Bought a Mazda CX-90 Before the Price Drop? You Should Give the Dealer a Call

The three-row Mazda CX-90 is the three-row SUV you will want if an all-electric Rivian R1S or Tesla Model X is out of the question and something like the BMW X7 or the Mercedes-Benz GLS is just too pricey.

Of course, there's the Toyota Grand Highlander winking at us from the sidelines, too. But if you're looking at an SUV with an in-line six-cylinder powerplant under the hood that also boasts banned F1 tech, chances are other Japanese rides like the Honda Pilot are not an option.

Now, imagine it's late 2023 or early 2024. You make up your mind and decide to buy a CX-90. Depending on the level of equipment you want, you are looking at the following MSRPs:

• CX-90 3.3 Turbo Select – $39,595;
• CX-90 3.3 Turbo Preferred – $43,445;
• CX-90 3.3 Turbo Preferred Plus – $45,900;
• CX-90 3.3 Turbo Premium – $48,900;
• CX-90 3.3 Turbo Premium Plus – $52,950;
• CX-90 PHEV Preferred – $47,445;
• CX-90 PHEV Premium – $52,900;
• CX-90 PHEV Premium Plus – $56,950;
• CX-90 3.3 Turbo S – $51,750;
• CX-90 3.3 Turbo S Premium – $56,450;
• CX-90 3.3 Turbo S Premium Plus $59,950.

It all goes smoothly, and the gas-powered SUV is great. It proves that Mazda was ready to make the next step forward, and it ticks all the right boxes. There are some hiccups here and there, but that's expected with a brand-new vehicle that's built from the ground up on a novel platform. Fortunately, most dealers were ready to deal with customer complaints in a timely manner.

But here's the problem. It's late February 2024, and Mazda comes with a Tesla-like discount out of nowhere. Suddenly, your non-electrified CX-90 lost up to $4,000 in value. Yikes! When writing, the MSRPs are as follows:

• CX-90 3.3 Turbo Select $37,845;
• CX-90 3.3 Turbo Preferred $40,445;
• CX-90 3.3 Turbo Preferred Plus $42,900;
• CX-90 3.3 Turbo Premium $45,900;
• CX-90 3.3 Turbo Premium Plus $48,900;
• CX-90 3.3 Turbo S $49,850;
• CX-90 3.3 Turbo S Premium $52,450;
• CX-90 3.3 Turbo S Premium Plus $55,950.

Those who went with the plug-in hybrid seven-seater enjoyed a positive outcome because the Japanese automaker hiked the prices for this fuel-efficient version. The MSRPs at the time of writing are:

• CX-90 PHEV Preferred $49,445;
• CX-90 PHEV Premium $54,400;
• CX-90 PHEV Premium Plus $57,450.

Unlike Tesla customers who accepted that their pricey EVs lost a ton of value almost overnight (our readers were forewarned), most Mazda buyers aren't that willing to just deal with the new reality.
The Japanese marque sold $30,821 CX-90s in the US last year. One of those customers got themselves a $60,000+ Thanksgiving gift last year. The CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus was the SUV they wanted, and it arrived in January this year. Sadly, the car had a few issues.

Then, they were left without the running boards they wanted and waited for. As you can imagine, the unexpected price drop only added insult to injury.

They were willing to deal with the struggles of owning a first model-year new Mazda, but the artificial devaluation was the last drop. They called the dealership, complained about the situation, explained that they were very unhappy with how everything unfolded and asked for a remedy. As the customer themselves put it, they "paid luxury car money and wanted to be treated" accordingly.

The dealership tried to get them behind the wheel of a Kia Telluride, but the Mazda customer refused. In the end, corporate was involved.

The automaker's official US representative said they would reimburse the customer's first payment and extend the warranty. So, that tells us one thing: Mazda is aware that the price drop may have upset some of its buyers. It has prepared some countermeasures and is ready to activate them. You just need to call the dealer and tell them to escalate your complaint to corporate. You may be able to offset a bit of that accelerated depreciation.

This person refused Mazda's offer. The company's representative said they would get back to them with an update. They didn't wait. They dealt with the diminished value and traded the CX-90 in for an Acura MDX with around 600 miles on the odometer. Talk about being lucky enough not to wait for a brand to make things right!