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Daily Record
28-04-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Record
JOHN MURDOCH'S DRIVE TIME: We reveal Mazda's multi-solution approach to fuels of the future and look at Mercedes' new G-Class special
In this instalment of John Murdoch's Drive Time, John reveals h ow Mazda is taking a multi-solution approach to fuels of the future and looks at a new G-Class special from Mercedes. The rush to electric power is blocking many from viewing the potential of other alternatives - but not Mazda. The Japanese company has always taken a multi-solution approach to fueling its powertrains and to prove its point 12 Mazda CX-30s drove over 1,300miles across Sweden, Finland and Norway - powered exclusively by sustainable fuel to highlight the potential it has to reduce greenhouse gas emissions when used as a replacement for fossil fuels. Leaving Malmo in Sweden on the cusp of the Baltic Sea, the CX-30s drove to Tromso in Norway over 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle - reaching the Norwegian Sea coastal town after a journey of 1344 miles powered entirely by a 100-per cent biofuel from SUSTAIN. Recently introduced to the 2025 Mazda CX-30, the 140ps e-Skyactiv D 2.5-litre petrol engine features cylinder de-activation and is coupled to Mazda's M Hybrid mild-hybrid system, improving fuel economy and emissions in real world tests over the outgoing 2.0-litre entry-point engine in the CX-30. The introduction of this well-established engine to the 2025 Mazda CX-30 and 2025 Mazda3 line-up is part of Mazda's multi-solution approach to powertrains, where the company continues to develop petrol and diesel engines as well as hybrids, plug-in-hybrids, mild-hybrids and battery electric vehicles. This engine development blended with electrification is a well-established example of Mazda's powertrain innovation enhancing vehicle efficiency. This approach is well-suited to a compelling alternative to fossil fuels that is now gaining traction - offering a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, alongside efficient electrified combustion engines. The Baltic to Arctic drive is just one example of Mazda's commitment to demonstrate the role sustainable fuel can play in the transition away from fossil fuel. Mazda UK has powered its Heritage Fleet with sustainable fuel since 2023, while the same year an MX-5 was the first car to complete a lap of a racing circuit in all four UK home nations while sustainably fuelled and last year a quartet of MX-5s became the first cars to drive from Land's End to John O' Groats using sustainable fuel. All of these activities took place using fuel from SUSTAIN and they demonstrated the role sustainable fuels can play in transitioning modern and classic cars away from fossil fuel. They also highlight how sustainable fuels could complement Mazda's Multi-Solution approach to achieving climate neutrality. The CX-30s on this trip across Sweden, Finland and Norway to the top of Europe, were powered by a 100 per cent second-generation biofuel, manufactured by SUSTAIN. Made from sustainable components manufactured from agricultural waste that would not otherwise be used for animal or human consumption, these biofuels utilise the carbon that already exists in our atmosphere, captured by plants as they grow and then re-released in the internal combustion process. This contrasts with fossil fuels which release additional Co2 that is currently locked underground. Averaging more than 40mpg across the drive, the 2025 Mazda CX-30 e-Skyactiv G cars required no modification to run on the sustainable fuel, again highlighting the flexible nature of this solution. Commenting on the drive, Jeremy Thomson, managing director, Mazda Motors UK, said: 'At Mazda we will continue to develop the internal combustion engine to meet consumer demand in parallel with our battery electric development, as part of our multi-solution approach. "In Japan we are researching and developing engines to run on biofuel as well as algae fuels and synthetic fuels, and in Europe we are a member of the e-fuel alliance. "Our drive to the very north of Europe demonstrates the capability of the Mazda CX-30 in extreme conditions and the benefits of the internal combustion engine and advanced biofuels. In total we will have saved approximately 317kg of CO2 per car on a 1300-mile journey by using SUSTAIN advanced biofuel'. David Richardson, director at SUSTAIN, added: 'Working with Mazda on this drive from the Baltic to the Arctic on 100% sustainable biofuel is something we're extremely proud of. "Electric vehicles are increasing in numbers, but there are still many millions of combustion engine cars on our roads. "Activities like this help show how easily we can reduce the emissions from those vehicles, promoting this option to the many people who still don't know what sustainable fuels are or how they work. "If we want to make the most of this technology, we need to raise awareness, address the misunderstandings and secure support from those in power to enable sustainable fuel production to be scaled up, which could happen relatively quickly. "After all, there is no silver bullet solution to tackle the environmental impact of the automotive sector - it's time we start using all the available technologies to give us the best chance to make a real difference.' Meanwhile, a new version of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class has been revealed with a production run limited to just 460 models. Priced from £152,815 the G-Class Edition Stronger Than The 1980s comes with colours and design and equipment elements from the legendary 280 GE. It is a tribute to the first G-Class model series W 460, which captured people's hearts in the 1980s with its combination of superior on-and off-road capability - and laid the foundations for the unrivalled success story and cult status of the 'Gelandewagen' icon. To round off the vintage appearance, the vehicle front, radiator grille as well as the bumpers, flared wheel arches and exterior mirror housings are finished in night black magno, echoing the robust look of the first G‑Class. *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here . And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here .
