The CX-90 will debut on January 31st, not today as originally expected. The Japanese automaker’s “Mazda CX-90 Unboxed” teaser campaign stars Hiroyuki Sanada, a Japanese superstar who might come as familiar to you thanks to many critically-acclaimed roles. Kenji in 'Rush Hour 3', Ujio in 'The Last Samurai', Scorpion in 'Mortal Kombat', Akihiko in 'Avengers: Endgame', and The Elder in 'Bullet Train' come to mind on first thought.
Sanada san asks you – the viewer – if the CX-90 can be more than a car, which is another way of saying that Mazda is getting a bit snobby for a volume-oriented automaker. The Japanese automaker further mentions expert craftsmanship, as well as “Mazda’s most ambitious vehicle ever.”
Pardon my French, but what? A three-row SUV with a standard inline-six engine and an optional plug-in hybrid four-cylinder powertrain is anything but ambitious, even for Mazda. Lest we forget, the high-revving 787B sports prototype racing car was a thoroughly ambitious project that ultimately gave Mazda a victory at Le Mans, the only endurance racer not using a reciprocating engine design to win the grueling endurance race.
We also have to remember the Japanese automaker’s first rotary-engined car, the Cosmo, as well as the long-running Mazda RX-7 produced in over 811,000 units. There are plenty more examples to give, and it’s pretty darn obvious that the new CX-90 isn’t Mazda’s most ambitious vehicle yet.
Not only is it not the first three-row SUV from the Hiroshima-based company, but it’s not the first six-cylinder production vehicle either. The CX-60 marks the return of Mazda-developed sixers after a long, long wait.
Unfortunately for prospective customers, the first video teaser in the Unboxed series doesn’t show anything of interest. But from the red paintwork of the disassembled vehicle, as well as the engine's length, we’re certain that it’s the standard six-cylinder variant rather than the optional PHEV four-cylinder powertrain. The culprits in question are either the 3.3L e-Skyactiv G mild hybrid or combustion-only 3.3L Skyactiv-G, and the e-Skyactiv PHEV.
In Australia, the six-pot mild hybrid cranks out 280 horsepower and 332 pound-feet (450 Nm) of torque. As for the plug-in hybrid, make that 323 horsepower and 369 pound-feet (500 Nm), making the CX-60 e-Skyactiv G the most powerful series-production Mazda ever. Just like the CX-70, CX-80, and CX-90, the CX-60 features a brand-new platform designed specifically for rear-/all-wheel-drive vehicles and an eight-speed auto.
The CX-60 is a five-seat affair, whereas the CX-80 can be considered the CX-90’s equivalent for global markets. Later on, the U.S. will receive the CX-70 with five seats instead of the CX-90’s seven. There are rumors the Mazda6 sedan will be redesigned from the ground up on the Multi-Solution Scalable Architecture, but nothing has been confirmed thus far.
On an ending note, the U.S.-market CX-90 will be revealed - bit by bit - in the coming weeks. The grand finale of the Unboxed series is coming on January 31st according to the timer projected on the wall at the teaser video's end.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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