Understanding Mazda SKYACTIV Technology: Performance and Efficiency

Mazda SKYACTIV technology is a range of design innovations that increase performance and fuel efficiency while also protecting you and your passengers in the event of an accident. We’re going to dive in and take a closer look at how some of this technology works.

Mazda SKYACTIV Technology: Improving Performance, Efficiency, and Safety

SKYACTIV-X Engine

Gasoline engines use a mixture of fuel and air, which is compressed and then ignited to produce combustion. Diesel engines also mix fuel with air, but since diesel is denser than gasoline, they require less fuel in the combustion mixture, which makes them more fuel-efficient. Their mixture, however, produces more dangerous chemicals and byproducts, which need to be converted to reduce pollution.

SKYACTIV-X engines use an innovative technology called Spark Controlled Compression Ignition (SCCI). They’re gasoline-powered but use less fuel in their fuel-air mixture. The mixture is more tightly compressed than in a regular engine, and only part of the mixture is ignited by the spark plugs, generating greater heat, which ignites the remainder of the fuel-air mixture. This allows them to deliver increased performance and save you money at the pump.

SKYACTIV Construction

Vehicle design has always been a trade-off between weight and fuel economy to produce a durable body that can protect you and your passengers from harm. The more reinforcement added to increase protection, the greater the weight and the more fuel used to move this weight. SKYACTIV vehicle construction eliminates this trade-off by increasing both protection and fuel efficiency.

The key to this is the use of high- and ultra-high-tensile steel in the body construction and reinforcement. This steel is extremely strong, which means that less of it needs to be used to provide reinforcement, and this greatly reduces vehicle weight. In addition, Mazda bodies have been precisely shaped to dissipate the energy produced by a collision and channel it away from the cabin to protect you.

SKYACTIV-VEHICLE DYNAMICS

This innovative technology improves vehicle performance and control by adjusting its balance as you drive. It uses a system called G-Vectoring Control (GVC) to adjust engine torque as needed. The system relies on a network of sensors that continually relay information to the computer. When you begin to corner, for example, sensors identify this movement and increase torque on the outer wheels to supply better traction, while shifting vehicle weight forward by reducing speed.

As you exit a curve, in contrast, engine power increases, and this shifts the weight away from the front to allow smoother acceleration. At the same time, the torque is adjusted again to improve stability.

If you’d like to know more about SKYACTIV and how it enhances your time behind the wheel, contact us at Bommarito Mazda South in St. Louis, MO.

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