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- 2023 CX-5 Premium; 2018 Mazda 3 GT hatch
..keep on holding! (gah) http://wardsauto.com/north-america/mazda-didn-t-want-damage-clean-diesel-reputation
You might not say that once you see the amount of the increase. All that downstream stuff adds major cost to the setup and I think that's what Mazda is trying to avoid in the market segment they're in. All that talk in the article about the 2.2 diesel not having enough "zoom-zoom" for Mazda execs is just smoke and mirrors to buy them time to resolve this issue.Honestly, I have no major issue with a urea-injection setup and the DPF if that's what it takes to keep the oil and the fuel separate, performance to meet expectations, and fuel economy to make it worthwhile for the price increase.
I believe the fuel economy they are getting is too low / too similar to the gas 2.5L. This makes it hard for them to justify the extra price tag and maintenance cost for potential buyers. I believe they are truly trying to tweak it to get more economy. Of course, this is just speculation.
The problem is that direct-injection gasoline engines emit a significantly higher amount of particulate matter than the DPF-equipped direct-injected diesels. I'll agree that DPF and other emissions controls have made diesel ownership somewhat onerous, but there are still distinct areas of advantage. Direct-injected diesels can return great numbers even with turbos whereas direct-injected gasoline turbos really struggle with economy in city driving while they do nicely on the highway.
The other thread about soot on the tailpipes is an excellent reason why particulate matter is becoming an issue in gasoline vehicles. Sure, they have SULEV/ULEV/etc. ratings, but Europe is beginning to consider DPFs for gasoline models as well. The direct-injection seems to promote particular matter in the combustion cycle compared with multiport injection.
I suspect that both gasoline and diesel engines are only going to become more complex in the upcoming decade.