Biggest. Mazda. Ever.
Car companies are in the business of making money. And if there were money to be made building such delightful things as the Mazdaspeed6, Protégé5, and RX-7, Mazda would still be building them. But SUVs are where the money is, so here is the new made-in-Japan and built-for-America 2024 Mazda CX-90.
Not to be confused with the XC90, which is a Volvo. And the Mazda has a hyphen. Got it?
With a big turbocharged straight-six under its long schnoz, three rows of seats under its long roof, and standard all-wheel drive inside its long 122.8-inch wheelbase, the top CX-90 weighs in, claims Mazda, at 4899 pounds. Let’s go to the archives… yup, that’s as much as two examples of the original 1990 Miata, plus another 479 pounds. It’s also 992 pounds more than what Mazda says the heaviest version of the CX-50 SUV it introduced last year weighs.
It’s also big enough compared to the competition. That wheelbase is nine inches longer than the new Honda Pilot’s. And it’s 8.6 inches longer than that of the Hyundai Palisade’s wheelbase. All three are close in overall length and width, but the CX-90 has its wheels pushed to the corners and that generous wheelbase gives it a damn-near limo-like road presence. In fact, the CX-90’s wheelbase is down only 0.9 inches from that of the 2011 Lincoln Town Car.
Also, if that’s not enough weight for any buyer, there’s a plug-in hybrid version that comes in at 5243 pounds. More about this battery hauler later.
Just as Toyota is abandoning six-cylinder engines, Mazda introduces an all-new one. Mazda’s first straight-six to make it to North American consumers, it displaces a nominal 3.3 liters with a single twin-scroll turbocharger integrated into the exhaust manifold. A mild 48-volt hybrid system is sandwiched between the engine and eight-speed automatic transmission that adds 16.6 hp and 113 lb-ft of torque and smoothes power delivery.
No, this isn’t the same ZF eight-speed that shows up in everything from Ram pickups to BMW X-whatevers. This is Mazda’s own transmission and it uses a rear-positioned wet clutch instead of a torque converter (the hybrid motor kind of acts like a converter too). That clutch, claims Mazda, provides “more direct response.”
A clutch also has packaging advantages. “A straight six is long,” explains Powertrain Performance Manager Jay Chen, stating the obvious. “So, a straight-six and a torque converter and whatever transmission behind it is going to take up a lot of space. It starts intruding into cabin space, starts throwing off the engine balance with engine hanging over the front axle. So, all those things considered and, more importantly, the fact that we can design and package it ourselves. So, we make it a longer but slender transmission.”
The transmission’s gearset keeps the first five gears close, goes direct drive in sixth, with seventh an overdrive and eighth an even deeper overdrive. It all concludes with a 3.692:1 final drive ratio. The all-wheel drive system is biased toward rear-drive operation with the front wheels often freewheeling to reduce parasitic drag.
There are different selectable driving modes available, but the point isn’t to endow the CX-90 with multiple personalities. “What we’re trying to do with the driving modes is have the car drive the same way in different conditions,” explained Dave Coleman, Mazda’s Manager of Vehicle Dynamics. “We have a consistent driving experience that we want to have. And in certain conditions, the same tuning doesn’t give the same result. So, Sport mode for example, the transmission is trying to figure out what to do based only just looking at gas pedal inputs. It’s all it knows, right? But the same pedal inputs on the freeway and on twisty mountain roads should have very different results. But the computer doesn’t know which kind of road you’re on, so the button is only telling the computer, ‘Hey, I’m on a twisty mountain road now.’”
And that consistent driving experience, at least based on this relatively short and Mazda proctored press event exposure, is where the CX-90’s greatest advantage lies. Mazda’s vehicle tuning, across its line, favors driver involvement and engaged intentionality. Even this three-row Yeti has a distinct and direct feel in how the steering engages. The brake and accelerator pedals deliver linear responses, and the suspension sure-footedness surprises. It isn’t tuned for isolation, but for, well, amusement. At least preliminarily, the CX-90 is the driver’s choice among mainstream, three-row family transport pods.
Not based on any existing product, the CX-90’s structure is a straightforward unibody. The front suspension is double wishbones with the tail atop a multilink independent system. Nothing exotic, but effective. The ride is solid, but always comfortable. It feels like the rear-drive machine that it is. More BMW X5 (or X7) than Lexus RX.
Missing from the CX-90 is an air suspension. Instead, Mazda has simply tuned the springs and shocks to work well despite the 21-inch wheels and 275/45R21 tires, with only some intrusion from computers. And in ten years, there won’t be a bunch of CX-90s sitting alongside roads on their bump stops after the bags have blown. The steering is heavier and quicker than on most luxury barges, but it’s not Miata direct.
