- Are Skyactiv engines Direct Injection (DI)?
- Does Skyactiv require premium gas?
- What does “Skyactiv” mean on a car?
- Is Skyactiv technology worth it?
- How does Skyactiv-G work?
- What are Skyactiv vehicle dynamics?
- Where did “Skyactiv” come from?
- Which Mazda models have Skyactiv?
- What is Skyactiv-X and which models have it?
- How long do Skyactiv engines last?
- Is Skyactiv a hybrid?
It’s been more than a decade since the 2012 Mazda3 offered up Mazda’s first-ever Skyactiv engines and transmissions. Shortly after, the 2013 CX-5 was the first full Skyactiv model, following with additional components and design.
Right around the time the first Mazda models rolled out of their factories wearing shiny little “SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY” badges on their trunks and tailgates, Mazda TV commercials were using the familiar ‘Zoom-Zoom’ slogan as part of a campaign promoting the automaker’s new, more sustainable engineering philosophy.
The idea was to create a brand name for a gene pool of new and upcoming technologies, systems, structures, and component designs that would power the next generation of fuel-efficient Mazda models. With Skyactiv branding, Mazda aimed to create an automatic blip on the mental radar of shoppers, an increasing number of whom were seeking the safest, most fun-to-drive, and most fuel-efficient models on the scene.
Below, we’ll answer 11 of the internet’s most popular search questions about Skyactiv technology, with help from Daniel Grenier, Mazda Canada’s National Manager of Technical Services.
Mazda Skyactiv engine Photo by Mazda
Are Skyactiv engines Direct Injection (DI)?
Yes. Like most modern gasoline engines, Skyactiv engines use a fuel injector that sprays gasoline at high pressure directly into the combustion chamber. This bypasses the intake valves and delivers fuel directly to the optimal location for combustion. Benefits include a cooling effect that helps enable higher compression ratios for added efficiency, and improved fuel and air mixing, for cleaner, fully optimized combustion.
Does Skyactiv require premium gas?
No. In North America, Skyactiv engines are built to run on regular-grade gasoline. Using pricier premium-grade gasoline may enable a torque and horsepower increase (depending on the year, model, and equipped engine) but 87 octane gas is all the Skyactiv engine needs to deliver its rated output figures.
Mazda Skyactiv badge Photo by Mazda
What does “Skyactiv” mean on a car?
The “Skyactiv” badge you see on the back of Mazda models means that vehicle is fitted with exclusive equipment, designs, and technologies that work hand in hand at improving efficiency and performance.
Shoppers can take the Skyactiv badge as Mazda’s seal of approval that the machine in question meets high standards of efficient performance.
Is Skyactiv technology worth it?
Most owners and experts say so. Remember, Skyactiv technology is built into Mazda models as standard equipment. It’s not an add-on package or option, but rather a built-in array of designs, equipment and features working together to create a crafted driving experience — specifically, one commonly noted for safety, pleasing dynamics and good fuel efficiency.
Mazda Skyactiv engine Photo by Mazda
How does Skyactiv-G work?
According to Grenier, Skyactiv-G is the world’s first gasoline engine for mass-production vehicles to achieve a high compression ratio of 14.0:1 on European-spec models; and a still-impressive 13.0:1 for North American models. The slightly lower compression ratio of North American models corresponds with our preference for vehicles that run on regular-grade fuel, not pricier high-octane gas. With a lower compression ratio in North American models, drivers get rated power output on 87-octane gasoline.
That high-compression-ratio characteristic of Skyactiv engines helps extract more energy from fuel, resulting in a 15-per-cent increase in fuel efficiency and torque versus Mazda’s non-Skyactiv engines. This benefits everyday driving and response at low to mid-engine speeds.
“A 4-2-1 exhaust system, cavity pistons, multi-hole injectors, and other innovations enable the high compression ratio” Grenier explains, adding “compression ratio, fuel economy, and torque vary according to market, carline and transmission.”
The Skyactiv engine is only part of the equation, of course. For instance, Mazda’s Skyactiv-Drive transmission combines the benefits of various types of automatic transmission into a single unit to achieve a 4 to 7 per cent further improvement in fuel efficiency.
“A dramatically widened lock-up range improves torque transfer efficiency and realizes a direct driving feel that is equivalent to a manual transmission,” Grenier says.
