by Anthony Fongaro - Photos via Mazda- 10/25/2023
Mazda has a penchant for making all of their vehicles fun to drive. That applies to everything from the MX-5 up to their biggest vehicles. In terms of large SUVs, out goes the CX-9, and the CX-90. With competition like the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride, Mazda had to step up their game. The result is a larger and much more powerful SUV. Can this compete with the big dogs?
With the CX-90, Mazda wanted a more premium look. This starts at the front with a silver accent piece along the grille. I’m happy the grille isn’t too large and has a loud and proud Mazda logo. Headlights are angular and semi-squint when they intersect with the silver trim. Underneath is another silver accent piece. The best part of the CX-90 is the side profile. As a Turbo S Premium Plus model, this comes with massive 21-inch wheels. Mazda includes a piece of trim between the front wheel well and the door. This displays inline-6 or PHEV, whichever you get. My favorite part is the silver piece of trim on the booth of the doors which ends with the word Mazda ingrained. Although the rear end doesn’t seem too impressive, I appreciate the slanted tail lights and electric trunk.
You might be surprised when you jump inside the CX-90. It has a gorgeous interior with plenty of soft-touch materials. You’ll see (thankfully) many buttons including the climate control. This trim level comes with Nappa luxury along with both the front and second row getting heated and ventilation. In front of the drive is a two-tone steering wheel which is electrically operated. There are your usual buttons for the cruise control and audio. White the main dials aren’t anything special, a large head-up display is crisp and shows all the information you’d want such as speed and safety features. Being a six-seat configuration, both the front and second rows get padded center consoles with a good amount of space. A power panoramic sunroof provides a large amount of glass.
I thought that Mazda would ditch its current navigation for one that is touch-based. I was wrong. You still have to use a rotary along with buttons. I still don’t like it. Thankfully, and for some reason, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto can use the rotary wheel or by touch. Mazda also kept the volume control as a small wheel next to the rotary wheel. What they did change is the gear selector. It’s more compact, but you have to knock it to the right to engage the reverse and two back for drive. You get used to it, but it still feels a little odd to me. Both the front and second-row captain’s chairs are very comfortable and the third row is for children or those that are lost at rock-paper-scissors.
Car enthusiasts have been waiting for the CX-90 because of its engines. There is the PHEV, but the bigger news was a new inline-six. In the Turbo and higher models such as this one, the 3.3-liter inline-six produces 340 horsepower and 369 lb-ft. Mated to a new eight-speed automatic and AWD, the Mazda CX-90 gets from 0-60 MPH in 6.3 seconds. That’s pretty quick for the segment. More than a few times, the inline-6 didn’t feel as smooth as others. Still, it has plenty of power. Three drive modes include Sport, Normal, and Off-Road. There’s a significant difference between Sport and Normal with quicker steering and more power.
If you’re driving at a more regular pace, expect around 22 MPG. The price to pay for an inline-6. Unlike most of its competitors, the CX-90 has excellent brakes and handling. CX-90s get a safety suite with adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, driver monitoring, and anti-theft protection. While on the highway, the CX-90 is calm and you enjoy the Bose 12-speaker sound system. In this particular vehicle, there is an odd squeaking sound somewhere between the center console and the seat. I couldn’t figure out where it was from but I’ve driven a few CX-90s so this is probably a one-off issue.
Gas-powered CX-90s have two outputs. 3.3 Turbo models produce 280 horsepower and 332 lb-ft. These models start at around $40,000 and rise to $53,000. Turbo S models produce the full 340 horsepower and 369 lb-ft. These start at $52,000 and rise to this model’s $62,000 price tag. Fully loaded competitors may not have the power of the CX-90, but they can come in $5,000-10,000 less. That’s why I would go for either the 3.3 Turbo Preferred Plus at $46,000 or the 3.3 Turbo S Preferred for $55,000.
It’s a little pricey, but should you take a look at the CX-90? Absolutely. Mazda created an amazing SUV that handles well, brakes well, and has a lot of power. Mazda does have to work on the powertrain to make it more smooth, but it isn’t jarring. With the CX-90, you can go more fuel-efficient with the PHEV or have more fun with the inline-6. Although I prefer the inline-6, whatever your preference, Mazda has hit a home run with the Cx-90.
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