The only visually unattractive vehicle in the Mazda range, the CX-9 SUV, is thankfully going to go away by 2016, to be replaced by an all-new model that adheres to the brand’s current engineering and design ideals.
It got its power from a Ford-sourced V6 engine, which they’re still using today ever since in-house production of similar units was stopped in the late 1990s. The next-gen model will ditch these altogether, getting its power most likely from “a downsized turbocharged solution,” Masahiro Moro, Mazda’s global head of sales and marketing, told Australia's Caradvice.
He explained that the automaker is shifting its attitude towards turbocharged petrol engines because the technology has improved, though because the CX-9 is mostly a US market model, the chances of also seeing a diesel under its hood are quite slim.
Moro added that, “as Mazda is moving up towards premium territory, at some point in time we will need a six-cylinder,” though “it’s too early, we don’t have a car yet. But we are collecting advice as to V6 or straight six.”
