Which Mazda3 is better: diesel or petrol?

By Farzana Chaumoo

We compare the fuel consumption, emissions and performance of the 2.0-litre petrol and 2.2-litre turbodiesel engines found in the Mazda3 hatchback.

 

Petrol

The Mazda3 hatch range uses several engines ranging from a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that produces 73 kW, to the popular 2.0-litre, with outputs of 88 kW and 121 kW, depending on trim. These are all , Euro V compliant, and use a very high compression ratio to maintain optimum efficiency.

The next generation of petrol engines touted to be employed in the Mazda3 is the SkyActiv-X 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine range. Mazda has previously said that they could do bigger or smaller engines and that the tech would be applicable, however, there’s no need for it just yet. SkyActiv-X engines have only been put into production this year and will run at higher revs without drinking as much fuel. Mazda’s future cars will have shorter gearing and a shorter final drive ratio, which will enhance its performance.

 

Diesel

The diesel engines in the range consist of the award-winning 2.2-litre SKYACTIV-D turbo diesel engine, Euro VI compliant, that puts out 110 kW. This engine can be paired to either a six-speed SKYACTIV-MT manual transmission or a six-speed SKYACTIV-Drive automatic transmission.

Much like the CRDi engines, the  makes use of turbochargers to boost performance by increasing its torque and power output. The technology behind this engine has been a game changer.

 

Fuel Consumption

The SKYACTIV-D turbo diesel engine has a 20% better fuel efficiency due to the low compression ratio of 14.0:1 - the world’s lowest among diesel engines. The four-door Fastback, powered by the 110 kW/380 Nm SKYACTIV-D engine with manual transmission, will return a fuel consumption figure of 3.9-litres/100km and emissions of just 104 g/km.

The highly-efficient direct-injection petrol SKYACTIV-G engines also have a high compression ratio of 14.0:1 and have a 15% improvement in fuel efficiency. The five-door hatchback with the 88 kW/210 Nm SKYACTIV-G engine and manual transmission will return 5.1-litres/100km and emissions of 119 g/km.

 

0-100 km/h

The 2015 Mazda3 2.2 SkyActiv-D accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.3 seconds.

The 2017 Mazda3 2.0 SkyActiv-G accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.4 seconds.

 

Verdict

Our pick between the petrol and diesel engine is the diesel. It's a natural winner with its low fuel consumption and impressive torque figure, resulting in fewer revs being required to keep things moving.