Everything we know about the new SkyActiv -Z -Motor from Mazda (so far) -Jalopnik

Mazda has developed a wide range of engines and drive systems over the years. Mazda pioneer with rotating technology was famous, but the Japanese automaker also developed rotating hybrids, fully electrical systems, plug-in hybrids, mild-hybrids and a series of ordinary combustion engines, such as the SkyActiv-X and SkyActiv-G engines.

It is the last, the SkyActiv-G, which Mazda wants to replace with his SkyActiv-Z-engine. The SkyActiv-G engine is currently feeding a lot of the schedule of the automaker, including the Boosted Mazda3 that we test in 2022 and the striking Mazda CX-50. Mazda’s SkyActiv Engine Tech is more than just branding, and as a result, the SkyActiv-G engine is extremely efficient and has an incredibly high compression ratio of a maximum of 14: 1. That said, details about the emerging replacement are relatively thin on the ground.

However, we have some information, such as the emission standards that the SkyActiv-Z-engine will have to meet, what Tech Mazda works hard to record, and roughly when the new engines arrive on American roads.

The image above shows a 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder skyactiv-z-engine that is undergoing tests. As with all Mazda engines that came for it, the SkyActiv-Z will have to deliver promising performance on the road, but it must also be efficient enough to compete with important competition. Potentially standing in the way of achieving these goals, are the current Euro 7 regulations in Europe and North America Lev IV IMISSIAN standards. That is one of the problems of developing a car and engine that must perform on a global scale – different locations will have different requirements and limitations, and for Mazda it can all prove a large order at the same time.

Mazda should therefore not only ensure that the SkyActiv-Z-Motor delivers from the point of view of a driver, but it must also bring efficiency and tidiness at the forefront of the image more than ever before. Fortunately, Mazda therapists here seem more than the curve and they have already suggested how they want to ensure that the next generation of engines will impress.

Thermal efficiency in the context of engines refers to how efficiently the engine converts the energy of fuel into useful mechanical work. If too much of that energy escapes in the form of heat, the engine is not thermally efficient. While Mazda has tackled this with his previous-gen family of engines, things want to go even further with the SkyActiv-Z by including the combustion technology of compression ignition.

Masahisa Yamakawa, a leading figure in the Mazda’s Combustion Engine Development Team, informs us That the company “also intends to record new heat insulating technology. This technology puts heat to escape from the engine in power, which further improves thermal efficiency.”

Heat insulation is just one way in which Mazda hopes to increase the thermal efficiency of the threatening SkyActiv-Z-Motor. While many details are kept still for now, Yamakawa reveals That Mazda wants to “make a motor with a high thermal efficiency at every speed or speed range.” Mazda hopes to achieve these exalted goals without sacrificing the output of the engine, which will help ensure that the engine delivers when it comes to driving performance and experience. In short, a lot of work is done in terms of heat management to ensure that efficiency and performance can co-exist in the new SkyActiv-Z-Motor.

It is surprising enough to see an automaker invest so much time and money in a new internal combustion engine in 2025. However, with the dominance of electrification that apparently slows down and Mazda as a driver -oriented brand, it might be logical. However, what is not logical is the development of a new motorcycle family that is not designed as a hybrid compatible from the start, and Mazda knows this.

The car manufacturer has revealed that the next generation CX-5 will receive a SkyActiv-Z-TRIAK line towards the end of 2027. Unfortunately, that is all we know with regard to the next generation Mazda CX-5 Hybrid-We know that the 2026 Mazda CX-5 does not look great, although it is likely that the success of the current model is.

There is currently no CX-5 hybrid for sale, but there is a CX-50-hybrid, which links a 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder SkyActiv-G engine with three electric motors for a combined output of 219 hp. Assuming Mazda will improve this somewhat, which is usually the case, we may expect an output north of 220 horses for the next generation CX-5 Hybrid, which will be an important upgrade about the 187 horses that have been kicked out by the non-Turbo-CX-5 that Mazda currently sells.

Details are thin on the ground when it comes to an exact release date for the engine and the full specifications, but we do know that the CX-5 Hybrid in which it is set to debut in 2027, which means that the SkyActiv-Z-Motor also has to arrive by that time. Certainly, at a certain point during the next 12 to 18 months, more details such as horsepower and torque outputs will arrive for the long-awaited SkyActiv-G replacement.

There are rumors about other new models that arrive in the coming years, from electrified sedans to the ever -increasing threat of a new generation of Mazda Miatas. Perhaps the stars are perfectly in accordance with a SkyActiv-Z engine to arrive just in time for the next generation of Miata models, with a whole series of new SUV and smaller models that can be followed. The evergreen Mazda3 has been around for a while since he arrived on stage for the first time in 2013, so perhaps that is also a likely candidate for innovation when the new motorcycle family eventually goes on the road.