There’s no doubt that Mazda produce some of the best looking mass market vehicles. However, there’s a lot more to their current products than meets the eye.
You may have come across the term ‘SKYACTIV’ and wondered what exactly it meant. Well, rest assured it’s more than just a marketing term. In a nutshell, SKYACTIV is used to denote a bunch of technologies that Mazda developed from scratch after their partnership with Ford ended in 2008. By going back to the drawing board and redesigning everything from scratch, Mazda avoided turbocharging their engines, using complicated dual-clutch transmissions or expensive aluminium bodywork. And yet, they still managed to meet their goals.
For part 1, we’ve compiled these easy-to-understand videos from Mazda Australia that talk about their engine, transmission, body and chassis. There will be more videos to come in Part 2 about safety and some of the other optional accessories.
SKYACTIV-G petrol engine explained:
SKYACTIV transmissions explained:
i-ELOOP energy recovery system explained:
SKYACTIV body & chassis explained:
