CX-5

Make
Mazda
Segment
SUV

As the automotive world adapts to greater use of battery hybrid technologies, Mazda remains one of the sole holdouts. It's got a secret weapon called SkyActiv engines which have only just hit the market. Both gasoline and diesel variants have been built, and Mazda plans to continue their development even further. The goal is that by 2020 these engines will achieve 30 percent better fuel economy than today's SkyActiv lineup.

Current Mazdas like the Mazda6 sedan and CX-5 crossover are recipients of this engine technology, and both cars have received stellar reviews. So why isn't Mazda going hybrid? Because internal combustion is a cost-effective approach with a proven technology. Mazda doesn't have a large R&D budget like other big time automakers, so it has to make do with what it's got. SkyActiv 2 engines will feature something called homogenous charge compression ignition (HCCI), which compresses the fuel-air mixture to a high pressure and temperature that it ignites by itself with a spark.