Australian website carsguide.com.au reports that the next Mazda 3 MPS could not only get four-wheel drive to cure the copious amounts of torque steer that beset the current model, but also a turbocharged version of the 2.5 litre direct-injected SkyActiv-G four-cylinder engine.
This would naturally present a bit of a quandary, because the SkyActiv petrol engines feature a very high compression ratio compared to other petrol engines to improve torque and fuel economy, which would not work well with turbocharging. However, the report, citing the Japanese magazine Holiday Auto, claims that Mazda engineers have already solved the problem.
The same source also states that the new engine will be completed in about two years. which suggests that the next MPS will be ready at the same time. Power output is expected to reach 300 hp, channeled through a six-speed manual to all four wheels.
All this is, of course, in contrast to original Auto Express report which claimed that the car would feature a high-revving, naturally-aspirated 2.0 litre Skyactiv-G engine making about 200 hp, over 50 hp less than the current MPS. Other recent reports suggested that Mazda was even considering a diesel engine – imagine that! – at some point in the car's development.
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