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2020 Mazda CX-5 adds torque to the turbo engine, gets more expensive

The 2020 Mazda CX-5 is getting a little more desirable in the new model year. It’s also slightly more expensive. Most of the benefits are realized with the 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. This engine gets a small boost in torque, going from 310 pound-feet to 320 pound-feet. Horsepower stays the same at 250 horses, and the max power is still made using 93 octane fuel. We saw a similar torque gain in the 2020 CX-9. Mazda says it also added a new “Engine Harmonics Enhancer” that “tunes to the engine with a much more refined and powerful sound.” WeÂ’re guessing the turbocharged engine is going to sound just a hair better in 2020. When equipped with the turbocharged engine and all-wheel drive, the CX-5 also gets an off-road traction assist feature. Similar to the CX-9Â’s system, Mazda says “when the diagonal wheels lose traction, off-road traction assist will stop reducing the engine torque and increase the brake force on the wheels without traction.”  Mazda says all CX-5s will also take advantage of improved NVH, making the CX-5 feel a bit more premium and isolated from the road. Every CX-5 will also be equipped with MazdaÂ’s suite of i-Activsense safety features as standard in 2020, as well. This means adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist are both standard features now. As Mazda tries its best to move into the premium space, itÂ’s changed all the fonts on the badging and displays on the car. Although, Mazda neglected to include any photos of the new look, so weÂ’ll wait to judge on that front. The premium look and feel comes with a slightly higher price than 2019. A base Sport is $740 more expensive than last year, coming in at $26,135 after the $1,045 destination charge. The most luxurious Signature trim is just a touch more expensive than last year (by $165) at $38,100. What Mazda hasnÂ’t included in its 2020 rundown is the Skyactiv-D diesel option. WeÂ’ve reached out to Mazda to see if we can determine its fate in 2020 and will update this story upon hearing back. Update: Mazda responded to our request for comment. Since the 2019 diesel variant was on a different release schedule than the rest of the 2019 CX-5 lineup, the company isn't talking 2020 diesel yet. The company is treating it as a "future product," therefore it's not commenting on it.  We can only speculate as to what that means for the diesel CX-5, so we'll wait on official information from Mazda whenever it may come.

Autoblog Podcast #416

Episode #416 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Steven Ewing, and Brandon Turkus talk about the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata, seeing the 2016 Nissan Maxima in the company's Super Bowl ad, and GMC's potential plans for a Jeep Wrangler fighter. Of course, the podcast starts with what's in the garage and finishes up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the rundown with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #416 Topics 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata first drive 2016 Nissan Maxima previewed in Super Bowl ad GMC mulling Jeep Wrangler fighter In The Autoblog Garage 2015 Hyundai Genesis 5.0L V8 2015 Honda CR-V Long-Term 2015 Volkswagen GTI Hosts: Dan Roth, Steven Ewing, Brandon Turkus Runtime: 01:36:43 Rundown Intro and Garage - 00:00 Maxima – 30:48 Miata – 41:46 GMC/Wrangler – 59:14 Q&A - 01:11:13 Get The Podcast UStream – Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Feedback Email – Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes Podcasts GMC Honda Hyundai Jeep Mazda Nissan Volkswagen vw gti nissan maxima

Why Mazda’s Skyactiv-X compression-ignition engine is a smart hedge bet

Mazda has cracked the code on a compression-ignition engine, called Skyactiv-X (which utilizes SCCI, or Spark Controlled Compression Ignition). That's a neat engineering accomplishment, sure, but why is the tiny company investing big dollars in fancy tech that's frustrated the much larger companies who've investigated it? In this case, Mazda is peering into a crystal ball to consider how best to flow with a few troubling tides. One is the premature handwringing about the death of the internal combustion engine, another is Europe's swing away from diesel engines. Skyactiv-X seems, at this juncture, a hedge bet against both aspects. EV infrastructure lags massively behind our petroleum infrastructure — no shock there. Mazda claims the tech will net 20-30 percent gains in fuel efficiency over its current gasoline engines and about matching its diesel engine. And that's without any onboard hybrid tech, so that staves off the inevitable necessity to fully adopt electrification for a while — this is assuming that, at some point, it won't be practical to sell a non-hybrid or non-EV. At what date that happens is open to debate, but as I said above, technology like this kicks that decision point down the road a bit. Mazda is here translating research dollars into time, allowing its engine factories a few more years of probably profitable production of internal-combustion engines before retooling, and before somebody needs to pour a massive amount of money into a broad EV charging infrastructure to replace gas stations. None of this is happening fast enough for a wholesale transition to EVs anytime soon. So, that's one bet hedged. The next is Europe's declining interest in diesel engines for mainly health reasons. Just about a week ago, The New York Times posted an excellent primer on this issue, which is somewhat controversial in Europe. Germany's auto industry, a huge portion of its economy, is heavily invested in diesel tech and seriously opposed to proposals in Britain and France to eliminate the technology, which creates unhealthy diesel particulate emissions. The German industry is hoping Band-Aids like pollution-reducing measures will help them, but after a massive and widespread emission cheating scandal, its credibility is at a nadir. It seems like consumers have sensed which way the wind is blowing, and it has hurt sales. The NYT reports that diesel sales in Germany alone — remember, bastion and originator of diesel technology — are down 13 percent.