Scotsman
21-04-2025
- Automotive
- Scotsman
Armed police, avalanches and 40cm of snow - inside our 3,750-mile Arctic drive powered by sustainable fuel
Jim McGill's dramatic road trip from southern Sweden to the Arctic Circle (and back again) at the wheel of a bio-fuel-filled Mazda CX-30 Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... There's something very sobering when you glide down your driver's window on a slip-road off a Stockholm motorway and find you're at eye-level with a Swedish traffic policeman's pistol, thankfully safely secured in the holster on the right-hand side of his belt. Certainly not your everyday occurrence. So how did we get here? Jim McGill with the Mazda CX-30 | David Smith, Mazda Normally when car manufacturers organise events we journalists simply roll up, have breakfast, walk out of the hotel door to see gleaming cars meticulously lined-up and prepared, before being handed the keys and driving off. We never think about the logistics and prep. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad So when Mazda UK said it was planning an Arctic drive which would see a very small group of journalists pilot its CX-30 — complete with the new 2.5-litre 140ps e-Skyactiv G engines — 500km (310-miles) from Tromso to Honningsvag at the northernmost tip of Norway, before driving back next day to Alta to fly home, I was up for it. But then two things happened. First, I learned the drive would use solely Coryton SUSTAIN 100% biofuel. Secondly, the small 'fleet' of CX-30s would first need to be driven to Tromso for the press event, setting off from the Mazda dealer in Malmo at the southern tip of Sweden. Malmo to Tromso? 2200kms, or 1400-miles. Ever up for the challenge, and with the prospect of becoming the first journalist to drive from the Baltic Sea to the Arctic Ocean, via Norway, Finland and Sweden powered only by sustainable fuel, I made the call to Mazda. And so it came to pass that I was pleasantly minding my own business, around 2pm on a Saturday afternoon, on the E4 motorway to the north-west of Stockholm behind the wheel of my German-registered CX-30, when suddenly alongside me appeared a low-slung, threatening, dark navy blue Volvo estate. Suddenly it lit up like a blue and white Christmas tree, and wailed like an … unmarked Swedish police car. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Directing me down the next slip road and parking directly behind me, essentially blocking all oncoming traffic, I was, as a law-abiding driver, to be honest, mystified. As I opened by window and the Swedish policeman, with his female accomplice, stood upright, smiled and put on his cap, I said: 'Good afternoon.' Jim takes his own snap of the fleet of Mazda CX-30s | David Smith, Mazda 'You're not German,' he said in perfect English. 'English?' 'No, I'm Scottish,' I replied. 'Have you been drinking?' he asked. 'We've had calls that a red Mazda has been driving unusually.' 'Knowing how severe your fines are, I certainly haven't been speeding,' I replied, knowing the Swedish fines generally start around €500. 'And I've had an orange juice and two coffees so far today; so no, I haven't been drinking.' 'The calls weren't about you driving too fast, quite the contrary,' he smiled. 'Staying at the speed limit is too slow. I guess you'll be happy to take a breathalyser?' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And so unfolded one of the most bizarre few minutes of my 40-odd years of being a motoring journalist, during which 'being too slow' has never previously been an accusation. Once it became clear I was no painfully slow, slothful, drunken threat, they asked where I was going. 'Malmo to Sundsvall today, then to Lulea, then across to Tromso before heading up to Honningsvag, all on sustainable fuel. I'm a motoring journalist,' I informed them. 'Sustainable? Interesting. And that's almost 3000kms,' he said, shaking his head. 'We'd better let you get on your way then. We'll take you back to the motorway.' And so I had a police escort back on to the E4. Honestly, you couldn't have made it up. Over the next 36 hours, the 985km (612-miles) to Sundsvall, and 530km (330-miles) to Lulea were safely ticked-off, thankfully with no further police involvement. Day three and the studded tyres fitted to the CX-30 finally showed their benefit as we crossed into the Arctic Circle. The dry grey Tarmac quickly became snow and ice-covered ribbons of white spearing arrow-straight through conifer forests stretching to the horizon as I tackled the 670km (420-miles) to Tromso. Twelve hours after starting off, I pulled up outside our city centre hotel with the red of the CX-30 essentially camouflaged by the icy snow clinging to the car. