Diesel Dynamo: Test-driving the Mazda 6 diesel racing car previews a new kind of power and efficiency

摘要

The diesel-powered Mazda 6 is a stealth vehicle: You can't hear it on the racetrack, and you can't see it in North American showrooms. At least, not yet. Although the Skyactiv-D version of Mazda's mid-size sedan is sold just about everywhere else in the world, it isn't offered here because the engine can't meet emissions standards while maintaining the performance the company demands. Still, Mazda officials insist that they're committed to bringing diesels here. In fact, they recently let us sample the future - a diesel-powered Mazda 6 that was very close to what the street car will be - during a three-hour endurance race at Buttonwillow Raceway Park in Southern California. Even in racing form, the car wasn't superquick, but it looked great, accelerated like a turbine, got solid fuel mileage, and was as quiet as noise-canceling headphones.