Mazda is known as the car company for great handling and vehicle dynamics at a reasonable price point. They are also recognized for reliability. The new Mazda CX-90 is designed to accommodate America’s growing families with its third row. This segment is competitive, but Mazda offers premium materials that set it apart from other vehicles in its class. The CX-90 is built upon Mazda’s electrified Large Platform. You can get the CX-90 as a traditional gasoline-only ICE vehicle, but my tester provided the flexibility and fuel economy of a plug-in electric hybrid. The chassis was massaged by the engineers for good handling. Features include a double wishbone front suspension, multilink rear suspension, and Mazda’s i-Activ AWD as standard equipment. According to Mazda, this hardware is seamlessly blended with advanced software, like Mazda Kinematic Posture Control (KPC) technology. Tuned for driving precision, KPC suppresses body lift on tight corners to enhance grip and help all occupants maintain a natural posture. All these design traits help keep the CX-90’s tires firmly planted on the pavement, offering sure-footed and confidence-inspiring driving. This is coupled with seating for up to eight people and a relatively large trunk.
Powertrain
Jeff Guyton, CEO of Mazda USA, notes, “At Mazda, our focus is to deliver an ownership experience that enriches the lives of our customers. With each new vehicle launch, we challenge ourselves to progress through our human-centric approach to design and engineering. The CX-90 offers powerful and responsive performance, alluring design, and intuitive technology. We’re very proud of our team’s work on the CX-90, which we know is a breakthrough vehicle in its segment.” You can get the Mazda CX-90 with a 3.3-liter turbo engine coupled to a mild-hybrid powertrain, or my tester had the PHEV 2.5-liter four-cylinder paired with an electric motor and a 17.8 kWh battery. This way, you can drive in EV only mode. If you’re just dropping off the kids at school and running errands, you need not burn any gasoline. There is an EV button that keeps it electric for as long as possible until the gasoline engine is necessary. The net output is a claimed 323 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque when using premium fuel. All CX-90 PHEV models can tow up to 3,500 lbs. The CX-90 is equipped with Mazda’s Mi-Drive selector that includes Sport, Off-Road, and EV drive modes.
Interior Features
The CX-90 offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, both with touchscreen capabilities. This is nice since some newer Mazda vehicles do not come with a touchscreen. Buyers can choose a second-row bench seat or captain’s chairs for seven or eight passenger seating. Other interior features include Nappa leather seat material available in black or white, a heated steering wheel, heated second-row seating, ventilated front seats, and a 150-watt accessory power outlet to help power small devices and chargers.
Exterior Looking the Part
My Premium Plus tester featured 21-inch aluminum alloy wheels with a machine-cut finish, a windshield wiper de-icer, a bright “PHEV” fender badge, and automatic power folding and auto-dimming side mirrors. The body lines also look good. According to Mazda, “The large platform allows for a wider body and fenders and a longer wheelbase, accentuating the CX-90’s strong stance and further emphasizing its sense of performance. The body is designed to be sleek with crafted curves that give the CX-90 ever-changing expressions created by the reflections of light and shadows.”
Safety Suite
Mazda is proud of the safety features of the new CX-90. It calls its safety suite i-Activsense, which includes Smart Brake Support, Blind Spot Monitoring, and Mazda Radar Cruise Control. They also opted for larger displays and physical buttons to reduce driver distraction. The available See-Through View monitor is intended to assist with various parking situations through the 12.3-inch center display. The Bose 12-speaker audio system is decent and sufficient to get you going, but it would certainly benefit from upgraded speakers and DSP tuning. There is a subwoofer in the trunk, but it does not move a lot of air. Even adjusting the Bose Stereopoint, Linear, and Standard settings did not nail the imaging. Check out your local mobile electronics retailer for an upgrade more in line with the overall vehicle’s aesthetics.
Overall, Mazda’s CX-90 is an upgrade from the popular CX-9. With the PHEV models coming in under $50K and the Premium Plus priced at $57K, it is a solid deal for such looks and interior quality. Most folks wouldn’t know you were traveling in a vehicle from a mainstream manufacturer, but rather a luxury brand. With its three-row utility, it is a great choice in the crowded and competitive three-row market.
