Ian Lamming burns the mid-day oil as Mazda surprises the world with the launch of a new diesel
THE diesel is dead…long live the diesel. What?
If the hype around electric vehicles has convinced you that oil-burners are the spawn of Satan then think again.
Mazda, which, granted, ploughs its own furrow more than most, has just launched a new diesel-powered CX-60 SUV – and it’s a stunner.
The Japanese manufacturer has recognised that there is life in the dirty dog yet, though it’s actually as clean if not cleaner than many a petrol motor.
So before you get all carried away ordering your EV and installing a home charger a great expense consider this; only ‘new’ petrol and diesel cars will be banned in 2030 and if they are hybrid, a stay of execution runs until 2035.
Now, if you are like me and change your car every three years, that’s four purchases before the deadline and even then you can buy, own and drive internal combustion engines as long as they aren’t new.
If the current glut of nearly new EVs is anything to go by, returned in the first year by disgruntled buyers only to sit unloved on dealer forecourts at knockdown prices, the diesel still has some way to go.
Research also shows that buyers of large SUVs actually prefer the characteristics of a big diesel for their long-haul abilities and mammoth torque needed to tow or go off road.
With all of this in mind, it makes perfect sense that Mazda has launched a diesel into its brilliant new CX-60 to complement the plug-in hybrid petrol variant.
Ironically, the only way you will actually notice that it is a diesel is when you come to refuel and it tells you to put the black stuff in the tank not the green, because the 3.3 litre engine boasts six cylinders, a turbo and is a mild hybrid to boot.
It is a sensational powerplant in so many ways. Firstly, it sounds and feels fantastic, really sporty, with incredible reserves of power and refinement previously unassociated with a diesel motor. The 254PS on tap and mammoth 550Nm of torque available at just 1,500rpm make it lusty and allow it to offer performance that is immense.
It’s a big old bus but will hit 60mph in just over seven seconds, with a mid-range deep enough to stretch the space-time continuum.
Whether you opt for the all-wheel-drive or the rear-wheel-drive, grip is stunning and handling staggeringly sharp. What is physically sizeable seems to shrink on the move and the CX-60 can be hurled at bends with complete confidence, the driver quickly forgetting that it is a large SUV, with its combination of performance, aural quality and dynamism.
If you are still worried about the environment don’t as the diesel is helped by a 48V mild hybrid set-up. This leads to a creditable combined fuel economy figure 54mpg, a CO2 figure of just 138g/km and a low NOx rating too. It’s the cleanest in its sector and in the world and rivals many a petrol-powered machine.
With three trim levels of Exclusive-Line, Homura and Takum, the diesel CX-60 is as impressive as its hybrid cousin as it employs the incredible detailing of Japanese craftsmanship.
Metal, stitched leather, wood and high-grade plastics are melded in supreme fashion to provide a vehicle that rivals any in the luxury sector. It is not by accident that the driver instantly feels at one with the surroundings, the controls and the way CX-60 drives.
Sun, six-cylinders and Scottish roads, what’s not to love about the launch of the new CX-60 diesel. Long live Mazda, I say.
Fact File
Mazda CX-60 diesel
Engine: 3.3 e-Skyactiv diesel MHEV
Power: 354PS, 550Nm torque
0-62mph: 7.4 secs
Top speed: 136mph
Combined MPG: 54.3
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, rear and all-wheel-drive
CO2 g/km: 138
Price: From £45,630.00
