[tremere613]

Hey guys proud owner of a 2016 mazda cx-3 (US version 2.0L skyactiv gas awd)

I was wondering if you guys knew why the engine sounds so loud especially when accelerating... I own many cars including ones with direct injection (2016 honda civic) and it is nowhere near as loud. Do these cars sound particularly loud when cold? Any known engine related issues that I should be aware of?
I am currently using 87 octane, I have less than 10,000 miles on the clock. Car drives fine otherwise, the sound itself is emanating from the engine itself...not wind or road noise...

Thank you for any and all input!

 

[Snoogie]

It was noted in another thread but long story short the engine when cold will sound loud for the soul reason that the engine is trying to heat up the catalytic converter as quickly as possible. The noise is normal as all skyactiv engines will do this as well.

 

[Geezer]

I noticed this as well right from the first drive. In my case the engine drones rather loudly when you give it the gas whether cold or warmed up. I actually rather like the sound!

 

[GeeArr]

My uneducated guess would be because of it being skyactive. They cut weight everywhere including sound damping/absorbing material? I noticed that versus my 13' focus, there's no material under the hood itself, that probably cuts a good part of the engine sound. Or maybe it's completely for another reason...

 

[Playthru1]

I haven't seen material under the hood for the last 6 or 7 cars I have bought over a thirty year span.
IMO the cx 3 is very quiet compared to the cars I have owned in the past.

 

[greaseman85]

The CX-3 has little sound insulation, that's the main reason for the loud engine.

 

[DJ9999]

I don't find the engine to be loud at all but I have never gone full WOT. I don't mind hearing some engine noise, keeps me in tune to what the vehicle is doing.

 

[mainemanx]

I still think the extreme 13:1 compression ratio requires significant de-tuning under extremely cold conditions.

Which is to say, my CX-3 prefers to be thoroughly warmed up before moving off ... if still cold, I drive as slowly, as gingerly as possible.

 

[skyking]

Compared to some cars I have owned, I do not think it is all that loud. A bit perhaps, but not excessive. Since I came from an Acura V6, I expected more noise from both inside and outside the car. Actually it is no louder than the Nissan Sentra SE-R I had in the early 1990s. That SR20DE engine could really scream.

 

[Gagan15]

Just got my CX-3 and was about to post about this. I like to warm my car up a bit before going anywhere and when it is sitting overnight for example, I start her up and it seems the engine is quite loud even when idle. Is this normal. As she warms up, she gets quieter.

 

[anchorman]

Just got my CX-3 and was about to post about this. I like to warm my car up a bit before going anywhere and when it is sitting overnight for example, I start her up and it seems the engine is quite loud even when idle. Is this normal. As she warms up, she gets quieter.

Yes, perfectly normal.

 

[Mariner]

I still think the extreme 13:1 compression ratio requires significant de-tuning under extremely cold conditions.

Which is to say, my CX-3 prefers to be thoroughly warmed up before moving off ... if still cold, I drive as slowly, as gingerly as possible.

Quite right. A 13:1 compression ratio is outrageously high... the highest in the world for a production gas engine I believe. Such ratios are usually reserved for race cars running race fuel, so Mazda had to do some extremely clever engineering voodoo to acheive this or regular fuel. Basically, higher compression ratios allow the engine to deliver more power and torque while still managing to be very fuel efficient.

Everything is a tradeoff however, and this high compression ratio however is the reason the engine sounds a bit louder when cold. After a few minutes it smooths out. I've read a few reviews that said they thought the engine sounded a bit "buzzy" at higher RPM even when warmed up, buy I honestly like the sound. Friends have mentioned too that is sounds "kinda cool" when hard on the power.

RE sound insulation: It's true that Mazda has always used minimal sound damping materials as the good ones are typically heavy, and over the years car reviews have pointed this out as a weakness in many Mazdas. I did read somewhere (sorry, can't recall where) that when designing the new CX-3, Mazda specifically addressed this issue and included more sound damping material than they have in the past. How much more I don't know, but I definitely find this car much better than the Protegé5 I had previously. I find the noise quite acceptable... of course I'm used to driving a Miata with no roof much of the time!

 

[anchorman]

There is a period of about 20 seconds after starting when the engine makes a proper din. This is a result of the exhaust being closed off in order to get the cat up to operating temperature asap.

 

[Geezer]

I just read about a new engine that will be debuted on a soon-to-be produced Mazda 3. To me it sounds like a diesel engine using the high compression combustion chamber to ignite the petrol/air mixture. In this way it will do away with spark plugs while at the same time it will boost the efficiency by a factor of 30% over the present Skyactive engine. Sounds impressive. I wonder if it will actually happen.

 

[santa]

I just read about a new engine that will be debuted on a soon-to-be produced Mazda 3. To me it sounds like a diesel engine using the high compression combustion chamber to ignite the petrol/air mixture. In this way it will do away with spark plugs while at the same time it will boost the efficiency by a factor of 30% over the present Skyactive engine. Sounds impressive. I wonder if it will actually happen.

That's the HCCI (Homogeneous charge compression ignition) Mazda is working on.
As far as the news Mazda goes, it should come in 2018-2019. I'm pretty excited to see if they have overcome the difficulties with engine type.

Here's how it works:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homogeneous_charge_compression_ignition

 

[santa]

And by the way, I don't think the engine in my CX-3 is any louder than many other engines

 

[Mariner]

That's the HCCI (Homogeneous charge compression ignition) Mazda is working on.
As far as the news Mazda goes, it should come in 2018-2019. I'm pretty excited to see if they have overcome the difficulties with engine type.

Here's how it works:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homogeneous_charge_compression_ignition

Thanks for that, extremely interesting stuff. Leave it to Mazda to work on something so radically different. And speaking of different, I was particularly intrigued by this statement near the end of the article: "Mazda is undertaking research with HCCI with Wankel engines." Even after the demise of the RX-8, Mazda never stopped working on the rotary. They've been trying for years to develop a rotary that can meet today's fuel efficiency expectations, so maybe HCCI is how they'll finally achieve it. I hope so... I'd love to see the rotary make a return.