Mazda just took its first giant leap into the future and is ready to plug in while aiming to fit the entire family.
On Tuesday, the 2024 Mazda CX-90 made its debut. With new hybrid powertrains, rear-wheel-drive-based platform, and three rows of seats, it has more boring competition in its sights.
At this time, the CX-90 is light on details and flush with beautiful design elements that might get enthusiast families excited. Mazda said the CX-90 will go on sale this spring with pricing, fuel economy ratings, electric-only range, and actual vehicle dimensions to be announced closer to launch.
2024 Mazda CX-90
Getting inline, turbocharged, and rear-wheel drive-based
The CX-90 debuts Mazda’s new clean-sheet rear-wheel-drive-based large platform for the U.S. market. Every CX-90 will be an all-wheel-drive hybrid with an 8-speed automatic transmission.
2024 Mazda CX-90
Plug-in hybrids pair a 2.5-liter inline-4 with an electric motor sandwiched in the 8-speed transmission. The 17.8-kwh lithium-ion battery pack is mounted just aft of the second row, stretching underneath the third row. Total system output is rated at 323 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. Mazda said the system can be run in electric-only mode or as a hybrid, and will have enough electric range to be useful in day-to-day driving, but it wouldn’t comment on range.
The turbo-6 model features a new clean-sheet 3.3-liter turbocharged inline-6 with a single-scroll single turbo, paired with an electric motor mounted in the 8-speed automatic transmission. Total system output is rated at 340 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque.
Mitsuru Wakiie, the executive in charge of the CX-90 program, told Motor Authority the two powertrains’ torque figures being the same isn’t a coincidence. The output is nearing the new 8-speed automatic’s power limit. The 8-speed automatic transmission is a clean-sheet in-house design featuring two wet clutches and no torque converter, the latter replaced by the electric motor. Behind the engine but inside the transmission casing sits the electric motor, then a wet clutch followed by the 8-speed automatic transmission, then another wet clutch, which hooks it all to the driveshaft.
The Mazda-developed all-wheel-drive system sends about 80% of the power to the rear wheels under typical driving conditions, according to Wakiie. The executive said even in electric mode the CX-90 will still power all four wheels, a feat the Volvo XC90 T8 Recharge is incapable of doing. While there’s no torque vectoring or limited-slip differentials, the system can send up to 50% of the power to the front wheels.
Mazda added its Kinematic Posture Control (KPC) system first introduced on the 2022 MX-5 Miata. The electronic feature improves stability during cornering by applying brake force to help limit body roll through corners while improving grip. It’s similar in concept to a brake-based torque vectoring system used in other vehicles.
The new platform enabled Mazda to package a double wishbone suspension up front and a multi-link suspension in the rear. The CX-90 doesn’t have any manner of active damping, or an air suspension.
2024 Mazda CX-90
2024 Mazda CX-90
Luxury looks with seating for up to eight
One look at the CX-90 and it’s clear this three-row is cut from another cloth than the competition.
Longer and wider than the CX-9 it will replace, the CX-90 has a short front overhang and long hood that leads to a large dash-to-axle ratio, and tidy rear end. The design language has evolved and been refined here with flourishes on the fenders, but everyone will know this is a Mazda. Top-spec Signature models will ride on 21-inch alloy wheels.
The CX-90 can be configured to hold six, seven, or even eight passengers. The outgoing CX-9 can only hold six or seven people depending on its configuration. Depending on the trim, the CX-90 can be had with either a second-row bench seat or two captain’s chairs, while some models will have a two-person third row and others will feature seating for three in the rearmost row. Mazda hasn’t detailed which trims will feature which configurations.
The second and third-row seats feature stadium-style seating. At 5-foot-10, I was able to sit behind myself in all three rows and there was about an inch of headroom left above me in the third row. But, legroom and footroom will be at a premium there due to the packaging and battery pack. Both rows fold completely flat for large cargo hauling duties.
2024 Mazda CX-90
The dashboard features a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 12.3-inch infotainment screen. Mazda’s committed to the rotary dial and button input system and only enables the screen for touch inputs while using Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The active-safety set will be broadened, but there wasn’t yet enough detail provided about its feature set at this early reveal. Signature models displayed at the reveal seemed to have support for a rearview camera system, displaying in the rearview mirror, but Mazda wouldn’t comment on this feature yet.
Up-close materials and surfaces are shaping up to be a strength. Signature models feel like they are treading into luxury territory with nappa leather and open-pore curly maple wood. The latter features a shimmery effect and is used on guitars. It is complimented by a linen-like trim material on the dashboard and door panels in Signature models with the white interior. Other trims will feature dark interiors and plastic trim with mesh-like embossed design.
