Have you ever heard of Amati? Back in the early 1990s, Mazda was crafting its own luxury brand to compete with the likes of Lexus and Infiniti, but a Japanese recession forced Mazda to can the project and roll most vehicles under development back into Mazda’s lineup. The Amati 500 became the Mazda Millennia, the Amati 300 became the Mazda Xedos 6, and the Amati 1000 vanished off the face of the earth. More than thirty years later, Mazda itself is heading upmarket with models like the Mazda 3 Turbo, and the new CX-90 is Mazda’s biggest and most ambitious upmarket car we’ve seen this millennium. Mazda’s lips are fairly tight on specifications, but we do know that this three-row crossover is generally bigger, more powerful, quicker, and more expensive than the current three-row CX-9, and it rides on a new longitudinal engine architecture (i.e. the engine isn’t sideways like it is on most modern cars). Yeah, it must really suck to be the Cadillac XT6 right now.
Let’s cut to the big news, Mazda’s new 3.3-liter turbocharged mild-hybrid inline-six. It makes 340 horsepower and 369 lb.-ft. of torque on premium gas, putting it in the same league as lower-output versions of BMW’s lauded B58 inline-six. I’m a huge fan of inline-six engines as their smoothness is incredible, and this particular unit is unlikely to disappoint CX-90 customers who opt for it.
However, not everyone wants inline-six power, which is where the seriously impressive e-Skyactiv plug-in hybrid powertrain comes in. It pairs Mazda’s tried-and-true 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with a very reasonable 17.8 kWh battery pack to produce 322 horsepower and the same 369 lb.-ft. of torque as the inline-six. It should be a compelling option for city-dwellers who can charge at home.
Regardless of engine choice, power gets to the ground through an eight-speed automatic gearbox that doesn’t have a torque converter. Instead, a multi-plate clutch connects the engine to the gearbox, similar to the setup you’d find on the old C63 AMG. According to Mazda, it’s a smaller assembly than an equivalent torque converter, which helps with packaging. Clever stuff. Expect all-wheel-drive to be standard equipment, handy for carving through snowy climates.
What’s more, the engine and gearbox are mounted longitudinally, which sets this three-row family hauler apart from most of the premium pack. Mazda’s longitudinal architecture gives plenty of space for a double-wishbone front suspension that should pay dividends in the bends, and it places the four-cylinder engine on plug-in hybrid models as close to the firewall as possible for the sake of balance. We’d have to get our hands on one to be sure, but there’s a chance that the plug-in CX-90 may be front-mid-engined. How weird would that be?
Right, oily bits over, let’s talk about how the CX-90 looks. This thing is the most beautiful three-row crossover I’ve ever (virtually) seen. Instead of making something conservatively handsome like a Volvo XC90 or outlandish like a Lexus RX, Mazda took a suitcase full of compound curves and found a way to make them work on a box. The resulting crossover combines the practicality of a tall greenhouse and minimal tumblehome with the tautness and long dash-to-axle of classic coachwork, all while using as few sharp creases as possible.
There’s a lot of metal between the bottom of the doors and the bottom of the greenhouse, but it doesn’t look monolithic thanks to very careful shaping of the door skins. The subtle protruding arches really plant the CX-90 on the tarmac, the long taillights buck the heckblende trend while oozing style, and the ultra-slim rear bumper deserves recognition of its own.
Mazda is known for its excellent red paint, and the CX-90 gets an all-new color called Artisan Red that appears near-black in shadow yet pops with red when sun hits it. In press photos, it seems to smother body lines, but I’ll wait to see it in the metal to pass final judgement as one image sensor and editing process isn’t always indicative of real-world appearance. Still, I like it a hell of a lot more than greyscale, and more colors are always a good thing.
Moving to the interior, what’s the first thing you notice? Other than the very nice fabrics, leathers, and trim. That’s right, physical buttons. Lots of them. Good job, Mazda. As almost every manufacturer seems to be moving towards touch-sensitive this and voice-controlled that, at least Mazda has the common sense not to bury activation of the heated seats or heated steering wheel.
Zooming back out, let’s focus on the general material selection of the CX-90’s interior. Everything here seems just that cut above other Mazdas, which is impressive considering Mazda’s hallmark of embarrassing much more expensive cars with soft-touch plastics, stitched textiles, and artful design. There’s stitched leather-like material right where your knee might rest against the console, rich-looking fabric on the dashboard and door cards, modern pale wood, and loads of metallic parts including the physical glovebox release. It all adds up to a lovely interior that looks set to run with the likes of Lexus.
