Mazda’s march up-market continues with the CX-90 that is targeting luxury SUVs such as the BMW X5 and Audi Q7 – and it looks set to come with a price tag to match.
Unveiled this week in California – America is its prime market – the CX-90 kicks off with six-cylinder diesel and petrol engines driving all four wheels when it goes on sale in the third quarter of 2023.
In 2024 a plug-in hybrid electric version will be added to the large SUV line-up that will be offered with six or seven seats.
The Japanese brand describes the CX-90 as a “new level of family luxury and Mazda premium design”.
The all-new large SUV will initially sell alongside the Mazda CX-9 in Australia, although in America the CX-90 is being positioned as a larger and more up-market replacement.
Mazda has not yet confirmed if the current CX-9 will be replaced, although without the might of the American market it appears a tough sell, reinforcing Mazda’s longer term strategy to straddle the middle ground between mainstream and luxury brands.
Pricing for the CX-90 is yet to be announced but will be more than the new Mazda CX-60, which is priced from about $66,000 drive-away to almost $100,000.
The brand says the CX-90 will give existing Mazda owners a chance to stay with the Japanese brand while stepping into more luxurious territory.
And instead of aiming for mainstream rivals such as the Toyota Kluger, Nissan Pathfinder and Hyundai Palisade, the CX-90 wants to tempt buyers from premium marques.
“We believe we can attract some of the premium buyers,” says Mazda Australia managing director Vinesh Bhindi.
“The first-ever Mazda CX-90 is the absolute pinnacle of Mazda premium. Our most advanced model ever with exceptional levels of sophistication throughout that can be enjoyed not just by the driver, but the whole family.”
Driving enjoyment is a big part of the positioning of the CX-90.
Sharing its architecture with the five-seat CX-60 that goes on sale mid-year, the CX-90 has a rear-biased all-wheel drive layout.
It also comes with Mazda’s all-new 3.3-litre inline six-cylinder turbocharged engines – one petrol, one diesel – each driving through an eight-speed automatic.
With mild hybrid systems to incrementally reduce fuel use, the petrol engine makes 254kW and 500Nm, making it the most powerful Mazda production car ever (it outdoes the 241kW/500Nm of the soon-to-arrive Mazda CX-60). The six-cylinder diesel musters 187kW and 550Nm.
Mazda expects the petrol six-cylinder to be the top seller.
The design has a bolder nose and tail blended with simple but stylish surfaces. Sizeable 21-inch diamond cut wheels that are the largest ever fitted to a Mazda.
Mazda has also developed a new colour known as Artisan Red. With a deeper, darker hue than the red finishes on other Mazdas it’s designed only for “large platform” vehicles.
Inside, there are quality finishes and unique touches, including Japanese-inspired stitching, maple finishes and Nappa leather.
There’s also a head-up display and 12.3-inch infotainment display, while new tech includes a “see-through view monitor” that can provide a partial virtual view of what is beneath the car to make parking easier as well as a rear vision mirror that can project the image of the rear camera.