There will soon be a new top-of-the-line model grabbing all the attention in the Mazda showroom. The Mazda 2024 Mazda CX-90 is handsome and introduces several new technologies for Mazda.
It’s another step upscale for the brand, with a spec sheet (and the price tag) of a midsize luxury SUV.
The CX-90 comes with a choice of two powertrains. One reads like something out of a BMW showroom — a turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine sending power to a rear-biased all-wheel-drive (AWD) system.
We’ll cover that one separately.
The other is Mazda’s first hybrid. A CX-90 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) that mates a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine to an electric motor for a total output of 323 horsepower. It sends power through an 8-speed automatic transmission.
The CX-90 PHEV will be offered in three trim levels. The top of the lineup is the PHEV Premium Plus, starting at $56,950.
Let’s explore what it has to offer.
PHEV Power and Efficiency
Plug-in hybrid vehicles are unique for their ability to travel a certain distance on electric power alone before the gasoline engine kicks in. Neither Mazda nor the Environmental Protection Agency has yet said how far the CX-90 can go without gas.
But its 323-horsepower output makes it more powerful than anything on the Mazda lot before its arrival. And it should allow buyers to run errands on electric power alone while offering the flexibility to use gasoline for longer trips.
Luxury Car Seating
The CX-90 PHEV Premium Plus gets 8-way power-adjustable front seats, with power lumbar support for the driver. They’re heated and ventilated. Second-row passengers get captain’s chairs with a center pass-through, with heating of their own.
All rows are wrapped in buttery Nappa leather. It’s treated with additional softening steps in the tanning process and is rarely found in cars built by mainstream automakers.
And this is a Mazda — the driver’s experience matters most. So the steering wheel and shifter are leather-wrapped, too.
A New Sense of Style
You can tell when a car meant more to its designers than normal.
Mazda’s interior design team has put a deeper level of craftsmanship into the CX-90’s cabin. Unusual choices, like oatmeal-colored dashboard materials, show they stretched their imaginations.
The details have a sense of personality about them. A line of prominent stitching down the center of the dash uses techniques drawn from traditional Japanese bookbinding practices — a unique touch.
It feels like this project mattered to the people who created it.
Advanced Entertainment Technology
The PHEV Premium Plus gets a 12.3-inch central touchscreen — larger than the one found in other PHEV trim levels. It includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, as well as a navigation system that can display traffic, weather, nearby gas prices, and even sports scores.
A Bose Centerpoint surround sound system includes 12 speakers. Wireless phone charging is standard, and both front- and second-row seats have their own USB charging ports.
Safety Tech
Mazda’s radar cruise control keeps the vehicle a safe distance from traffic and can even bring it to a full stop. Lane-centering tech provides light steering adjustment to keep the vehicle centered in its lane.
Families will appreciate safety tech like a rear-seat alert that reminds you to check for pets and small children if a rear door was opened before the drive started.
More Mazda CX-90 PHEV
Read our full review or build and price your own Mazda CX-90 PHEV. If you’re ready to take action, check out the Mazda CX-90 PHEV models for sale near you.
