Expect Sleek Design and Powerful Performance from Mazdaâs Luxury Flagship CX-90

Mazda North America

Well regarded by driving enthusiasts for the MX-5 Miata, “small batch” Japanese automaker Mazda builds sporty, performance-driven vehicles that not lone grip exceptionally good – each exemplary is made with the thrust acquisition successful caput – but are crisp to look astatine too. The newest summation to their North American lineup promises to present show and elegant head-turning plan with its conscionable unveiled flagship three-row luxury SUV. On rain-soaked metropolis streets, highways and backroads betwixt San Francisco and Sonoma County, I precocious tested the 2024 Mazda CX-90 Plug-in Hybrid Electric (PHEV) and the 3.3 Turbo S. Prepare to beryllium impressed.

Less Is More: A Japanese Aesthetic

A dependable drizzle made maine admit the CX-90 PHEV compartment earlier mounting retired from 1 Hotel connected San Francisco’s Embarcadero waterfront. It’s been wide reported Mazda pulled retired each the stops for its CX-90 interior, and arsenic a instrumentality of chic neutrals, I was sold connected the achromatic perforated Nappa leather seats, wrapped steering wheel, and high-touch finishes, including elegant aluminum trim connected the doorway panels. The compartment felt spacious, and the 12.3-inch infotainment strategy restrained successful proportion. It was casual to navigate, and I scrolled done a pre-curated Mazda playlist portion adjusting the mirrors and preparing for my journey. Stowage was besides bully acknowledgment to ergonomic cardinal retention compartments and cordless smartphone charging pad.

The gauge clump and infotainment stack were each digital, but the idiosyncratic acquisition interface had invited analog buttons, including a commandant knob connected the halfway console. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto integration, and USB inputs are modular connected the PHEV, but wireless connectivity and a Bose premium dependable strategy are options connected higher trim packages. My thrust way – taking maine retired of the metropolis via the Bay Bridge and Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, on Highway 101 and done a country of Petaluma – was already punched into the nav system. 

San Fransisco to Sonoma

Making a close crook onto Mission Street, the car felt responsive – and hardly audible – arsenic I made my mode done a bid of postulation lights. The drizzle had turned into a dependable wipers-on-max downpour by the clip I crossed the Bay Bridge and made my mode onto Interstate 580, but I accessed the euphony room and switched from Tom Petty with easiness to my preferred thrust soundtrack: The Cars: Complete Greatest Hits. The 12-speaker Bose stereo strategy delivered crisp notes from bass done mid to treble arsenic I cranked Just What I Needed. Mazda opted to find the basal speakers successful the cowl versus the doorway panels to destruct rattle, frankincense creating an adjacent quieter compartment – truthful nary request to instrumentality attraction erstwhile tuning the EQ. 

Despite aggravated conditions, I decided it would beryllium hard to consciousness remotely stressed driving a car that soothed the senses with specified a spa-like consciousness of serenity – oregon top-notch information features. Mazda is known for equipping its vehicles with precocious information initiatives and the CX-90 is nary exception. Standard i-Activsense information technologies see Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane-keep Assist, and a Lane Departure Warning System. However, my archetypal acquisition was with Blind Spot Assist, which alerted maine to a conveyance connected my near what felt similar a millisecond aft indicating I was astir to alteration lanes. No jarring klaxon here, conscionable a subtle sensation successful the steering instrumentality and heads-up surface show informing – without making maine leap retired of my skin.

Comprised of an inline four-cylinder engine, an electrical motor, and a 17.8-kWh artillery pack, the plug-in-hybrid has an estimated 26 miles of electrical driving per complaint truthful whether doing the schoolhouse tally oregon regular commute, it's been designed truthful that the artillery stays supra 20 percent of its usable capacity. However, the gas engine volition footwear successful seamlessly should it get low.

I nixed a designated photograph halt astatine Stafford Lake owed to the rainfall and got a small sensation of the ultra-smooth handling capabilities done the scenic Northern California countryside – rolling greenish hills and ranchlands that spanned the Marin-Sonoma borderline punctuated by occasional agleam yellow Deer Crossing signs. The driving acquisition felt accordant – Mazda’s Kinematic Posture Control works with the vehicle’s suspension and braking systems to supply amended equilibrium and consciousness erstwhile cornering – and the PHEV hugged the roadworthy beautifully each the mode to Denmark Court, wherever I was owed to talk with Takanori Tsubaki among different Mazda representatives.

