2019 Mazda 3 with SkyActiv-X petrol engine debuts

The 2019 Mazda3 is revealed in Los Angeles, delivering a new car aimed at the VW Golf and Ford Focus and with the revolutionary SkyActiv-X engine option.

Earlier this month Mazda was busy teasing the new Mazda3 for a debut at the Los Angles Motor Show, and we were expecting it to come with the new SkyActiv-X petrol engine as an option. And it does.

The new SkyActiv-X petrol engine is a revolutionary take on the petrol engine, using spark plug controlled compression ignition designed to make the petrol engine more economical and more torquey, and although Mazda still isn’t giving out specifics it has claimed economy will improve by up to 30 per cent and torque by up to 20 per cent compared to a normal petrol.

Other engine options include 1.5 and 2.0-litre versions of Mazda’s SkyActiv-G petrols and a  SkyActiv-D 1.8-litre diesel.

About the same size as the outgoing Mazda3 – but with an extra 100mm in the wheelbase – the new Mazda3 follows the form of the Mazda Kai concept, and the interior gets a makeover too with an upholstered dash and new infotainment screen as well as new safety features like traffic jam assistant and driver monitoring.

The new Mazda3 has been introduced in both saloon and five-door hatch versions, and if recent form from other car makers is followed we could see the Mazda3 saloon offered in the UK.