The powertrain team are housed within the Skyactiv-Body, engineered to meet top crash testing criteria while being both lighter and more rigid, to the benefit of handling and efficiency. From that basis the Skyactiv-Chassis employs further weight-reducing efforts and enhanced suspension and steering functions to deliver a more engaging drive.
What are Skyactiv vehicle dynamics?
Part of the Skyactiv series, Skyactiv vehicle dynamics technologies provide integrated control of the engine, transmission, chassis and body to enhance the feeling of connectedness between the car and driver. Mazda calls this philosophy Jinba-Ittai, roughly translated from Japanese to mean ‘the rider and horse as one’.
This signature driving feel is enhanced with Skyactiv vehicle dynamics features, including G-Vectoring Control, which enhances chassis performance using the engine.
Mazda Skyactiv frame Photo by Mazda
When your vehicle decelerates, its front end becomes heavier. You notice this when you brake, as the front of your car tends to squat down. Even releasing the throttle pedal can shift weight to the front of your car, but by a far smaller amount. Ultimately, weight transfer between the front and rear of the car can be generated easily, just by working the throttle or brakes.
The computer brain in Mazda’s with G-Vectoring Control system capitalizes on this. When drivers steer the car, the system uses its electronics to briefly adjust the engine’s throttle signal in sync with their steering input. The throttle adjustment happens in a blink and is invisible to the driver, though it effects sufficient weight transfer onto the front wheels to improve cornering feel and handling.
Benefits include improved driver confidence, reduced fatigue, and enhanced peace of mind enabled by more stable vehicle motion and handling. From the driver’s seat? Expect a high-precision feel to the handling, and an easier time placing the vehicle in corners.
Where did “Skyactiv” come from?
Skyactiv technology evolved from a drive to create cars and crossovers that are always evolving to deliver more safety, efficiency, and driving pleasure. It signifies a special approach to designing and building cars, and Mazda says the term itself evolved from “The Sky’s The Limit,” a catch-phrase once used to describe a commitment to go ‘above and beyond.’
A Mazda Skyactiv engine and chassis Photo by Mazda
Which Mazda models have Skyactiv?
“Since 2013, all new models were manufactured with the Skyactiv technologies, which includes engine, transmission, chassis, body, and the suite of safety technology” explains Grenier.
What is Skyactiv-X and which models have it?
Skyactiv-X is a first-of-its-kind combustion engine technology that uses a new very-high-compression engine design. The extreme-compression combustion characteristic of the Skyactiv-X engine takes current Skyactiv engine tech to the next level, promising to reduce emissions while improving torque by 10 to 30 per cent, and using less fuel than Mazda’s Skyactiv-D diesel engine to do it.
“Skyactiv-X has been available on Mazda3 in Europe, Japan, and other markets since 2019, and CX-30 in 2020, though the widely-anticipated technology has yet to make it into production for the North American market,” explains Grenier.
Mazda Skyactiv engine Photo by Mazda
Offering the best of both diesel and gasoline engines, Skyactiv-X uses a new technology called Spark Controlled Compression Ignition. On regular gasoline, the Skyactiv-X engine compresses a very lean mixture of air and fuel under extreme pressure. A spark plug ignites only a small, highly-dense amount of this mixture, the rest of which ignites under the pressure created by the initial spark. This allows the air-fuel mix to burn faster, and more completely.
“Engineers analyzed every detail from the piston shape to the swirl pattern of the fuel-air mix. As is the Mazda way, it’s those tiny details that make a huge difference,” he says.
How long do Skyactiv engines last?
“Thanks to the engine management system (PCM), the quality of the material used in the engine, and the low friction of the engine components, when properly maintained, the Skyactiv engines will last a very long time,” Grenier says.
“This allowed Mazda Canada to offer an unlimited mileage warranty for the last few years. While we keep improving the engine design and efficiency, Skyactiv-G 2.0L and 2.5L have been used in all of Mazda’s vehicles in Canada for over a decade.”
Mazda CX-5 cutaway Photo by Mazda
Is Skyactiv a hybrid?
Not here, not yet. According to Grenier, Mazda doesn’t currently offer Skyactiv engines with hybrid technology for the North American market.
“Mild-hybrid versions of the Skyactiv engines are now available in some other markets, and will be introduced in North America as more of Mazda’s models receive electrification,” he says.
Mazda has committed to all models having some form of electrification by 2030. Mazda was named the most fuel-efficient manufacturer in the U.S. for five years in a row, even without a hybrid system.
Keyword: Your Questions Answered: Mazda's Skyactiv technologies