”
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