New Mazda flagship CX-90 SUV
Mazda is aiming up at Audi, BMW, Genesis and Mercedes with its latest offering, the new large SUV known as CX90, which has been confirmed for Australian sale in the second half of 2023.
Built on the same new-generation underpinnings as the incoming smaller CX-60 SUV, the new seven-seater is said to offer a ‘new level of family luxury and Mazda premium design’.
It will be sold in Australia with ‘exclusively hybridised powertrains’, including a plug-in hybrid, PHEV, model that will arrive months after the initial batch of mild-hybrid versions.
For Australia, the CX-90 will sit alongside the four-cylinder CX-8 and CX-9 large SUV ranges for at least the remainder of 2023, though in other markets such as the United States it will replace the latter model.
It will cost more than the CX-9 and is expected to become the most expensive Mazda ever sold in Australia – possibly reaching six digits – given the CX-60 Azami PHEV is currently the brand’s priciest model at $85,675 before on-road costs and commands $10,510 more than a top-spec CX-9.
Whereas the CX-9 has always been a petrol-only proposition with diesel demand soaked up by the slightly smaller CX-8, the new three-row model will arrive with both turbo-diesel and turbo-petrol engines, that wil this time be bigger inline six-cylinder units complemented by mild-hybrid technology.
Both the petrol and diesel engines
will be of a 3.3-litre capacity, though the outputs are vastly different.
The so-called e-skyactiv turbo-petrol is rated to 254kw of power and 500Nm of torque, making it the ‘most powerful mass production petrol car ever developed by Mazda’ as it has 13kw more than the CX-60, while the turbo-diesel version has outputs of 187kw and 550Nm.
Each of these models is fitted with Mazda’s M-hybrid Boost 48-volt mild-hybrid system, comprising an electric motor in between the engine and transmission that can be called on to assist with acceleration from a standstill and run in EV mode under
deceleration. It also uses regenerative braking to top up the battery pack, which is mounted under the driver’s seat.
The transmission in question is an eight-speed automatic specific to this application, and the drivetrain is a rearbiased all-wheel drive configuration.
Mazda CX-90 program manager Mitsuru Wakiie told Goauto that while the new model’s six-cylinder engines fly in the face of the trend towards downsized powertrain technology, the company specifically targeted lower emissions, lower fuel consumption and higher power and torque outputs when compared to the
four-cylinder engines in the CX-9 and CX-8.
“With the bigger displacement we were able to achieve both the driving performance, and, at the same time, the fuel economy,” he said.
“I believe this is the best value from a customer’s perspective, so I don’t think we are against the trend.”
Mr Wakiie intoned that internal testing had indicated the fuel consumption figures for the six-cylinder CX-90 models were lower than those of Mazda’s existing diesel and petrol large SUVS but no official numbers have yet been released by the brand.
The CX-90 will also score the brand’s e-skyactiv plug-in hybrid EV powertrain, which pairs a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor, fed by a 17.8kwh battery pack for combined outputs of 241kw and 500Nm.
While Mazda says this powertrain has been ‘specifically tuned for the North American market’, the Australian arm has confirmed it will form part of the range in 2024 or later.
The interior of the CX-90 is said to benefit from its wide body and long wheelbase, while materials inside include Nappa leather, maple, two-tone fabrics.
Mazda is leaning into its Japanese craftsmanship inspiration once more, stating the stitching of the dashboard materials has been inspired by hand bookbinding and ‘an intricate Japanese weaving technique known as Kakenui’, using negative space to create a unique design.
Included technologies in the CX90 will consist of three-row USBC charging options, air-conditioning vents for all occupants and a 12.3-inch display screen that includes a new ‘See-through View’ monitor to help drivers park more easily.
Other safety technologies include the brand’s autonomous emergency braking system known as Smart Brake Support, adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring.
On the outside there are lashings of chrome design elements, a set of 21inch diamond-cut wheels, LED lighting all around, and the latest Mazda Takuminuri colour, artisan red.