Chunky performance figures emerge out of Japan for new Mazda CX-60 diesel, but how do they compare upmarket?
Mazda has confirmed outputs of the all-new 3.3-litre inline six-cylinder turbo-diesel engine in the 2023 Mazda CX-60, and the gutsy straight-six oil-burner is set to churn out 170kW of power and 500Nm of torque.
That’s a sizeable advance on Mazda’s own 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, which makes 140kW/450Nm in the CX-5 and CX-8.
But factor in the optional 48-volt mild-hybrid system and the figures jump to 187kW/550Nm, which are big numbers for a mainstream Japanese model – even one with upmarket aspirations.
In its most potent form, Mazda says the diesel CX-60 will spring to 100km/h in a spritely 7.3 seconds and push on to a top speed of 220km/h.
As previously reported, transmission duties will be taken care of exclusively by a new eight-speed automatic.
However, Mazda’s new I6 diesel falls short of the 227kW/700Nm outputs offered by Toyota’s first V6 turbo-diesel of the same capacity, which debuted in the 2022 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series.
And while it trumps the performance of smaller four-cylinder diesel donks from mainstream competitors, Mazda’s new diesel six – at least in debut form – lacks the performance of similar engines in more expensive SUVs from premium brands.
Without knowing the CX-60’s local pricing and specification details, it’s difficult to nominate and bench-test a clear rival, but we expect the Genesis GV70 to be a likely alternative.
The CX-60’s non-electrified SKYACTIV-D engine has the GV70’s 154kW/440Nm 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel more than covered in terms of both power and torque, with the e-SKYACTIV-D only serving to widen the gap further.
Indeed Mazda’s new oil-burning six comfortably outmuscles most of the four-cylinder models from both the mainstream and premium markets in terms of mid-size SUVs.
But lets compare apples with apples and narrow the competition down exclusively to six-cylinder diesel mills.
In this instance the Mazda CX-60 doesn’t quite have everything its own way because within the medium SUV class at least, larger-capacity sixes are usually reserved for the higher end and performance variants.
Working alphabetically, the Audi Q5 50 TDI sits one rung below the aggro SQ5 TDI and by default becomes the first upmarket medium SUV to be offered with a turbo-diesel six-cylinder.
Displacing three litres and developing 210kW/600Nm, the Audi comfortably out-muscles the Mazda, but the CX-60 will almost undoubtedly be cheaper than the Audi Q5 50 TDI ($94,900).
Likewise, the architecturally similar 3.0-litre inline-six turbo-diesel in the BMW X3 30d also blows the Mazda diesel away with outputs of 195kW/620Nm.
The Daimler group doesn’t currently offer a diesel Mercedes-Benz GLC locally, but in Europe the GLC 300de 4MATIC’s 2.0-litre mild-hybrid turbo-diesel four makes 194kW/440Nm.
And the more comparable 3.0-litre inline diesel six in the bigger Mercedes-Benz GLE 400d is even further ahead of the Mazda engine in terms of power – and torque – with outputs of 243kW/700Nm.
Similarly, while the Jaguar E-PACE is a four-cylinder-only model, Jaguar Land Rover’s 3.0-litre inline-six turbo-diesel produces a healthier 221kW/650Nm in the larger F-PACE D300.
Likewise, Volkswagen does have a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel with identical performance to the Mazda CX-60 at base level (170kW/500Nm), but it’s only available in the Volkswagen Touareg – a larger and more expensive SUV.
For those chasing something a little sportier, the CX-60 will also be available with a 223kW four-cylinder plug-in hybrid petrol/electric powertrain, as well as a free-breathing straight-six petrol engine, the finer details of which are yet to emerge.
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Keyword: Mazda’s beefy new inline-six turbo-diesel detailed