Judging by the photos, a Bose stereo appears to be optional, as do third-row USB ports, a new parking camera system with a see-through mode, ventilated front seats, and all the sorts of toys you’re used to seeing in well-equipped three-row crossovers. We’ll have to wait to see a full equipment list, but early signs are promising.
Looking around at the marketplace, the Mazda CX-90 couldn’t have been unveiled at a better time. The Cadillac XT6 feels a lot like its Chevrolet Traverse platform-mate, the Acura MDX has an awful touchpad to control its infotainment and no plug-in powertrain options, the Infiniti QX60 is just a re-skinned Pathfinder, the Lincoln Aviator is weighed down by memories of a botched launch, and Lexus doesn’t have a three-row crossover at all right now. Mazda seems to be coming for everyone’s lunch money, and it might just succeed. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but expect the Mazda CX-90 to cost more than the CX-9. How much more, we don’t know yet, but we wouldn’t be surprised if Mazda shares for information this Spring, when the CX-90 is expected to arrive.
(Photo credits: Mazda)
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Aww, man… I knew I should have waited for this while looking to upgrade from my 2016 CX-3. Maybe ~2030 when I’ll be looking again!
If the PHEV is reasonably priced and gets 30+ miles EV range, it might be an interesting option.
Right now the only “larger” PHEVs are the XC90 and X5, and they get up near $80k real fast. Also the X5 gets pretty terrible gas mileage once you’re off the EV battery.
This is sharp!
As a plug-in hybrid I would be very interested indeed. Does the 3rd row of seats fold down, ideally flat?
I’d need that cargo space 10x more often than I would the extra seats.
Please tell me this will have a touchscreen. Mazda seems to be dying on the hill that a rotary dial is the only way for infotainment. Fine, leave the dial for the few people who want it but it better be a touchscreen. I am guessing dial only and that is why they have buttons for HVAC, etc. Why not go the route of Hyundai/Kia and other mfgs, have touchscreen, voice and buttons?
It’s the same reason there are multiple flavors of ice cream. Different people like different things.
I’m excited by the architecture; hopefully Mazda reconsiders putting this inline-6 in a sedan.
A family hauler to appeal to enthusiasts? An odd play, but a play that I think they might be able to pull off. Considering almost everything else in and around this class is a FWD architecture designed to be as inoffensive as possible (Highlander, Palisade/Telluride, Pilot/Passport, Traverse, etc) with either a turbo 4 or a clunky V6 with mediocre fuel economy (why’d they have to remove VTEC from the Pilot?! Honda pls) the idea of a RWD architecture with a straight six with B58-like output is mighty appealing.
When it’s time to upgrade my wife’s car this will be near the top of the list if the price is reasonable. If it’s $60,000+ I’d rather go with a legit luxury vehicle but if you can get a well equipped one in the high 40s/low 50s? Boy would it be competitive in that range. Now put the straight 6 in a car and we may leave the lot in 2 new vehicles…got it Mazda?
If this is truly larger than the current CX-9, then I applaud Mazda for making something that might actually be big enough to compete. The current CX-9 feels small, stuffy and too car like to work for buyers of a true 3 row CUV. I am very interested in this and just hope they benchmarked something like the VW Atlas which is one of the few 3 row CUVs that can fit 6’+ folks in every row, at the same time.
The inline 6 powertrain is kind of wasted in this, not interested in that at all, maybe a decade ago. The PHEV is the ticket and exactly what this segment needs and is missing. I am guessing with that battery size that this thing can go at least 40 miles on a charge which would be great.
The style, like most of Mazdas, always feels a bit old but fairly well executed. This feels like a slightly more tailored design of a combo of now old (5-6+ years) Jaguar/Volvo design. That being said, it looks pretty good. Let’s hope the PHEV isn’t priced too high and can run on 87.
Ouch, looking at other publications which are thinking only 20-25 miles of range (they note a 21 listed on the dash in some pictures). Honestly, that seems low for that size battery. I could get 30 miles +/- out of a battery less than half that size in my old PHEV. I know this is likely heavier than my old Sonata so maybe I was overly optimistic at hoping 40 miles but 20 miles would be very disappointing.
