Mazda is clearly moving towards the premium segment. The first achievement of this was the CX-60 that was launched last year, with a plug-in hybrid powertrain and a fiscally totally uninteresting 3.3 liter six-in-line diesel with barely 200 hp. Soon, however, the Japanese brand will introduce a new flagship: the CX-90, a large SUV with three rows of seats and the most powerful engine ever in a Mazda production car.
Consolation prize
That engine is a new 3.3 liter petrol engine, also with six cylinders in line, with a turbo. That provides a nice 345 hp and 500 Nm, power that is distributed to the four wheels, but with an emphasis on the rear wheels. The engine gets a mild hybrid support to reduce consumption and should get a “satisfactory” exhaust note. At the moment we only get to see a small teaser, the CX-90 will be fully presented at the end of January.
So what is the consolation prize for us Europeans? Mazda will also launch the CX-80 in 2023, another three-row SUV based on the CX-60. And, in addition to the plug-in hybrid version and the six-cylinder diesel, it will also have a 3-litre six-cylinder petrol engine with Skyactiv-X technology. A swan song, because from 2025 the brand’s new electric models will be on the market. Would you leave the BMW X5 for it?
