Automakers are getting all sorts of crazy power from their engines these days. Mercedes gets 469 ponies from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder, Toyota squeezes 300 horses from its diminutive 1.6-liter three-banger, but Mazda apparently didn’t get the memo. Its new inline-six debuts in the company’s new CX-60 crossover with just 280 horsepower from 3.3-liters. Yes, it has a turbocharger.
It’s possible Mazda’s engine has a milder tune or is being hit particularly hard by emissions restrictions. Keep in mind, the CX-60 is not coming to North America. It’s likely this version of the engine will only be found in non-US markets. That would make sense. The company currently makes a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 256 hp on American shores, for instance, but only 228 hp in Australia, where the CX-60 is arriving.
Australian outlet CarExpert, reported a representative for Mazda implied that the powerplant would be in a different state of tune in other markets. “The inline-six petrol specifications for the CX-70 and CX-90 in North America will be shared at a later date,” he told the site. That probably means we’ll be getting a jump in power. After all, if the company already has a 256-hp engine to use for cars here, why engineer and integrate a whole new powerplant if it only produces marginally more?
This engine has been anticipated for a long time and follows other automakers’ leads when it comes to developing new inline-sixes. Mercedes and JLR started the trend of returning to straight-six power, followed by Stellantis for non-heavy duty trucks. The latter’s new “Hurricane” engine makes over 500 hp in high-output guise from its 3.0-liter displacement.
If we do a little bit of informed speculation—and why shouldn’t we?—we can extrapolate that if Mazda’s 2.5-liter loses around 12% of its power when it goes down under, the U.S.-spec of its 3.3-liter inline-six should make around 315 hp. Obviously, I hope it’s more than that, but at least we have a baseline.
Until we know for sure, though, just know that the Australian version of Mazda’s 3.3-liter six is a bit of a pooch. The grass isn’t always greener.
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