It’s got the most powerful mass-produced Mazda engine ever. It’s rear-wheel-drive (“well, rear-biased all-wheel-drive”). And … it’s another SUV.
Why couldn’t it be a car, like the Mazda RX-Vision concept that was revealed in 2015?
Mazda recently announced the power plant for its new CX-90 SUV. The engine is a 3.3-liter turbocharged inline-six that puts out 340 horsepower and 369 …
So it sounds that Mazda will be one of the first to make the jump back to an I6. I was kind of working on one as my last project a year ago- but then I stopped working.
Not a lot of automakers are introducing ground-up new combustion engines right now. Mazda does not follow the crowd.
They need a halo car other than a sub-$30k roadster. They need that RX-Vision. So cool.
I've been hearing rumors of this inline-six engine for awhile. I've also been hearing rumors of a RWD, inline-six sport coupe. Well, one of two rumors came true.
Did you guys get any details of the I6? Theoretically, a single turbo version is a big help for emissions.
Mazda explicitly said they were building a straight six back in 2019, I think. The RWD coupe part clearly comes from the RX-Vision.
I wonder if it will fit in a Miata? I stuffed a Volvo 6 cylinder into a 4 banger Volvo 1800 45 years ago... hint, hint.
If this was out I would have bought it instead of the Jeep for the wife. Tried to get her in a cx50 but she wasn't a fan
alfadriver said:So it sounds that Mazda will be one of the first to make the jump back to an I6. I was kind of working on one as my last project a year ago- but then I stopped working.
Stellantis just came out with one, too. Interesting how cyclical these things can be.
If Mazda puts this in a sedan or a coupe with a great chassis and the steering from the CX-50 (that Throttle House compared to Lotus steering), I will be very excited!
I'm curious what the price of the new CX-90 will be. The better half liked the CX-5 loaner we had a few years ago.
z31maniac said:I'm curious what the price of the new CX-90 will be. The better half liked the CX-5 loaner we had a few years ago.
Likely to start above $40K for base
J.A. Ackley said:I've been hearing rumors of this inline-six engine for awhile. I've also been hearing rumors of a RWD, inline-six sport coupe. Well, one of two rumors came true.
One of two rumors came true so far.
Keith Tanner said:They need a halo car other than a sub-$30k roadster. They need that RX-Vision. So cool.
We the niche GRM/enthusiast crowd think they need it. In reality they don't, just like how Toyota doesn't need the BRZ and Supra to sell more Rav4's. It would be incredibly cool but I wouldn't hold my breath. Mazda is still a very small company and I'd be surprised if they can afford to develop two sports cars in the ever-growing world of SUVs and crossovers.
wasn't there also a rumor of Mazda working with Toyota on a sporty sedan?
Will people complain if Toyota used a Mazda I6 instead of BMW's?
Keith Tanner said:Not a lot of automakers are introducing ground-up new combustion engines right now. Mazda does not follow the crowd.
They need a halo car other than a sub-$30k roadster. They need that RX-Vision. So cool.
That vision coupe is beautiful. This setup sounds like it could be a direct competitor to the MDX Type S, which, is a great car.
Would love to see this in a sedan.
I almost forgot that Mazda held some sort of financial meeting a few years ago that pretty much spilled the beans on its new inline-six:
[Mazda Touts New Inline-Six Engine]
It's not a long read, but here's the slide from the presentation that detailed the new engine(s):
In reply to j_tso :
That's a theory that I've had in my head. I don't know if there will be less complaining, but Toyota souring inline sixes from Mazda seems more right?
maschinenbau said:Keith Tanner said:They need a halo car other than a sub-$30k roadster. They need that RX-Vision. So cool.
We the niche GRM/enthusiast crowd think they need it. In reality they don't, just like how Toyota doesn't need the BRZ and Supra to sell more Rav4's. It would be incredibly cool but I wouldn't hold my breath. Mazda is still a very small company and I'd be surprised if they can afford to develop two sports cars in the ever-growing world of SUVs and crossovers.
Yeah, a halo CAR is not likely to help sell (essentially) trucks. The good news for Mazda is that they almost have the budget sports car market to themselves. Beyond the Miata there's the BRZ but the next step is the more expensive Boxter and it only gets worse from there.
Another thought as we've seen some brand new ICE developments in a world of EV only futures recently, is hydrogen ready for a comeback?
j_tso said:wasn't there also a rumor of Mazda working with Toyota on a sporty sedan?
Will people complain if Toyota used a Mazda I6 instead of BMW's?
They probably would, but it won't happen. It's not so much that Toyota is using the BMW I6 in their car, as it is, it's really a hard top Z4 with Toyota bodywork and suspension tuning.
Even the inside is straight out of the BMW.
From the website: "the 3.3-liter inline 6 turbo is the most powerful engine we’ve ever engineered, and was developed in unison with a performance focused vehicle platform, to support a front engine, rear-biased AWD layout. "
Hopefully when they say platform it is modular enough to be used for more than SUVs. To those of you in the industry who understand platform engineering, is that even possible?
triumph7 said:maschinenbau said:Keith Tanner said:They need a halo car other than a sub-$30k roadster. They need that RX-Vision. So cool.
We the niche GRM/enthusiast crowd think they need it. In reality they don't, just like how Toyota doesn't need the BRZ and Supra to sell more Rav4's. It would be incredibly cool but I wouldn't hold my breath. Mazda is still a very small company and I'd be surprised if they can afford to develop two sports cars in the ever-growing world of SUVs and crossovers.
Yeah, a halo CAR is not likely to help sell (essentially) trucks. The good news for Mazda is that they almost have the budget sports car market to themselves. Beyond the Miata there's the BRZ but the next step is the more expensive Boxter and it only gets worse from there.
Another thought as we've seen some brand new ICE developments in a world of EV only futures recently, is hydrogen ready for a comeback?
Last question: no. It's as ready as it always was, comforting because it seems familiar but basically unworkable. Even the concept of a fast fill doesn't really work if you have multiple cars back to back. But the Japanese government likes the idea so the Japanese automakers will keep trying a little.
Pretty much every automaker has a halo car. Even Mazda has had them in the past. Corvettes sell Blazers by making them seem cooler than just a tall station wagon.
Mazda's got the budget sports car market to themselves because nobody has been able to compete ;) There have been past attempts and there will be more attempts. Others seem to aim more upmarket (BMW, Porsche, Honda) and then discover that the "budget" part was actually important. Or they build crap (Ford Capri) or just walk away (Solstice). But if Mazda wants to portray themselves as a premium brand (which they do) then they need a showcase. There's a new Miata coming soon, it would not be a surprise to see something else sharing the RWD longitudinal platform. We've seen that before :)
If anyone puts this straight six in a Miata, I'm calling it an MX-5C.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
I agree that if the halo car thing happens, it's likely a stretched and shared platform with the Miata like the NC/RX-8. Which is not a bad thing at all.
Is no one else going to mention the fact that mazda's most powerful engine ever has 340hp? I truly feel embarassed for them.
alfadriver said:Did you guys get any details of the I6? Theoretically, a single turbo version is a big help for emissions.
340hp/369 ft-lbs, and very likely to include a 48V mild hybrid system.
They also have a 3.3L inline 6 powered by diesel in Europe, which I'd guess shares some components with this new gasser.
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