BEST of BOTH WORLDS
Plug- in technology dominates Mazda’s impressive new CX- 60 SUV
While most of the buzz around the launch of Mazda’s latest pair of related SUVs — the CX- 60 and CX90 — has centred around the new AWD/ RWD platform and the equally new straight- six engine, the fact that the CX- 60 line- up is powered almost exclusively by a four- cylinder PHEV powertrain has almost slipped under the radar.
The CX- 60 actually only has one model in its line- up powered by the 3.3- litre mild hybrid six; the rest all use the 2.5- litre four- cylinder petrol plug- in hybrid powertrain.
The PHEV uses a 17.8kWh battery that gives a claimed 60km pure electric range, as well as boosting power to an impressive 241kW/ 500Nm with a 0- 100km/ h time of 5.8 seconds, making it the quickest CX- 60.
The Takami PHEV we drove here is the top of the CX- 60 range at an eye- watering $ 90,990, but what you get is proper luxury car levels of build quality and refinement. Well, almost; more on that later.
The interior instantly makes an impact with its quality. If you have children ( or are a particularly grotty person yourself), then the Takami may not be for you, however, with lots of cream leather and white fabric trim.
The highlight is the absolutely gorgeous, but worryingly whitestitched dashboard finish, that is just begging for chocolate- y fingerprints to utterly ruin it. It’s best to say that this is probably a car for the more fastidious owner.
Driving the CX- 60 PHEV in electric- only mode around town is arguably the best way to enjoy it, as it is super smooth and responsive, even without any input from the petrol engine.
It does feel a little odd at first, however, as the electric motor is placed in between the engine and transmission, meaning that even in pure EV mode, the CX- 60 still changes gear.
While this initially feels strange, particularly because the transmission rushes the first two shifts to get into third as quickly as possible, you quickly get used to it. And, to be honest, some people likely won’t notice it at all.
Running the CX- 60 as an EV is superbly easy, and if you have a place to plug it in for a few hours a day ( either overnight at home or, as we do here at DRIVEN, at the office during the day) you realistically never need to use petrol unless you are heading out on a longer trip.
In fact, I ran the CX- 60 all week without ever having the petrol engine kick in, only seeing the transition on the weekend when I forced myself to run the battery empty, not recharge and turn it into a hybrid.
While the CX- 60 is a superbly refined car in almost every aspect, it is somewhat let down by its transmission. This isn’t particularly noticeable in electric mode, but when the petrol engine kicks in it becomes apparent: there is a slight shudder — a hint of driveline shunt — when the transmission shifts gears under light throttle applications.
Full throttle shifts are perfectly acceptable, shifting with a DSGlike speed and refinement, but while those low speed ones aren’t actually a heinous offence — after all, such things are present in a lot of vehicles — it is weirdly irritating because the rest of the CX- 60 is so incredibly smooth and refined.
On the road, the CX- 60 PHEV is very much set up as a luxury car with noticeable — but extremely well- controlled — body roll and a luxurious ride. Slam it into a corner too enthusiastically and it will progressively lean, but the front will track sharply and faithfully through without a hint of drama, while powering out brings the CX60’ s RWD origins to the fore.
After intentionally not charging the Takami and driving around for a weekend using it as a conventional hybrid, fuel consumption was still impressive, with the big SUV racking up a grand total of 4.7l/ 100km over around 100km of mixed urban/ motorway running.
The Takami has all the expected tech features, including the usual slightly frustrating Mazda infotainment system, a full suite of advanced safety and assist features and an extremely sensitive wireless phone charging pad that doesn’t: every time the phone moves only a tiny bit it stops charging, only to fire up again a few seconds later. With a beep, depending on what kind of phone you have.
Small niggles aside, the CX- 60 Takami is a delightfully highquality vehicle that does a lot to justify its price tag.
An extremely admirable and convincing attempt at taking on the European luxury brands at their own game, whether or not the CX- 60 Takami pulls it off will depend on whether or not that driveline shudder will bother you. Or if you even notice it.