Lots of talk about "unlimited mileage warranty" here. Where do you dream up this stuff...? Did I miss a press release? I'd put it in the AA and AC speculation column.
This is an idea brought forth by OP based on some stuff he has found. It is not yet confirmed for USA market.
No, absolutely no. What good is Tq and mpg when there is no parts inventory in the US, no trained service techs, no support infrastructure. I'd lay down a Benjamin Franklin that says this will not be a successful move for Mazda. The trend in the US is away from diesel cars, not vice versa, and little ol' Mazda is swimming against the tide.
Sorry, but I find this bromance with a CX5 diesel the answer to a question very few are asking. If the demand for performance made a business case, a much smarter move would be an existing T/C petrol motor. What Mazda is thinking makes me SMH.
You want performance in a little car? Go see Honda or VW or Ford.
How stupid of a car manufacturer do you think Mazda is to release a diesel CX-5 here in the States without being able to support it? They are not a startup company introducing their first ever car. They've been building cars for decades. I trust that they know what they are trying to do here.
- They usually have a good inventory of common parts here in North America. If they don't, I don't mind them ordering the part from Japan and waiting for it to get here, as long as they give me a loaner car if my car isn't drivable. 100% of the time they gave me a loaner car if my car was not drivable based on past experience.
- If my local dealership has a dedicated Mazdaspeed service tech that can service my Speed3, I'm sure they will find a way to get trained techs to service their diesel CX-5s. Btw, you talk of diesel as if it is a new mysterious type of engine that no one knows how to service.
- What support infrastructure do you need for the diesel CX-5s? Gas stations that serve up diesel? I have one that is only a 5 minute walk from my home. On my road trips to Houston and Austin from Dallas, I've always seen gas stations offering diesel advertised on my routes. If the VW TDis were able to drive across the country, I think the bare minimum infrastructure is there to support a diesel CX-5.
- Whether or not this is a successful move for Mazda, in terms of sales, is a totally different question that is not even related to the "what incentive do you need to consider a diesel CX-5" question. I have no answer for this and only time will tell if they are successful or not.
I agree, if a performance focused CX-5 was the goal, the 2.5T engine would be the better option. It will also come with much lower fuel economy than the existing 2.5 NA engine. So you get 310 lb-ft of torque and worse gas mileage. The value proposition of the diesel option, is you get 310 lb-ft of torque and better gas mileage than the 2.5 NA engine.
Have you even driven a car with more than 250 lb-ft of midrange torque? Passing is effortless in a car like that. You put in a gear where the RPM is around 2.5k to 3k, step on the gas and the surge of torque carries your car forward. The diesel CX-5 has 310 lb-ft at just 2k RPM. Midrange torque makes for a great daily driver. This is what makes the GTI fun to drive as well as the BMW/Audi cars with their flat torque curves.