- Second year for Mazda’s flagship SUV with seating for as many as eight passengers
- Standard all-wheel drive (AWD)
- Pricing starts at $39,500 | Price it your way
- On sale now | See Mazda CX-90 models for sale near you
Now in its second year, the Mazda CX-90 midsize 3-row SUV enjoys a superb reputation for its styling and performance. After all, Mazda’s well-known for offering an engaging driving experience with taut handling and superior cabins. The brand has been stepping up its premium game for a while now, and the CX-90 is its biggest and most luxurious offering to date. It competes with the likes of the Kia Telluride, Honda Pilot, Toyota Grand Highlander, and Jeep Grand Cherokee L, all of which trail the Mazda in athletic character.
There are six CX-90 trims available after the Premium Sport trim was added and the base Turbo S and Preferred Plus variants were eliminated. Like other Mazda vehicles, the CX-90 comes standard with all-wheel drive. Power comes from a turbocharged 3.3-liter inline-6 engine with a choice of 280- or 340-horsepower outputs. This layout is typically found in European luxury sedans, and it helps the Mazda stand apart from the midsize SUV crowd. Three additional models are plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), available with a 2.5-liter engine and a 68-kilowatt battery for a total of 323 hp, which we tackle separately.
Let’s take a look inside the 2025 Mazda CX-90.
Passenger Room and Comfort
If you need to move eight people, the CX-90 can do it, something not all its competitors can say. The pricier trims offer reclining captain’s chairs in the middle row and seating for either six or seven folks, with the former offering a nice amount of space for every passenger to spread out. We’ll talk more about the different seat layouts later.
The driver’s seat is 8-way power adjustable with lumbar, and top trims add 2-position memory. Front seats heat from the Preferred trim on up, and the top grade gets heating and ventilation in the front seats and the second-row captain’s chairs. Second-row retractable sunshades help keep the back passengers happy on all but the base model.
The generous roofline gives all three rows a good amount of headroom. Rear legroom is 39.4 inches in the center row and 30.4 inches in the way back, a fair bit less than the Kia Telluride’s 42.4 and 31.4 inches. The third-row seats themselves are supportive, though.
Features and Tech
Mazda’s made sure its infotainment system is intuitive with a knob and some shortcut buttons in the center console allowing the driver making it easy to use. The base model gets a 10.25-inch screen, but higher trims move up to a 12.3-inch version. The display offers touchscreen functionality but only when using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. This setup may seem odd at first, but you get used to it, and it likely means a screen free of those pesky fingerprints. Wireless phone integration and charging are available on the higher trims.
The tri-zone automatic climate control is easily accessed through physical switches in the center of the dash. There’s also a volume knob next to the infotainment controller in the center console. An 8-speaker audio system comes standard on two lower trim CX-90 models, while the rest of the range enjoys a 12-speaker Bose surround-sound system.
Materials and Design
While a mainstream brand, the materials give the CX-90 its premium feel, starting with a genuine leather-wrapped steering wheel as standard equipment. The seats can be covered in everything from leatherette on the base model to real leather on Turbo Preferred and Premium Sport trims. Once you move beyond those three, it’s nothing but Nappa leather with quilted stitching on the priciest models.
There are some nice interior color choices and unique wood trims. Soft-touch material accents and dash stitching inspired by Japanese bookbinding techniques come with some interior options — the kind of stuff that’s way above average in the segment. Varying degrees of ambient lighting come on many of the models as well. Overall, the interior strikes a pleasing balance between the minimalist design trend and accessible controls. It looks and feels more premium than anything else in its class.
Cargo Room and Flexibility
The CX-90’s long look proves to be a bit deceiving when it comes to interior space. While not small by any stretch, the SUV offers 14.9 cubic feet of cargo space with all seats up. The available area grows to 40.0 with the third row folded, and 74.2 with both rows folded flat, which puts the CX-90 in the lower half of the class.
What the CX-90 lacks in space, it makes up for with flexibility. There are four different ways to play seating arrangements. Depending on the trim, the second row can be either a 60/40-split folding-and-sliding bench or two captain’s chairs. Most models then have typical 60/40-split folding seats in the third row, but some of the upper trims offer a 50/50-split folding third row. With so many choices, there’s bound to be something that works for everyone.
Build and price your version of the 2025 Mazda CX-90 to see this week’s Fair Purchase Price and more, or browse CX-90 models for sale near you.
