Living with the new Mazda CX-90: Long-term review

2024 Mazda CX-90 long-term review

JUMP AHEAD

• Welcome

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Welcome

Model: Mazda CX-90 D50e GT
Price as tested: $85,550 + on-road costs
This month: 798km @ 6.5L/100km

Amazing, isn’t it, how quickly your priorities can shift.

Not so long ago, in the relaxing, carefree and golden-hued dreamland before children, shopping for a new car was wonderfully selfish. How does it steer?, what does it sound like? and how worn are the sticky Pilot Spot tyres? were all genuine concerns.

Having kids, however, sends all of that tumbling into the ether of irrelevance faster than an ousted opposition leader.

Suddenly, instead of calling up mates to discuss steering feel and whether the 1.6L or 1.9L engine is the one to go for, you find yourself creating spreadsheets that compare boot space litreage, rear knee-room, crash test percentages and whether or not the middle row is on rails.

So here’s a reality check for anyone about to cross the threshold into parenthood: no matter what your significant other might tell you elsewhere, when it comes to the domain of sprogs, prams and travel cots, size does matter.

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Which is perhaps why the Mazda CX-90 you see pictured here is looking so smug. A biggun’ isn’t it?

If this were a rugby match, you’d slot the CX-90 in as a replacement for the mighty John Eales. Or perhaps, given it weighs a gargantuan 2241kg, as a super-sub for the legendary All Black winger Jonah Lomu.

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It’s certainly a decent wedge bigger than Mazda’s other new family SUV, the mid-size CX-60, which we’ve also recently run as a long-termer. Both cars are spun off Mazda’s all-new Large Platform and they share the same engine line-up, meaning the choice of either a 3.3L inline six cylinder petrol or diesel, or a more powerful and efficient 2.5L plug-in hybrid. For now it’s six-cylinders only, though, as the PHEV will join the CX-90 line-up later in 2024.

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The CX-60 and 90 even look remarkably similar — so much so it’s easy to confuse them with a cursory glance — however there are some important differences.

The 90 rolls on larger 21-inch wheels, the profile of the rear glass is more ballooned to better accomodate an extra row of seats, and the wheelbase has been stretched by a hefty 250mm.

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Overall length is up by 360mm to 5100mm and the CX-90 is also 104mm wider and 65mm taller than its smaller sibling.

In other words, the CX-90 is utterly enormous and a genuine 7-seat rival for the Hyundai Palisade, Kia Sorento and Toyota Kluger.

It makes good use of the extra space, too. Ahead of the B-pillar, the CX-90 and 60 are virtually identical inside, but the 90’s middle row slides and is noticeably more commodious.

You also get a big boost in luggage space. Officially Mazda says you score 608L behind the second row, which is 131L more than the CX-60 (though still far less than the van-like Hyundai Palisade) and that grows to 2025L if you lay the seats flat.

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Even with all seven seats in use, boot space remains a useful 257L, or 40L more than you get in the boot of a hybrid Toyota Corolla.

We’ll test the third row out in greater detail in future updates — COF531 is down for a six-month stint in the Wheels garage — but initial inspection reveals it’s a place for adults, not just kids. And importantly the third row has top-tether mounts so you can fit kiddy seats back there, unlike some rivals.

The trade off to all of this extra space is more weight (about 250kg+) and a big uptick in price. The CX-90 is the biggest and most expensive Mazda ever, so much so that the flagship Azami PHEV will tip into six figures once you get it on the road.

Our test car is slightly more palatable. It’s the mid-spec GT diesel, which retails for $85,550 before on-road costs, and it’s bursting with so much standard equipment that it might be the sweet spot in the range.

It’s still a hefty $15,150 more than an equivalent diesel CX-60, mind, which is a lot when you consider the only key difference between them is size.

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So is the 90 worth the extra outlay? That’s one of the pressing questions to address over the next six months.

Another is exploring whether the CX-90 falls victim to the same ride and laggy gearbox issues that plague the smaller CX-60. Initial impressions are both bugbears remain, however we have an interstate road-trip planned next month to properly see how the 90 performs on the road.

The bigger question facing the CX-90, however, regards its flagship status. At close to $100,000 (and more than that in the flagship Azami PHEV!), is it a very expensive Mazda or a genuine alternative to proven luxe players like Lexus, BMW, Mercedes and Audi? Or both? All of these questions and more will be answered over the coming months, so strap in.