The 2012 Mazda3 SkyActiv looks virtually similar to the 2011 model, the new compact providing, unveiled nowadays at the Canadian International Auto Show, does receive some mechanical improvements designed to extend fuel economy. The 2012 Mazda3 is the 1st production model to implement Mazda’s new SkyActiv powertrain that aims to eke further economy and performance from existing drivetrain technologies. The Mazda3 are offered with Mazda’s SkyActiv-G gasoline engine, along with an efficient SkyActiv-Drive automatic transmission.

In company tests, i-Stop affected the official EPA fuel economy test-test cycle results by barely quite a tenth of a mile per gallon. Detailed specifications are still forthcoming, however the Mazda3’s Sky-G engine could be a 2.0-liter, direct-injection I-4, that options a 14:1 compression ratio to spice up low-end torque. Company representatives have shied far from promising any fuel economy figures; however Mazda has previously advised that the optimized SkyActiv drivelines will increase fuel economy by a minimum of 15%. The company’s clever i-Stop systems do not use the starter to bring the engine back to life; rather, they stop the engine at an exact position so it may be restarted by well applying fuel and spark at simply the proper timing to 1, then more, cylinders, bringing it back to idle speed in only 0.35 seconds.

Although the SkyActiv-G engine is comparable in specification to that utilized in the Japanese-market Mazda3, there’s still no word if Mazda’s i-Stop engine start/stop perform is destined for North America. Representatives tell us the system, that guarantees a 10-percent fuel economy improvement in urban traffic remains being thought of, however is years away.

The Mazda3 SkyActiv Four-Cylinder, We’ve previously been told that Canada, which is ramping up anti-idle mandates, is also the first North yankee market to receive the technology. At this point, with the new EPA fuel economy standards framework (up through 2025) announced last week, Mazda SkyActiv First Look, at the side of several other automakers, is hoping for incentives or credits that will create a system viable and competitive within the U.S.

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