Mazda Kills CX-5 Skyactiv-D Diesel in the U.S.

Mazda’s long diesel saga is over. The company confirmed to C/D that it is dropping the Skyactiv-D turbodiesel from its U.S. lineup due to low consumer demand, meaning that this engine will no longer be offered in the CX-5 crossover. Plans for the Mazda 6 Skyactiv-D have also been dropped.

The CX-5 Skyactiv-D finally went on sale in the U.S. for the 2019 model year after many years of ups and downs regarding Mazda’s diesel plans and the emissions certification process. We tested a 2019 CX-5 diesel and achieved a 34-mpg result in our 75-mph highway fuel economy test, better than its EPA estimate. But the 168-horsepower diesel inline-four was priced significantly higher than the CX-5’s more powerful gasoline engines, and did not find a large audience. The CX-5 diesel is not listed on the EPA site for either the 2020 or 2021 model years.

In April 2019, Mazda announced that the Mazda 6 mid-size sedan would also get the Skyactiv-D engine, along with an option for all-wheel drive. That vehicle never materialized, and a page on Mazda’s consumer site about the model has now disappeared.

There are now very few diesel-powered cars left for sale in the U.S. In the wake of Volkswagen’s dieselgate scandal that broke in 2015, automakers such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Chevrolet, and Jaguar pulled their passenger-car diesels from the U.S. market. Several pickup trucks and a SUVs do still offer diesels in America, however, such as FCA’s EcoDiesel V-6 found in the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator and Ram 1500, and GM’s Duramax inline-six found in Chevy, GMC, and Cadillac full-size SUVs and pickup trucks.

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