2019 Mazda3’s SkyActiv-X Engine Makes 181 PS In Euro-Spec Guise

Mazda’s much-advertised SkyActiv-X gasoline engine with Spark Controlled Compression Ignition technology is starting to reveal its secrets.

Thanks to our friends from Jalopnik, we learned that the company’s Slovakian subsidiary posted a spec sheet on its website that revealed the SkyActiv-X engine’s power and torque ratings.

So, in Europe, the innovative power plant produces 181 PS (178.5 horsepower) and 222 Nm (164 lb-ft) of torque. The list doesn’t reveal the engine’s displacement, but previous reports have indicated that a 2.0-liter four-cylinder unit will be offered in the United States.

While we can’t say for sure that these ratings correspond to a 2.0-liter unit, the list does show that SkyActiv-X181 is compatible both with a manual and an automatic gearbox. We can also see that AWD is available as an option with both transmissions.

Mazda will roll out the new SkyActiv-X engine in countries with strict emissions rules first, with the U.S. market to get it later. However, the U.S.-spec version may have different ratings, given the differences in emission standards and market-specific positioning.

For example, the 2.5-liter SkyActiv-G engine in the 2019 Mazda3 offers similar power and torque ratings to the European-spec SkyActiv-X unit. In America, the 2.5-liter engine makes 186 hp (189 PS) and 186 lb-ft (252 Nm) of torque, which is too close for comfort to the new, 2.0-liter’s output.

It will thus be interesting to see how, exactly, Mazda will position the two powertrains and whether the SkyActiv-X will be upgraded for the U.S. market. After all, the touted diesel-like fuel economy ratings alone probably wouldn’t be a good enough incentive to buy the more expensive SkyActiv-X if it produced less power and torque than the base engine.