By Sam HaymartPublished: March 20, 2010Posted in: Trucks/SUVsTags: cx-7, Diesel, mazda, SUV 
Road and Track is reporting that Mazda is considering offering a diesel variant of its small CX-7 SUV here in the US. Mazda offers such an animal in Europe right now featuring a 2.2 liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel. That engine powers the SUV with 170hp and an astounding 295lb. ft. of torque.
In America, the CX-7 up until recently has only been available with a 2.3 liter direct injected turbocharged gasoline engine. That engine is a drunken sailor on gas, slurping it up at the rate of 18mpg city. That is barely better than a full sized Chevy Tahoe.
Recently Mazda offered a base 2.5 liter non turbocharged four-cylinder that can achieve 28mpg highway with a tailwind. But that is still well below what a diesel engine could achieve, making an SUV a much more palatable choice for buyers.
Road and Track test drove a diesel Mazda CX-7 recently and were able to attain 0–62 mph in 11.3 seconds. Not speeding, but this is an SUV. In Europe, Mazda offers the diesel CX-7 with a 6-speed manual transmission. Which like diesels, most American manufacturers think Americans don’t want.
So if Mazda makes the big leap to offer diesel in the states, we would be looking at their next generation version of this engine called SKY-D. It is said to offer up a bit more power and is considerably quieter. This engine would likely come with a dry-clutch 6-speed automatic here in America.
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In America, the CX-7 up until recently has only been available with a 2.3 liter direct injected turbocharged gasoline engine. That engine is a drunken sailor on gas, slurping it up at the rate of 18mpg city. That is barely better than a full sized Chevy Tahoe.
“In America, the CX-7 up until recently has only been available with a 2.3 liter direct injected turbocharged gasoline engine. That engine is a drunken sailor on gas, slurping it up at the rate of 18mpg city. That is barely better than a full sized Chevy Tahoe.”
It is these statements that make me wonder why diesel wasn’t introduced much earlier, and why we can’t understand that today’s diesel-powered vehicles are very different from the soot-spewing ones of the 70s and 80s. It’s great though that Mazda and the Europeans are making a push for it. And it’s also exciting that Mahindra, an Indian company, is planning to bring to our shores a compact clean diesel pickups. I credit their boldness since diesels have long been ‘owned’ by full-size pickups. Based on what I’ve read, the Mahindra truck is a workhorse with a lot going for it – looking forward to see how it is received. All in all, there’s definitely increasing momentum surrounding diesel.