Mazda CX 90 Review
We are talking about 2024 Mazda CX 90 Plug-In hybrid EV, and I think Mazda just made a very strong case for this to be considered alongside other premium and luxury branded SUVs.
This is a plug in hybrid, so it has a short EV range of 26 miles and a 2.5l four-cylinder turbocharged engine.
PRICING
This top trim CX 90 Premium Plus can be yours for under $60,000, and it’s cheaper than the plug in BMW x5 xDrive 50E and cheaper than the Volvo XC 90 recharge.
It’s a three-row SUV, so it comes in a six, seven, and eight-seater configuration. It has a gorgeous interior that will have your passengers thinking that this is a legitimate luxury car. Mazda CX 90
So it’s a big car with big car presence and also elegant styling. It’s also a big car that’s still abides by Mazda’s handling routes and principles.
EXTERIOR
And let’s begin this review with the outside. I like the soft curves of Mazda cars. Industry is going rectangular, hard edged, boxy designs that are in-your-face and look aggressive.
This Mazda CX 90 isn’t like that, and I think that’s why it stands out.
This one has a more classic, luxurious design that’s more similar to the look of Mercedes than it is to BMW or Audi, and I like the paint on this thing. This is called Rhodium White Premium.
➤ It’s about $600, and Mazda has some really nice paint options that highlight the curves of this car.
➤ I normally would skip out on premium paints, but I think the softer, curvier designs of the CX 90 would really benefit from the metallic shade.
➤ I like all the LED lights, hardware everywhere on the daytime running lights, the LED turn signals on the body colored mirrors, and also the tail lights look great as well. Mazda CX 90
➤ Very nice design and also premium looking, I love how both the B and C pillars are blacked out, giving this a singular window look.
➤ It adds a lot to that simple, elegant and sophisticated design that’s missing in three row SUVs nowadays.
➤ The only thing I don’t like is the amount of chrome everywhere. I’m not a chrome kind of person, so I’m hoping they’ll have a meridian or a carbon Edition in the near future for the CX 90 to darken all of these features.
➤ Now they’re doing that for the new CX 70, which is the same exact body as this, but it has the third row deleted.
INTERIOR
Now let’s Talking about the interior and there’s more of that simple, elegant styling that you find on the outside. Mazda CX 90
➤ White Nappa leather interior now, I don’t know how well this is going to age in the long run, but I’d be careful with it if you like to wear jeans, as the dies can slowly transfer onto very light colored leather, compare this side and then the other side and you can see quite a difference.
➤ I like how the dash design is very simple. Just like other newer Mazdas. They like to simplify the dash using these continuous uninterrupted surfaces and they used really nice soft touch materials.
➤ it looks like a nicely upholstered leather couch. There’s a good amount of metallic looking.
➤ It’s not actually metal trim pieces just surrounding the upholstered surfaces. There’s heated steering wheel, also heated seats and ventilated seats as well.
➤ Very nice looking panels also on the door trim here, and the steering wheel has paddle shifters for the eight speed automatic transmission.
➤ The armrest has a split design, so if you want to get in here, you don’t have to bother your front occupant. Mazda CX 90
➤ And there’s also two USB keys inside. Unfortunately, storage isn’t that deep here.
SECOND ROW
➤ And if you look up front, here’s where your cup holders are in the second row. This is the captain’s chairs configuration, and I like how it’s heated automatic climate control.
➤ And you have a sunshade jumping inside, There’s plenty of room. You have a flip up cup holder that looks a bit low end, but up top you have very big sunroof that looks pretty good.
THIRD ROW
➤Third row You have a handle and you could easily push forward and getting inside the third row I hate to say it, but it’s a little bit cramped back.
➤This is probably best reserved for small kids or small adults. But yeah, that’s the downside of these three row SUVs.
If you want a roomier third row, you should really check out the new Toyota Grand Highlander instead. Mazda CX 90
Technology
Now, what kind of technology can you find in the CX 90 this is the Premium Plus version, so it comes with all of the bells and whistles.
