Driven: 2024 Mazda CX-90 Hybrid Blurs The Line Between Mainstream And Luxury

This interior shows Mazda's clear intention to target brands like Acura and Infiniti. Leather is standard on the Preferred and Premium trims, while the top Premium Plus trim gets upgraded Nappa leather in white or black. Our tester included the latter, which features gold seat accents and stitching and is paired with metallic trim. It's elegant, but we prefer the white Nappa leather, which gets wood trim and premium-looking fabric on the dashboard. It'll definitely be more difficult to keep clean, though. Regardless, the Premium Plus adds ventilation to the front seats, which both get heating as standard.

Though the material quality and layout are top-notch, we can't say the same for Mazda's technology. The 12.3-inch screen features a rotary-style controller that is unintuitive with too many annoying menus. Thankfully, Mazda finally allows owners to touch the screen when the car is in motion, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both wireless. We do appreciate how Mazda kept the digital gauges simple and easy to read. The fuel gauge shows a ton of information about the gas tank and battery at just a glance.

在我们的第一个驱动cx - 90,我们没有甲型肝炎e a strong lean on which powertrain was best. After spending a week with the PHEV, we now have a more definitive preference for the inline-six. Due to travel and the nature of our driving, the week was spent mostly with the CX-90's 17.8 kWh battery pack completely drained. With no charge, the CX-90 functions like a normal hybrid, using the electric motor to keep the air conditioning running at a stop and at slow speeds during stop-and-go traffic.

We noted around 25 mpg when driving around with no charge, which is on par with the EPA rating. This is around the same fuel economy you could expect from the gas CX-90 Turbo when driving in the city. The CX-90 can also be charged on the go using the engine, though this results in a hit to your fuel economy.

Of course, a PHEV is meant to be plugged in, and fuel economy improves drastically when combined with electric-only driving. A full charge can be achieved in under two hours with a Level 2 charger, and the CX-90 can go around 26 miles on a charge, which should be enough for a short commute. If you live a lifestyle that only requires a short trip to work and back, the CX-90 PHEV could be a nice option. Anyone who frequently drives further than that may not reap the full benefits of this powertrain.

即将离任的CX-9最乐趣SUVs in the mainstream segment, and the CX-90 only improves upon that formula: A rear-biased platform with all-wheel-drive delivers balanced handling that keeps drivers grinning on a windy backroad. The steering is on the heavy side for a family SUV, but justifies that weight with good responsiveness and connectivity to the road. If there was such a thing as a big three-row Miata, this could be it. Managing this much weight through the corners is a tricky math equation, and Mazda chose to solve it with firm suspension. The CX-90 doesn't beat up its occupants, but the ride is certainly on the sporty side.

We mentioned previously that we preferred the CX-90 with the inline-six after spending a week in the PHEV; not only does the inline-six sound better, but it's the smoother of the two. This being Mazda's first PHEV, the transition from electric to gas could be a lot smoother; the gas engine abruptly makes its presence known like a toddler asking their parent to watch them do a cartwheel.

And despite having the same amount of torque as the gas-only Turbo S, the PHEV can sometimes feel underpowered due to the nature of how the four-cylinder revs highly when a quick burst of acceleration is demanded. We love how the CX-90 drives, but it feels more natural with the inline-six.

As with the CX-9 it replaces, the CX-90 makes some trade-off in practicality in the pursuit of driving enjoyment. Buyers who want eight seats must opt for the base Preferred trim, as both the Premium and Premium Plus are only available with captain's chairs in the second row. Those chairs are pretty comfortable and offer heating, but buyers can only get ventilated rear seats on the gas-only Turbo S Pemium Plus, for some reason. The third row is a tight squeeze for adults; there are three-row options in this segment that offer more passenger space.

With regards to cargo space, the CX-90 is far from the largest option in the segment. For eight-seater models, there is only 14.9 cubic feet available behind the third row. That opens to 40 cubes with the third row folded or 75.2 cubic feet with the second row down. Seven-seater models get marginally more space - 75.2 cubes with all seats down, 40.1 cubes with the middle row up, and 15.9 cubes behind the third row. Speaking of the third row, it doesn't offer power-folding or heating, two options that are available on the Hyundai Palisade.

In Mazda's efforts to build more premium vehicles, the brand hasstraddled the linebetween mainstream and luxury in terms of pricing. The CX-90 Hybrid starts at $47,445 for the base Preferred trim (not including the $1,375 destination and handling fee), a few thousand dollars below the non-hybrid Acura MDX and Infiniti QX60. Opting for the Premium trim brings the price to $52,900, and the top Premium Plus trim is $56,950. Those prices overlap with SUVs from luxury brands, though the CX-90 differentiates itself with a PHEV powertrain.

Does the CX-90 justify a price tag that competes with Acura and Infiniti? We think it does. Though the PHEV is not our preferred powertrain, the CX-90 delivers more power than the naturally aspirated MDX and QX60, along with superior efficiency. The interior feels on par with the luxury segment, and the driving dynamics are actually superior due to the CX-90's rear-biased platform. Whether or not consumers will sacrifice the perceived prestige of owning an Acura or Infiniti for a Mazda remains to be seen, but the CX-90 proves that it should be taken seriously as a luxury challenger.