Mazda says official fuel consumption figures for its new CX-60 3.3-litre turbo-petrol six show that it's ever-so-slightly cleaner than the current CX-5 2.5-litre naturally aspirated four - despite boasting two more cylinders, 50 per cent more power and twice as much torque.
The CX-60 returns 7.4 litres per 100km on a combined cycle, which is identical to the CX-5. The CO2 output is one gram lower at 171g/km.
Those figures are different to the 3P-WLTP standard used for New Zealand's Clean Car Discount "feebate" calculations, but parity between CX-60 and CX-5 will be good news for Mazda NZ; the CX-5 is in the neutral zone (no rebate/fine), so the company will be hoping to achieve the same for CX-60 when it's launched here later this year.
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The CX-60 is the first SUV on Mazda's new Large Product Group platform. The 3.3-litre "e-SkyActiv G" powertrain has the benefit of a 48-volt mild hybrid system, which is powerful enough to drive the car on electric power only for short distances (like a "full" hybrid).
Mazda says the larger displacement of the 3.3-litre actually improves efficiency, as the higher volume of air enables more complete combustion and a wider lean-burn range.
The "M Hybrid Boost" 48v system supports the engine during the light-load range (idle to low speed) – where internal combustion engines are typically not very efficient – via an electric motor mounted between the engine and gearbox.
Peak power and torque numbers are 209kW/450Nm; the torque curve is flat from 2000-3500 rpm. The 0-100km/h sprint time of 6.9 seconds is 0.8sec quicker than a CX-5 turbo. The same inline six engine is used in another new Large Product Group SUV, the CX-90 seven-seater, with 254kW/500Nm - making it Mazda's most powerful production model ever (the CX-90 is also NZ-bound).
The second petrol powerplant for the CX-60 is a 2.5-litre with plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) technology - a first for Mazda. It’s also the most powerful CX-60, with 241kW/500Nm.
All variants utilise a rear-biased all-wheel drive setup with a newly developed Skyactiv-Drive eight-speed automatic transmission.
