EPA Quietly Rates Mazda CX-5 Diesel Engine Efficiency at Up To 29 mpg Combined
The question of Mazda bringing a diesel powertrain to the U.S. has been pretty open for some time, with the brand at the end of 2016 promising that it would be bringing a diesel engine for its CX-5 crossover. At the time, it promised that the diesel engine would show up in the second half of 2017, but sadly, this was not to be, and the CX-5 diesel never materialized.
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Now, though, the EPA unceremoniously published ratings for the CX-5 equipped with a 2.2-liter turbocharged diesel engine. This is a great sign for those who have been waiting for a diesel Mazda, as official government testing likely means its release is at hand.
Photo:EPA
So, the official CX-5 diesel rating is for 28 mpg in the city, 31 mpg on the highway, and 29 mpg combined for two-wheel drive. For all-wheel drive, the numbers are 27 mpg city, 30 mpg highway, and 28 mpg combined. Surprisingly, this isn’t much higher efficiency than the engine currently in the CX-5. It makes the same highway fuel economy ratings, but 3 fewer mpg in the city for both two-wheel and all-wheel drive.
It is possible, though, that this is because the 2.2-liter turbo-diesel will make more power than the current engine. There are two different European-spec diesel CX-5 models, both with the same displacement. In theory, either could possibly make their way to the U.S. model. The first makes 147.5 horsepower and about 280 lb-ft of torque, while the second pushes those numbers up to about 173 horsepower and about 310 lb-ft of torque.
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Currently, the CX-5’s 2.5-liter engine makes 187 horsepower and 186 lb-ft of torque so either diesel engine would offer enormous torque increases over the gas model. Of course, though, we won’t know for certain what the engine specs are until Mazda releases them.
Sadly, the company is keeping up its usual tight-lipped stance. In response to Jalopnik questioning, it merely responded that Mazda is committed to bringing the diesel engine to the U.S.
News Sources: Jalopnik, EPA, Mazda UK
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