The Mazda 6 mid-size sedan is getting a diesel engine option and all-wheel drive.

Its Skyactiv-D powertrain, a 2.2-liter turbo-diesel inline-four, will be shared with the CX-5 crossover.

We don't know when the 6 diesel will arrive in the U.S., but expect it sometime before the end of the year—not that Mazda's prolonged diesel timeline so far gives us much confidence.

After a seemingly interminable wait, the diesel version of Mazda's CX-5 crossover is finally here—and it will soon be joined by a diesel version of the Mazda 6 sedan. While the new diesel mid-sizer wasn't mentioned in Mazda's press materials, there's a page on the company's consumer website that confirms the Mazda 6 Skyactiv-D and shows images of the car. Mazda representatives also confirmed that the 6 is getting an all-wheel-drive option in the near future.

Mazda

We can safely assume that the 6 diesel will use the exact same powertrain as the CX-5 diesel, a 2.2-liter turbo-diesel inline-four that makes 168 horsepower and 290 lb-ft of torque through a six-speed automatic transmission. Given the 6's lower silhouette and smaller frontal area, it's possible it will get better fuel economy than the CX-5, which is rated by the EPA at a somewhat disappointing 28 mpg combined. For the 6 diesel to beat its gasoline counterpart, it will need to at least offer better than 29 mpg combined. Expect the 6 to only offer its diesel engine in its top Signature trim level, likely with a similar $4110 price premium as the CX-5's diesel engine.

There's less clarity on the 6's new all-wheel-drive option, a rumor that has circulated for years. At this point, we're guessing that it will be offered with both the diesel engine and with the optional turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-four gas engine that's currently offered on the Grand Touring Reserve and Signature trim levels.

We also don't know for sure when these new diesel and AWD versions of the Mazda 6 will be available to buy, but we suspect that they will come for the 2020 model year, likely sometime before the end of 2019.

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