Japan is famous for creating practical, reliable, and long-lasting vehicles. Itâs not unusual to see a 20-year old Corolla still up and running in the road.
If you look up which cars are most famous in Japan, you'd find that Toyota dominates the roads, followed by Nissan.
But youâd be surprised to know that the most popular diesel car brand in the Land of the Rising Sun isnât a Toyota or a Nissan, itâs a Mazda. This is because Mazda utilizes their Skyactiv technology, a type of engine that promotes cleaner, multistage combustion.
Mazda uses the Skyactiv-D technology to make their vehicles more fuel efficient. Skyactiv technology uses the worldâs lowest diesel engine compression ratio to improve driving performance greatly, making it more fuel efficient and better for the environment. Skyactiv-D features a 20% better fuel efficiency, thanks to its low compression ratio of 14.0:1, a brand new two stage turbocharger that gives a smooth and linear response, and greatly complies with global emissions regulations, making your car a little friendlier to mother nature.
This highly efficient diesel engine is so beneficial that Mazda has sold over 500,000 vehicles since it has been implemented in the companyâs units, more than seven years ago. In total, this amounts to more than half of all diesel-powered cars sold in Japan from 2012 up to 2019.
The total number of diesel-powered cars sold in that time period is a little over 960,000, meaning Mazda accounts for about 52% of those vehicles.
Mazda has developed a lot of Skyactiv technology, and they continue to develop it today. Mazdaâs Skyactiv series provide the driver with integrated control of the engine, transmission, chassis, and body, giving a sense of âconnectedness between the car and driver.â
In the Philippines, the cars equipped with a Skyactiv-D engine are the Mazda CX-5 AWD Sport, and the Mazda 6 Signature. Both are relatively big cars, the CX-5 being a crossover SUV, and the Mazda 6 being a mid-size sedan. In terms of fuel efficiency, the Mazda 6 clocked in at about 11.5 km per liter, and the CX-5 managed about the same. Comparing them to their rivals, the Toyota Camry manages about 9-10 km per liter and the RAV4 made it in about 9 km per liter. While these numbers arenât significantly different, they sure make a lot of difference once youâre on the road.