With a wider assemblage and longer wheelbase than its predecessor, the CX-90 is Mazda’s largest conveyance yet successful North America. Set to vie successful the premium three-row mid-size segment, Jon Leverett, task manager of motorboat strategy for the crossover, tells maine it besides heralds an upmarket displacement for the brand. “In the automotive world, we’ve been pursuing what we telephone ‘Mazda premium’ for a portion and this conveyance is the fullest look of what we deliberation a luxury conveyance should be. It isn’t a German car. It’s not a Swedish car. This is simply a Japanese luxury by us,” helium says.

And erstwhile getting to acquisition a conveyance that is not lone dynamic successful presumption of thrust acquisition but besides highly visually engaging, who amended to talk its plan connection than CX-90 main decorator Takanori Tsubaki? For reference, Mazda's Kodo Design philosophy (which translates to “heartbeat” or, much broadly, 'the psyche of motion') seeks to destruct unnecessary details and make a clean, minimalist look. “Body forms are meant to beryllium earthy and dynamic. Here the surfaces are smooth, but not flat,” Tsubaki-San explains via an interpreter portion sketching retired a CX-90 and CX-9 for comparison. “The agelong hood and rear-focused compartment should springiness a consciousness of question adjacent erstwhile stationary.”

Mazda’s largest – and astir luxurious – conveyance yet

If its striking exterior design, spacious interior, and awesome show capabilities weren’t enough, immoderate of those information features mentioned earlier volition nary uncertainty unafraid the CX-90 a spot connected adjacent year’s coveted IIHS Top Safety Pick rankings. For reference, the Mazda3 Sedan, Mazda3 Hatchback, CX-30, CX-5, CX-50 and CX-9 each made the 2023 list.

Before returning to San Francisco, I looked astatine a top-tier Turbo S exemplary successful the caller shape-shifting Artisan Red decorativeness with plan elements that showcase the company’s Japanese heritage: dash and doorway panels upholstered successful delicate Kakenui-stitched cloth (a play connected accepted insubstantial binding techniques) and integrated with curly maple wood (often utilized for high-end furnishings and philharmonic instruments) with a wavy signifier reminiscent of Nishijin-ori woven silk traditionally produced successful Kyoto. 

It’s an elegant and harmonious interior with refined worldly choices and colour palette that underscores Mazda’s plan philosophies consciousness arsenic bully arsenic they look. Perhaps adjacent much awesome is that a afloat scope of CX-90 features and options, specified arsenic this top-of-the-line trim level, comes successful astir $60,000. Although, Leverett informed maine determination are 11 antithetic trim packages and configurations disposable successful total, truthful thing for each aesthetic taste. 

Keri Bridgwater/JustLuxe

Soul of Motion & Reflection of Light

For my thrust backmost to the city, I was assigned a CX-90 3.3 Turbo S successful the aforesaid Rhodium White exterior arsenic the PHEV, though its interiors were decked retired successful handsome saddle brownish leather with contrasting suede trim on the dash. Before mounting off, I decided to springiness the operator personalization strategy a whirl. Tech wizardry (aka facial recognition) acknowledged maine arsenic the superior operator and adjusted the cockpit for optimum positioning. I watched - hands-free - arsenic my seat, mirrors, and steering instrumentality aligned. Thankfully, the rainfall eased off, and I saw that my way would instrumentality maine done a conception of elephantine redwood wood successful Marin County – a cleanable accidental to research the Mi-Drive modes and popular it into Sport. 

Here, enthusiasts volition admit that the 3.3-liter inline-six motor offers 340 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, but for astir of us, that translates into supplying creaseless and seamless powerfulness for speedy acceleration. It was casual to toggle betwixt the P-R-N-D setup, excessively (there’s an Off-Road and Towing mode, which I didn’t try, and an EV mode connected the PHEV). Save for a debased growl erstwhile Sport engaged the 8-speed transmission, ran up and down the gears with easiness and with AWD arsenic modular a beauteous agelong on Lucas Valley Road rewarded with choky turns positive a infinitesimal to admit the “reflection of light” Tsbuaki San talked astir earlier during an impromptu stop. Light filtering done the elephantine redwoods beautifully showcased the latest Kodo plan connection - nary filter required.

The last agelong southbound connected Highway 101 felt similar an opportune clip to effort different information diagnostic – the Lane-Keep Assist – and adaptive cruise power portion driving implicit the Golden Gate Bridge and into the city.

With a hands-free rear powerfulness liftgate – whether bundling the kids successful for a shot crippled (there is country for up to 8 passengers) oregon loading up the skis for a couples’ upland getaway (the rear seats fold down to make much storage) – the CX-90 is an upscale SUV that not lone looks bully but provides subtle musculus thrust enthusiasts volition appreciate. mazdausa.com

All representation credits courtesy of Mazda North America unless different noted.