Smaller diesel ruled out for Aussie Mazda3

The downsized 1.5-litre SKYACTIV-D diesel engine offered overseas in both the Mazda2 and Mazda3 will not make it into local showrooms for the foreseeable future, despite being potentially far cheaper than the sole Mazda3 diesel variant, the $40,000-plus XD Astina sport hatch launched this week.

That's the word from Mazda Australia, which told motoring.com.au that the Europe-only engine offering is simply not on its radar at this stage.

"We have no plans to introduce a smaller-capacity diesel to the Mazda3 range at this point," said Mazda Australia PR chief Steve Maciver.

"Having just introduced the [Mazda3] XD Astina model, powered by the 2.2-litre high-performance diesel, we are happy with the engine line-up in the Mazda3 range.

"We feel that with a 2.0-litre and a 2.5-litre petrol, and a 2.2-litre diesel, there are an adequate number of choices there for Australian consumers."

Maciver explained that unlike Europe, Australia does not offer the same incentives for buyers of low-emissions engines including small-capacity turbo-diesels and said that the price premium of a smaller diesel engine in the current Mazda3 line-up would not necessarily be worth the return for customers.

With the 2.0-litre SKYACTIV-G (petrol) engine returning a combined-cycle fuel consumption figure of just 5.7L/100km, the difference between a more expensive — albeit more efficient — 1.5-litre SKYACTIV-D could take many years to recoup.

Producing 77kW and 250Nm, the low-capacity diesel sips as little as 4.2L/100km on the NEDC combined cycle and emits 119g/km of CO2.

In other markets, including the UK, the 1.5-litre SKYACTIV-D is found in a range of Mazda vehicles including the Mazda2, Mazda3 and even CX-5. It is also expected to make an appearance under the bonnet of the upcoming CX-3 light SUV, which will share its underpinnings with the latest Mazda2.

"Obviously as the car [Mazda3] moves through the life cycle, and further down the line, who knows what may lie in store, but at the moment there is no plan to introduce a small-capacity diesel to the Mazda3," Maciver concluded.