INFOTAINMENT SCREEN
It starts with this 12.3 inch infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto.
You’ll notice that this is not a touchscreen. All the controls have to be handled by Drive. Mazda CX 90
That’s the case anytime you’re using the native Mazda infotainment system, but when you’re in wireless Apple CarPlay or wireless Android Auto, this becomes a touchscreen.
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Not having a touchscreen is not a big deal breaker, because rotary dial is easy to use, and I like shortcut buttons all around.
You’ll notice that the screen is also pushed further back. An out of reach slightly, but I like that it’s still within your field of view when you’re driving, so you don’t have to look far from the road to notice what’s going on here.
CAMERA
I like that this car comes with a 360 degree camera view, so with the push of a button you could see all around you, It’s very clear and crisp.
DIGITAL SCREEN
Looking straight forward, there’s another 12.3in digital screen. This digital instrument cluster looks great and I think it brings it up to today’s standards.
And up top there is a heads up display that’s fairly large too. As for the listening experience, this comes with a 12 speaker Bose surround sound system and I think it’s pretty awesome. Mazda CX 90
Great sound quality for the price point of this car. And lastly, there’s also a wireless charger in this car.
Engine Power
➤ let’s start with the power. This has a 2.5l four cylinder turbocharged engine and a 100 kilowatt electric motor, all together making 323 horsepower and 369 pound feet of torque.
➤ You could still use regular fuel, but it’ll slightly detune the engine, giving you a bit less power.
SPEED
➤ 0 to 60 should be done in a little over six seconds. That’s pretty good for a three row, seven-passenger SUV. Mazda CX 90
➤ You can get 26 miles all electric range, which isn’t class leading, but really not bad at all.
➤ If you keep the battery topped up, it should give you 56 combined miles per gallon.
➤ But once your EV range is depleted, you should get 25 miles per gallon just on the internal combustion engine.
BATTERY
➤ The CX 90 Phev has a smaller 17.8kW hour battery, so it doesn’t take long to charge it up to full.
➤ If you have a level two charger at home, you could fill it up in under 2 hours or 11 hours with a level one charger. Mazda CX 90
➤ As for the internal combustion engine, I love the longitudinal engine layout.
It’s like they stuck with the Miata principle and applied it to a three row SUV.
Back Side
Now, if you look past the silly big engine cover, you find that tiny four cylinder engine tucked away behind the front axle.
➤ And this is great because it more evenly distributes that heavy weight in between the front and the rear axles. So this is a rear axle biased all wheel drive system, which is different than other Mazda SUVs.
➤ This will have a more rear wheel drive nature, which I think is more fun, but it also provides a nice balance and torque distribution out of the all wheel drive system. So you feel this balance when you drive the CX 90.
➤ The SUV just feels much more agile than most vehicles in this class. So if you prioritize the driving agility over anything else, you need to put the CX 90 on top of your shopping list. Mazda CX 90
➤ Because this is a great handling SUV. However, that agility comes at a price of stiffer and harsher suspension.
You feel it at every bump, and it takes a bit away from the luxury vibe that this thing is going for.
Steering Recall
The steering effort is also higher than other SUVs. It feels like there’s not much aid from the electronic power steering system compared to other cars.
Now, while that gives the car a more sporty feel, a lighter steering effort, perhaps if it were a user modifiable feature within the different driving modes, that would have been very welcomed.
Additionally, while the steering feels pretty fantastic on back roads or when the road changes directions, the steering feedback when on center or during straight highway drives doesn’t feel very good. It feels vague and lacks good feedback.
Final Word
Now this is one of those issues with first year models. This is the first year the CX 90 is available. Mazda CX 90
So just like other models from other car companies, they tend to have a higher amount of recalls just because some elements of the design is new.
I’m pretty confident that this issue will be resolved quickly, so I’m a big fan of this Mazda CX 90 because it has beautiful styling.
The interior is awesome and also the driving dynamics is fun if you’re a car enthusiast. If you’re looking for a cushy, soft magic carpet like ride, then this isn’t it.