Mazda nearing release of rear-wheel drive inline-six SUV

Monday, 20 September 2021

Mazda seems to be nearing the launch of a new range of SUVs, which will ride on the company’s new inline-six powered, rear-wheel drive platform.

A rear-wheel drive straight-six sounds like a BMW recipe, but Mazda has been working on the new platform and engine for a couple of years now. It is expected to come first in a new Mazda6 sedan to directly compete with the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4, with the replacement CX-5 (possibly called CX-50) following.

Though, in a statement relating to the reveal of the updated, front-wheel-drive Mazda CX-5, Mazda Australia’s managing director, Vinesh Bhindi, said to Drive.com.au: 'We anticipate the arrival of new generation, large platform SUVs arriving in 2022.” That sounds like the CX-50 (or something even larger) might even be the first to get Mazda’s new goodies.

The next-generation CX-5 looks to be rear-wheel drive and straight-six powered.

As for details on the powertrain, they’re slim at the moment. Engine sizes are rumoured to be between 3.0-litres and 3.3-litres. Funnily enough, that puts Mazda right up against BMW in terms of capacity.

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Mazda showed off its new engines last year. The inline-sixes are the outer pair while the middle one is a four-cylinder with some degree of electrification.

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Power figures are still scarce but it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the Japanese six make around 285kW/500Nm, two numbers common in BMW brochures. That said, other reports have claimed outputs around 210kW/600Nm, so take from that what you will. Nothing is officially confirmed, in any case.

Electrification will be on the menu too, with a 48V mild hybrid system to be standard fare, while at least one version will get a plug-in hybrid system.

How the CX-50 will sit in the range is yet to be seen. Last year we heard that it could sell alongside the CX-5 as an upmarket coupe-SUV, but that doesn’t really align with how the CX-30 indirectly replaces the CX-3.

That said, the CX-5 has just been given an update whereas the CX-3 hasn’t seen much love recently. Mazda New Zealand told Stuff we can expect the CX-5 refresh sometime next year. It wouldn’t comment on the rear-drive, straight-six replacement, however.