The 3.3-liter straight-six comes rated at either 280- or 340-hp total output including the hybrid assist. The specifications (including a heady 12.0:1 compression ratio) for both versions are the same however, with the significant difference between them being that regular-grade fuel is specified for the 280-hp version and premium is the drink of choice for the 340. Fuel quality explains some of the output difference, but 60 hp is a lot. The rest of the difference must be in software and that leads to speculation that there’s some demon coding tweak that will elevate the lo-po version to hi-po heights.
At the San Francisco press event, the only sixes on hand were top-of-the-line Turbo S models. Mazda’s big six isn’t a ripping sort of thing. It has an easygoing personality; smooth, encouraging, and just shy of eager. With the hybrid system filling in any torque divots, the driving experience is one of confidence that seems appropriate for an SUV optimized to cover a continent. Given some spur on the right romping road it spools up like the GE90 hanging off the wing of a 777; a puller without an afterburner. The transmission responds well to inputs from the paddle shifters, but with consistent torque production that peaks down at 2000 rpm, there are many times when holding the gear is the right strategy.
Let’s estimate the 0 to 60 clocking coming in at well under seven seconds. Maybe near six. Call it 6.5-seconds to play it safe.
There’s a nice trilling exhaust note, too. Or at least it seems there is one. Mazda does pump in some exhaust notes through the sound system. Is that understandable? Sure. Even excusable. But it’s also kind of disappointing in a vehicle that delivers so much analog sweetness.
All the six-cylinder CX-90s on hand also had Premium Plus interiors. The exterior of the CX-90 is handsome and somewhat generic, but the inside of the line-topper is exquisitely detailed with interesting materials and unique shapes. Leather, cloth, wood… all of it is nice stuff. Some design elements, like the aluminum trim on the door panels, is reminiscent of the elegance seen in the current Lexus LS. Lower trim levels are decidedly less lavish, but if lavish is the goal, Mazda has lavish on the option sheet.
In a world obsessed with oversize touchscreens, Mazda's are restrained in size and operate, most of the time, using the company’s signature click-wheel controller. Mazda’s case is that their wheel commander is more intuitive when the vehicle is moving and not as distracting. However, in recognition that most buyers are now addicted to either Apple AirPlay or Android Auto phone integration, those do operate by touch when they’re active on the 12.3-inch center display. Yes, all the typical accident avoidance, lane keeping, radar cruising tech is aboard. And there are enough cameras around to broadcast a WNBA regular season game if a CX-90 were parked at center court.
Mazda is offering the CX-90 in six-, seven-, or eight-seat configurations depending on the choices made for the second and third row chairs or sofas. It’s also roomy with generous rear leg room. There are 11 different options packages offered, so many elements will vary. Turns out that spending more money gets nicer stuff. Who knew?
Now, the PHEV. Using the same “Skyactiv” 2.5-liter four featured in other Mazda products, it works elegantly. But the driving experience is more remote than with the straight six, even if the 323-hp drivetrain handles the massive weight well.
There’s a clue to this tempered performance in the specs. While the hybrid system produces the same 369 lb-ft of peak torque as the six, it makes it at 4000 rpm instead of 2000. Fortunately, the electric motor delivers its 199 lb-ft instantly, so off the line this massive thing feels fine in every day driving. But the six is more fun and sounds better.
In compensation, the PHEV version will do a claimed electric-only range of 26 miles meaning many owners can run it as an EV during commutes. For those owners who work at institutions with free charging, that’s kind of awesome.
As big as this Mazda is, it’s a Mazda. It doesn’t chase every tech fad, is tuned for driver enjoyment, and has been styled with some apparent restraint and occasional inspiration.
Six-cylinder CX-90s start at $40,970 including a $1395 destination fee. The high-zoot 3.3 Turbo S Premium Plus kicks off at $61,920, with $595 worth of premium paint as an option. There are a few dealer installed accessories that can push that up some, but not much. The hybrid will start at $48,820 and peak at $61,325.
Mazda is making, literally, a big bet with the CX-90. Here’s hoping it succeeds. Because while it’s still easy to get weepy about the Mazdaspeed6, Protégé5 and RX-7, this is apparently what people actually buy.
John Pearley Huffman has been writing about cars since 1990 and is getting okay at it. Besides Car and Driver, his work has appeared in the New York Times and more than 100 automotive publications and websites. A graduate of UC Santa Barbara, he still lives near that campus with his wife and two children. He owns a pair of Toyota Tundras and two Siberian huskies. He used to have a Nova and a Camaro.
