Less than two months ago, Mazda Motor Corporation debuted their SKYACTIV engine technology. It may still be remarkably green, but the 2.0 liter G inline four cylinder has already made it on to Ward’s Auto 10 Best Engines list. With an emphasis placed upon economy, the SKYACTIV-G was designed to be as efficient as possible while still being gasoline-powered and naturally aspirated. Breaking the commonalty, Mazda’s latest powerplant uses the industry’s highest compression ratio found in a mass-produced vehicle: 14:1. In the North American Mazda3, the SKYACTIV-G runs a slightly lower ratio (12:1) in order to run 87 octane fuel. Even still, the block can allow the compact to average 40 mpg on the highway.
“There are a lot of fine new affordable four-cylinder engines available in the market today, but the SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter engine in the Mazda3 compact car is the best of the lot,” added Tom Murphy, executive editor for Ward’s Auto. The 2.0 liter was described as being not only “smooth” and “quick” but “frisky” and even “fascinating”. Accompanying the high-compression ratio is a 4-2-1 exhaust, cavity pistons, dual sequential valve timing and 155 horsepower.
Source: Mazda