I’ll be curious to see the all-electric range. But the RAV4 Prime has an 18.1 kWh battery, compared to the smaller 17.8 kWh here. So, with a likely heavier vehicle and a smaller battery, it would seem to need some efficiency gains to meet the RAV4’s 42 miles of EV range.
My wife and I test drove a CX-50 recently, and while we weren’t in love with the vehicle overall, the interior was a standout. Mazda sticking with physical buttons and minimal touchscreens makes them top of the heap, in my opinion. Now they should a take a hint from Volvo and offer premium cloth seating surfaces (I feel this should be a trend across the board… leather is so played out). The dash material shown in the CX-90 would look great on the seats.
Love that sexy dash-to-axle!
I am not particularly a Mazda fan, but the design of this SUV (love that Artisan Red paint!) And an Inline 6 Cylinder engine is enough for me to check it out.
I really like it. I doubt I’ll be able to afford it though!
This but EV, please! I like the looks and how it can tow something. But electric motors are likely smoother than the I6.
As someone who is 6’4″, I really appreciate the padding and curvature of where my right leg/knee might rest against the console. One of the reasons I’ve hung on to my 2005 Camry is because the console is curved where my leg rests against it. I have tried being comfortable in some newer SUV’s (thanks to having to use a few rentals lately for travel) and the console designs that go straight up and end in a sharper edge does not work for me.
If only Mazda would put either (or both!) of these engines and this interior design in a redesigned, RWD-based Mazda6, I would be able to stay with the brand. But it seems at least in the US, Mazda is looking to be SUV-only going forward.
They planned to make a RWD 6, but that was canceled amid the pademic
We can still hope though. I love Mazda’s design language and recently bought an ND2, but I can’t justify any other Mazda over the more extreme enthusiast offerings. My only practical family vehicle is a 4 door F150 which a CX90 could not replace, but a RWD I6 sedan with a manual I would definitely buy even though I already have that covered with a Chevy SS manual.
Sorry, but ‘Merica.
Gorgeous. That’s it.
As someone who’s purchased a couple new Mazdas over the years (but sort of outgrew the products and went to other brands), I’m excited about this. Could definitely see it being my wife’s next car.
Depending on how you call it, most Longitudinal I6 vehicles are Front Mid, because its a long-ass motor and it has to go somewhere. If you are counting the majority of the mass of the engine being behind the axle, my 80 series Land Cruiser is FM.
Very nice! I just hope it has a little more USABLE space inside. I wanted to buy a CX-9 so badly a couple years back, but the cargo area just didn’t cut it for my family. We ended up getting a great deal on a Highlander coming off lease. I would have rather had the CX-9 or an Odyssey, but the wife was dead-set against minivans at the time. She wants one now, of course (eyes rolling out of my head).
Wow, is this an ad?
It’s not bad looking (I still think the Telluride and JGC look better) but man, this is pretty fawning.
Eh, when you compare it to the rest of its competitors it actually has some enthusiast appeal…which doesn’t really exist in this class until you get into established luxury brands and approach 6 figures cost wise. As an enthusiast with a non enthusiast wife who needs more space in her car, I think this is an amazing compromise.
Do I think it’ll drive like an X7 with the V8? Definitely not, but it’s going to be exponentially more engaging than you’re average family hauler.
This seems like making a few assumptions from some press photos and a spec sheet, no?
Almost every sentence in the article is talking about how awesome something is. And we have no real idea how much enthusiast appeal this will have in the real world, apart from having a cylinder layout that’s beloved.
Just seems like an odd tone for a non-driving review is all. Maybe this will be all it’s cracked up to be and more, but the gap between expectations/buzz and reality is often pretty wide in Mazda’s case (Miata excepted).
I mean, it’s a longitudinal straight six. Only BMW and Jaguar are currently doing that in CUVs, with Jeep soon to follow, and all of those are enthusiast brands. Given the pattern and Mazda’s history it’s fair to expect this to drive better than a Lexus RX or Infiniti QX60 which are likely this CX90’s primary competitors.
I actually don’t think it’s that much of an assumption to be honest. Mazda has been working on this straight 6 for years so you know they’ve done their homework, and you know as well as anyone that RWD architecture is superior when it comes to fun and engagement. When the other stuff in this class is on FWD architecture and has engines that border on agricultural in nature, Mazda would have to screw up pretty significantly for this to not be more enjoyable to drive.
