Photo: Mazda
Zoom-Zoom and Jinba Ittai are synonymous with the Mazda brand, although there is quite a humongous elephant in the room. The Japanese automaker built its reputation with rotary-powered sports cars and the glorious-sounding 787B at Le Mans. But after it retired the RX-8, the Hiroshima-based outfit once again reverted to a volume brand with premium aspirations and a sports car to carry its sporting legacy forward.
Amati should have been Mazda’s take on Lexus, but the Japanese asset price bubble couldn’t have burst at a worse time. The Amati 500 was already in production when the premium-oriented subsidiary was canned, forcing Mazda to rebadge it as the Millenia. Even though Amanti isn’t coming back, the Japanese automaker still wants a piece of the premium segment for itself. That’s where the CX-60 enters the scene, a good-looking SUV based on a rear-drive platform. Not only does it feature optional six-pot mills, but it paves the way for three other premium SUVs that will greatly improve Mazda’s image in pretty much every corner of the world.
The five-seat CX-60 will be joined by a three-row version dubbed CX-80. Both of them are so-called global specs, which in Mazda vernacular means that you won’t see them stateside. For the U.S. market, on the other hand, Mazda prepares to roll out the CX-70 and CX-90. Instead of the smaller and more affordable of two U.S. specifications, the company will reveal the seven-seat CX-90 on the final day of January for the 2024 model year.
How should we interpret this choice? As mentioned beforehand, Mazda wants to be taken seriously. This isn’t the same Mazda from the Ford era, but a challenger to Ford’s dominance over the mid-size SUV segment. The question is, can the upcoming CX-90 steal customers away from the best-selling Explorer? To put it bluntly, the answer is a resounding yessir.
Rear-drive platform? Check! Better handling than the Explorer? Based on our experience behind the wheel of the CX-60, it’s a given. Better quality, fit, and finish? Considering that Ford was crowned the king of automotive recalls in 2022, you can be sure of that. Another thing that will differentiate the CX-90 from the Explorer is perceived sophistication. The 3.3-liter mild-hybrid straight-six engine, for example, is understandably perceived as more sophisticated than the Explorer’s V6 EcoBoost mills.
Although it doesn’t hold a candle to the 3.0-liter EcoBoost in the Explorer ST, it is Mazda’s most powerful gasoline engine. In the CX-90, the 3.3-liter e-Skyactiv G mild-hybrid turbo will pack 340 horsepower and 369 pound-feet (500 Nm). Sophisticated and sporty, yet not overly sporty because Mazda never had a thing for that kind of sportiness. The MX-5 will soldier on for at least one more generation, whereas Mazda’s rear-drive SUVs will borrow a little bit of that sportiness for cohesion’s sake.
That elephant in the room, therefore, starts to get smaller with each passing day. Also worthy of note, the CX-90 borrows the Kinematic Posture Control system of the MX-5 for a more engaging driving experience. In layman’s terms, KPC is designed to apply slight brake input to the inner rear wheel during spirited cornering. This, in turn, improves turn-in, suppresses body roll, and makes steering response more linear.
The sixer confirmed today will be joined by a four-cylinder PHEV option. Already available in the CX-60, the 2.5-liter e-Skyactiv G puts out 323 horsepower and 369 pound-feet (500 Nm).
The five-seat CX-60 will be joined by a three-row version dubbed CX-80. Both of them are so-called global specs, which in Mazda vernacular means that you won’t see them stateside. For the U.S. market, on the other hand, Mazda prepares to roll out the CX-70 and CX-90. Instead of the smaller and more affordable of two U.S. specifications, the company will reveal the seven-seat CX-90 on the final day of January for the 2024 model year.
How should we interpret this choice? As mentioned beforehand, Mazda wants to be taken seriously. This isn’t the same Mazda from the Ford era, but a challenger to Ford’s dominance over the mid-size SUV segment. The question is, can the upcoming CX-90 steal customers away from the best-selling Explorer? To put it bluntly, the answer is a resounding yessir.
Rear-drive platform? Check! Better handling than the Explorer? Based on our experience behind the wheel of the CX-60, it’s a given. Better quality, fit, and finish? Considering that Ford was crowned the king of automotive recalls in 2022, you can be sure of that. Another thing that will differentiate the CX-90 from the Explorer is perceived sophistication. The 3.3-liter mild-hybrid straight-six engine, for example, is understandably perceived as more sophisticated than the Explorer’s V6 EcoBoost mills.
Although it doesn’t hold a candle to the 3.0-liter EcoBoost in the Explorer ST, it is Mazda’s most powerful gasoline engine. In the CX-90, the 3.3-liter e-Skyactiv G mild-hybrid turbo will pack 340 horsepower and 369 pound-feet (500 Nm). Sophisticated and sporty, yet not overly sporty because Mazda never had a thing for that kind of sportiness. The MX-5 will soldier on for at least one more generation, whereas Mazda’s rear-drive SUVs will borrow a little bit of that sportiness for cohesion’s sake.
That elephant in the room, therefore, starts to get smaller with each passing day. Also worthy of note, the CX-90 borrows the Kinematic Posture Control system of the MX-5 for a more engaging driving experience. In layman’s terms, KPC is designed to apply slight brake input to the inner rear wheel during spirited cornering. This, in turn, improves turn-in, suppresses body roll, and makes steering response more linear.
The sixer confirmed today will be joined by a four-cylinder PHEV option. Already available in the CX-60, the 2.5-liter e-Skyactiv G puts out 323 horsepower and 369 pound-feet (500 Nm).
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