Mazda Demio 70 MPG

By: Chuck Squatriglia

For all the attention being lavished on hybrids and electric vehicles, the tried and true internal combustion engine isn’t going anywhere. They’ll be around for years to come, growing ever more efficient. Mazda’s new “Skyactiv-G 1.3″ engine is a case in point. The Japanese automaker says a Demio subcompact (shown) with the new 1.3-liter direct injection mill, a continuously variable transmission and stop-start tech delivers 30 kilometers per liter under Japan’s 10-15 mode test cycle. That’s roughly equivalent to 70 mpg. To achieve such efficiency, Mazda raised the compression ratio to 14:1, then installed revised pistons and other mods to prevent knocking. Multi-hole fuel injectors deliver fuel more precisely, further improving combustion. The engine pumps out 83 horsepower at 5,400 RPM and 82 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 RPM. That isn’t a lot, but then the engine will power the equally small Demio, a subcompact known elsewhere as the Mazda 2. Skyactiv is Mazda’s name for its next generation of gasoline and diesel engines. We won’t see the Sykactiv 1.3 here in North America, but a 2.0-liter version reportedly good for 150 ponies and 40 mpg is slated for the CX-5 next year. Photos: Mazda

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