…and I doubt they will, because as you say, they’ve been making the Miata for 30 years. Even if it isn’t their main focus these days I don’t think they just forgot how to make an engaging car.
I got my mom a 2022 CX-5 Carbon Edition last year, and was thoroughly pleased at how nice Mazda made that car feel, especially for the money. It was $4K – $6K cheaper than a comparable RAV4 or CR-V, and what you give up in space you get back in styling and driving feel. And the purchasing experience rivaled that of many luxury brands. I also test-drove and considered a CX-9 Signature at one point.
I continue to be impressed by Mazda, and am excited to watch its upward trajectory. I’ll probably end up with one, at some point.
I currently have the previous generation MDX and this is an interesting alternative option. I bet the performance will be superior to the base MDX and just wonder how tight the third row will be. If it can fit grown adults for short stints that would be a huge win. Very interested to see the first drive reviews and pricing.
Not the most attractive CUV out there. The design language and third row force them to extend that rear really far. It looks out of proportion to me.
Definitely getting more of a station wagon vibe from this than typical crossover.
This looks pretty good, getting an 11/10ths Jaguar F-Pace vibe from it. But, I’d much rather have it built by Mazda. I see they have a picture of it towing something – any word on a tow rating yet?
Really appreciate the inline-6, but, I’m left wanting a bit more? I guess it’s been overshadowed by Chrysler’s Hurricane, which, even in base form is over 400hp, and offers 500hp. I guess there’s room for Mazda to crank this a little higher over the years, but, ‘in the same league as what our competitors came out with 8 years ago’ just isn’t headline grabbing news. Still, happy they bothered making an inline-6 at all.
I mean, the Hurricane was always meant to be a monster. Its purpose was to placate fans of big, muscly V8s as the industry inexorably trends away from high cylinder counts. Mazda’s I6 seems more like it’s trying to strike a balance between power, refinement, and efficiency. I can’t say whether or not it’s succeeded, but I think the design briefs for these engines were probably very different despite having the same basic layout.
It’s true that the Hurricane is a relatively extreme example, but, it’s hard to think of a recent new boosted 6 that offers less. It’s ahead of the Ford 2.7T by a little bit, only on horsepower, but, that’s a pretty old engine at this point, and it’s designed to be pretty safe in truck-type use. This engine is even behind Hondas 3.0T (but a bit up on torque), which also seemed really ho-hum when it debuted, and that’s based on a really old engine architecture.
I dunno. Hopefully this is the ‘base’ tune, and they come out with something closer to (or past) 400hp in a year or two. But I just can’t help but feel like it’s pointless – wouldn’t just making the 2.5 PHEV the default engine across the board have achieved the same goal? Is literally anyone who buys this going to care about cylinder count? I hope their gamble pays off (or that they spent a tiny amount of money adding 2 cylinders to their existing inline-4), but, it just doesn’t seem worth it for these numbers.
Mazda vs Dodge. They are opposite ends of prioritization in the power vs handling spectrum.
Meh, not every Dodge is a Charger.
I, too, am interested in it’s towing ability. The pic above shows it towing a Bowlus, which has a GVWR of either 3500 or 4000 pounds, so that doesn’t give us any more info. It very well could only be rated to tow 3500, though I hope it’s higher.
Mazda did not provide towing specs. However, that camper appears to be a Bowlus Terra Firma, which has a base weight of 3,200 pounds and a GVWR of 4,000 pounds. So uh…at least enough to tow that trailer.
First, it’s still rather hunch backed. Second, from that top 3/4 ISO view, the front is very flat (which I get is for running down pedestrians in a safer manner), but it gives the effect of looking like it’s already ran into a wall with everything else being curvy.
I am not a crossover person, I’m not an SUV person. Hell, I’m barely a truck person. But I like this.
Maybe its the I6, but I don’t think so. Probably more so that at its heart, Mazda just gets drivers.
I’m barely a person, and I like this. Looking forward to seeing the same design cues and everything on a slightly smaller two-row vehicle, but I would consider this even in the three-row if I were shopping right now.
I own a GMC Envoy with an Inline 6 engine, even in my shitty SUV, the only thing running so smooth is the engine. GM did a great job