
The automotive world is dangerously short on straight-six engines. At the moment, BMW is really the last bastion of hope for the straight-six, Mercedes is the only other manufacturer of these engines, and even that will be short-lived. However, we all have to thank the car gods for Mazda releasing its own straight-six engine. Not only does it bring such an engine, it also brings one that can compete with BMW’s brilliant B58.
Mazda’s The new engine will be a 3.3-liter turbocharged inline-six that will produce 340 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque in its first application, the upcoming CX-90. Sound familiar? That’s because these are essentially the specs of many of BMW’s B58-powered cars, give or take a few ponies and lb-ft depending on the model. In fact, it’s actually more horsepower and torque than you’ll get in the B58-powered X5 and X6. Like many current B58 iterations, Mazda’s new engine will be a 48-volt mild hybrid.
There’s no word yet on the choice of gearbox as the CX-90 will be officially unveiled on January 31st, but it’s likely to be some sort of ZF automatic gearbox. Most rear wheel drive cars in the world (which is now the CX-90) use ZF cars, so that would be my guess. However, nothing is official yet.
According to Mazda, the new engine will give the CX-90 a “thrilling driving experience” and “a rewarding exhaust note”. I certainly don’t doubt that, as straight-sixes are nice engines. It will be interesting to see whether Mazda’s new engine will have the refinement or high-calibre exhaust note of BMW’s B58. The latter is wonderful to use and great to listen to. So let’s hope Mazda can do the same.
It will be interesting to see if Mazda uses the straight-six on different cars, such as a new Mazda 6. That would be an incredible car, one that offers a BMW-like combination of rear-wheel drive and straight-six, only at a lower cost.
Anyway, turns out Mazda should be applauded even for doing something like this. At a time when most automakers are phasing out new engine development in favor of electrification, Mazda isn’t just spending money to make a new engine, it’s using an aging (albeit popular) configuration.