What is the Skyactiv®-Z engine?
The Skyactiv®-Z engine is Mazda’s upcoming third-generation Skyactiv® engine that the company plans to launch in 2027. Branding and marketing aside, the Skyactiv® engine lineage leverages impressive technological developments that achieve a combination of both fuel efficiency and performance that seemed technologically unobtainable in a gasoline engine. The goal of the Skyactiv®-Z revision is to achieve “theoretical ideal combustion efficiency” by getting as close as possible to a perfect air-fuel equivalence ratio.
Combining Efficiency With Lower Emissions
Scientists measure air-fuel equivalent ratio efficiency using a lambda rating system, with a score of 1.0 indicating a perfect rating. When a gasoline engine achieves a lambda of 1.0, it achieves peak fuel efficiency with minimal emissions. Aside from saving customers money at the pump and offering zippy performance on the road, these engines are also better for the environment and can meet strict emissions regulations, including Euro 7 and the US LEV4/Tier 4.
Ready to Launch (almost) Mazda plans to launch the Skyactiv®-Z engine in a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder model with the next-generation Mazda CX-5 crossover in 2027. The Skyactiv®-Z improves efficiency and performance by offering better thermal efficiency across a wider temperature range. Additionally, Mazda has an inline-6-cylinder version planned to arrive sometime after the 4-cylinder model and intends to apply the Skyactiv®-Z engine technology and learn toward future rotary engines. Mazda will have fewer engine variants on the market following the launch of this engine.
What Makes the Skyactiv® Engine Unique? Mazda continued to develop internal combustion engines at a time when most manufacturers had shifted to hybrids and electric motors, with the belief that the technology still had room to improve. The first Skyactiv® engine achieved an impressive 70 MPG in 2010, marking its debut in the Mazda2. The technology focuses on seven control factors to achieve ideal combustion:
- Compression ratio
- Air-fuel ratio
- Combustion period
- Combustion timing
- Wall surface heat transfer
- Pumping loss
- Mechanical loss
The engine’s breakthrough occurrswith the improvement of the compression ratio, which is the ratio of gasoline and air in a gaseous state, increasing from the typical 11:1 rating to 14:1. Engineers applied stronger engine pistons built to handle the extra force from the ignition, thereby avoiding uneven fuel burning, which could damage the engine to pull off this previously unachievable ratio.Â
The engine also employs a combustion method called Spark Plug Controlled Compression Ignition, introduced with the Skyactiv®-X engine models, which combines gasoline spark and diesel compression combustion methods to achieve highly efficient performance.
Whether you’re waiting for a sedan or crossover that uses the impressive Skyactiv®-Z engine or are looking at taking advantage of the already remarkable Skyactiv®-X engine, we have you covered at Galpin Mazda. If you’re near Los Angeles, swing by for a test drive today.
