Mazda recently unveiled an all-new flagship SUV, the 2024 CX-90, breaking new ground for the Japanese automaker in several important ways. One is Mazda’s first hybrid powertrain — a performance-oriented plug-in hybrid which combines a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine and an electric motor to put out 323 horsepower.
That’s more than any current Mazda, but it’s not the most powerful CX-90. For that, Mazda has stolen a trick from luxury automakers.
Instead, the most powerful CX-90 will use a turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine mated to an all-wheel-drive (AWD) system biased toward the rear wheels.
Mazda builds two versions of the engine. One, found in the Turbo Select, Turbo Preferred, Turbo Preferred Plus, Turbo Premium, and Turbo Premium Plus models, puts out 280 horsepower.
The other puts out 340 horsepower, making it Mazda’s most powerful product. The more powerful engine appears in the Turbo S, Turbo S Premium, and Turbo S Premium Plus models.
A Setup More Common to Luxury Automakers
Based on price, Mazda tends to compete with affordable automakers like Toyota and Ford.
Automakers working in that price range have offered a typical engine lineup for decades. Their smaller, more affordable, fuel-efficient models have used inline 4-cylinder engines. Larger or more performance-oriented models have opted for V6 engines instead.
Luxury automakers often go a different route. Some use V6 engines — engines with two banks of three cylinders each, arranged at an angle to each other. But others use inline 6-cylinder engines.
Inline-6 engines are renowned for their balance and lack of vibration. They’re common in cars known for performance, like today’s BMW M4 or the Mercedes-Benz flagship S500 sedan.
The fact that BMW will sell you an inline-6, but Honda will not, tells you a lot about the kind of buyer Mazda is appealing to with the CX-90.
Rear-Bias, Kinematic Posture Control
Engineering a car to accept a straight-6 engine is challenging. It requires planning the transmission differently than the typical approach used in affordable SUVs. But Mazda Powertrain Performance manager Jay Chen says, “Our commitment as Mazda to deliver this pure driving performance was reflected in the CX-90 by saying we’re going to commit to putting an inline-6 into a front-rear longitudinal layout.”
All of Mazda’s 2023 SUVs offer AWD. But, in the flagship SUV, it’s biased toward the rear wheels unless the front wheels need added grip.
What it means, Chen says, is “the rear tires are doing the driving; the front tires are doing the steering. That’s a much more natural way for vehicles to behave.”
The engine’s unusual geometry “opened up space for the front area to have more steering angle, better proper sports car suspension. That’s always been our dream as engineers. OK, finally, we can build the car we really, really want to build and not compromise,” he says.
They answered by adapting a technology Mazda developed for sports cars.
Kinematic Posture Control, first used on the 2022 MX-5 Miata, applies subtle braking force to the rear inner tire in turns to minimize body roll.
A Lot of Performance Potential for a 3-Row SUV
No one in the press has yet had the chance to test the CX-90. We’re anxious to bring you our impressions from behind the wheel. For now, we can say it’s a 3-row SUV from an affordable automaker with the powertrain we’d expect in a luxury sedan. That has promise. Prices start a $39,595, plus $1,375 for delivery.
Check this week’s Fair Purchase Price or see the Mazda CX-90 models for sale near you.