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Conditions had seriously deteriorated over the second six hours of the day's journey. But despite the icy roads and the increasingly heavy snowfall as we closed in on Tromso, the CX-30 remained impeccable in its handling, the 2.5-litre engine mated to the six-speed auto' box silky smooth in its delivery. Who needs a big 4WD behemoth when a front-wheel drive family car can do the work just as well, even in extreme winter conditions? Twenty-four hours later, nightmarish conditions were to prove that no matter how big your vehicle, how many wheels are powered, and how powerful your engine, when Mother Nature decides 'thou shall not pass', there's no arguing. Overnight ahead of our scheduled 500km drive from Tromso to Alta, then on to Honningsvag, more than 40cms, 15-inches, of snow fell. The heaviest fall of the northern Norwegian winter. The desperate conditions forced the cancellation of two ferries we'd planned to take early in our route. So the decision was made to re-route back through Finland then head north-west up to Alta, adding 250km to the journey to Honningsvag. Enroute though, as we navigated overturned lorries, worse news was to follow. Avalanches and landslides north of Alta had forced the authorities to adopt convoy traffic systems, which are commonplace when severe conditions demand and ensure safety. Problem was, the first was due to head north starting at 3pm and cover a distance of 34-miles, before the 'official' vehicle turned back and led the southbound traffic back. By 5pm the convoy had yet to start its first trip north. Conditions were worsening. Experienced lorry drivers who navigate the route on a daily basis said simply: 'You'll not get to Honningsvag tonight. And if you do, I don't know when you'll get back.' As it happened, the southbound road was then blacked for another two days. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad So the decision was made, correctly. to abandon Honningsvag and stay in Alta. Next problem. Find 27 rooms for me, the newly-arrived UK journalists, plus Mazda's logistics team at the last minute, on the same evening the National Dogsled Championship was in town. Somehow the team delivered. But a bigger logistical challenge was to appear in the morning. Conditions worsened the further north the team drove | David Smith, Mazda With nine journalists and staff scheduled to fly back from Alta on the Friday morning, we woke up to the fact Heathrow had been closed for the day because of the electric substation fire. Another problem-solving challenge for the Mazda team. With no flights into Heathrow, ingenuity was required. So it was flights to Oslo, then on to Paris. Overnight. Then Eurostar into London on Saturday morning. Me? Well having become the first to drive from the Baltic to the Arctic Ocean on sustainable fuel, why not complete the double? After all, the CX-30s still had to be driven back to Malmo. So it was Alta to Lulea; a marathon 14-hour, 1250km (775-mile) drive to Jonkoping; followed by a 300km dash to Malmo. In all I drove 5900km (3750-miles) over eight days, half of those in demanding ice and snowy Arctic conditions. In doing so, and in the style of a famous Danish lager, I've 'probably' driven the longest distance in a sustainably-fuelled car. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Why is sustainable fuel significant? When used in replacement for fossil fuels it offers a way to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our atmosphere. The 100% second-generation biofuel manufactured by SUSTAIN which I used is made from sustainable components manufactured from agricultural waste such as straw, by-products and waste from crops which otherwise not be used for consumption. These biofuels utilise the carbon which already exists in our atmosphere, captured by plants as they grow and then are re-released in the combustion process. This contrasts with fossil fuels which release additional CO2 that is currently locked underground. And remember, using sustainable fuels doesn't require any modifications to the car. Plus — and this is significant — having comfortably managed an average of 45mpg, my 5900km (3750-mile) drive saved approximately 900kg of CO2 compared to normal fossil fuel.
