Mazda simply broadened the viewers of its flagship SUV with a model new mannequin title. I took the all-new 2025 Mazda CX-70 on a street journey from Charleston to Asheville, North Carolina. Unsurprisingly, it punches above its weight in luxurious and efficiency. However considerably surprisingly, the variations between it and its three-row counterpart, the CX-90, trigger one to query the necessity for a wholly new title.
The excellent news is that when you settle for the subtlety of the excellence between the CX-70 and its forebear, it’s a unbelievable two-row SUV with an inside that holds its personal subsequent to pricier choices from Lexus, Jeep, or BMW. I drove the PHEV hybrid model in its most luxurious Premium Plus trim stage. 500 miles later, after a visit to the Smoky Mountains and again, I can safely say that when you like two-row SUV’s, you’ll find it irresistible.
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DESIGN
The CX-70 is basically a CX-90 with out the third row, and that sums up the substantive variations between the 2 fashions. There are extra trim ranges on the 90, completely different paint colours, wheels, and leather-based choices, and the darkish exterior trim on the CX-70 is sportier than the shiny trim on the CX-90. However the legroom and the cargo area are just about equivalent. A couple of small options comparable to unresponsive driver help exist on the CX-70 however not (but) on the CX-90, however after the variety of rows, you have to dig into the nice print to search out variations between the fashions.
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On the skin, the 21-inch wheels of the Premium Plus are handsomely aggressive, and paired with the darkish trim, it’s the very best trying full-size Mazda SUV but. Inside, the leather-based trim, the infotainment system, and the general driver and passenger expertise are glorious. I notably preferred the panoramic roof for taking within the mountain views, and the cabin-filling energy of the Bose sound system so we may take pleasure in my spouse’s Chappell Roan as a substitute of no matter nonsense was blaring from our youngsters’ iPads.
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EXPERIENCE AND PERFORMANCE
It’s a really snug SUV for a street journey. I personally nonetheless discover the non-PHEV model to be extra enjoyable to drive, however there was loads of energy for the passing lane up the Saluda Grade that took us up 2000 ft from South Carolina into the mountains. It has 323-horsepower (mixed electrical and fuel) and 369 lb.-ft torque, with a zero-to-sixty time of below six seconds––greater than sufficient umph for any authorized driving on any street in America.
Totally charged, it has 26 miles of electric-only vary. As I used to be going lengthy distance, my expertise was primarily with the fuel facet of issues. If I’d’ve had extra entry to chargers, the battery could be charged from 20% to 80% in 90 minutes on a stage 2 charger. Driving it as I did, I acquired about 28mpg freeway. The handoff between the electrical motor and the fuel engine, for me, was not as easy as different plug-in hybrids I’ve examined, such because the Volvo XC60 plug-in. That stated, it nonetheless feels nice to drive.
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After we acquired to our daughter’s summer season camp, there was loads of room for her camp trunk and equipment. Although when loading up, like me it’s possible you’ll scratch your head while you see that regardless of the absence of the third row, the third-row cupholders are nonetheless current.
We spent the night time at Asheville’s hottest new luxurious boutique lodge, the Flat Iron. Navigating downtown Asheville, the CX-70 dealt with so nimbly you may overlook that there’s a three-row model with the identical footprint.
Dony Dawson
FINAL THOUGHTS
Shopping for the CX-70 over the CX-90 is a delicate and largely psychological determination, as a result of there aren’t that many sensible causes to decide on this over the CX-90. However maybe this is not about people who find themselves selecting between these two, however about individuals solely two-row SUV’s as a class; individuals who simply don’t consider themselves as three-row individuals. This new ’70’ nomenclature is aimed toward this group. I suppose each the best reward and the strongest critique of the CX-70 is that it takes an already nice three-row SUV and nudges it into a special search criterion for a special group of patrons––with a sportier-looking trim thrown in for good measure.
As examined within the PHEV model, pricing begins at slightly below 60k. As for my vacation spot in Western North Carolina, Asheville is again open for enterprise now and native companies are grateful for the help.
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