Wanna ride shotgun with the GRM crew?
Welcome to this week’s test vehicle, a 2024 Mazda CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus.
The Turbo S Premium Plus is the top trim for the inline-six-powered CX-90, with a four-cylinder, plug-in hybrid also available.
Output is rated at 340 horsepower and 369 lb.-ft. of torque, but only if you opt for premium gas. …
Is it wrong that as soon as I looked outside and saw the "Inline 6" badge, my first thought was "That's a really fancy crate to ship my next Miata engine in."
So I opened the hood, but sadly couldn't see anything. I'll have to pull some plastic covers off later and investigate further.
As the current owner of a 2019 CX-9, I'm very interested in hearing your driving impressions.
In reply to 1988RedT2 :
I'm not going to be able to get this running in a Miata right away, so be patient.
In reply to 1988RedT2 :
Oh, right, you meant the SUV. Sure, I'll drive it and report back.
Swmbo has made recent mention of wanting to go to "midsized". How does this compare to the rx y'all just had in terms of room?
I drove this around a little bit last night. Haven't investigated storage space yet, but it drives well--like, I'm pretty thrilled to have a big inline 6 in a car. It makes good noises, plenty of power, and is a pretty competent daily. There's a weird whining noise, almost like it's supercharged, but it might just be low on power steering fluid or something, too.
In reply to 1988RedT2 :
We got the Preffered Plus CX-90 coming from a Carbon CX-9, and well the wheel sizes are different, went from 20" to 18" and definitely the handling is not the same between the two. Interestingly enough the CX-9 being a bit smaller and FWD bias is the much better driving vehicle of the two. The increased space in the front, gets much smaller in the middle. The captain chairs in the CX-9 had more space in between, or it could be the CX-90 has these large seats.
Also, the CX-9 Front seats were much more comfortable and the vehicle itself looked much better than the new one. The CX-90 with the lesser tune is fine, and glad it can finally tow a Miata, so Mazda can finally tow a Mazda comfortably, but overall driving experience and looks, the CX-9 is the better vehicle.
Yard work sucked up any time to take it for a test drive today, but I moved it around the driveway. Initial impressions: touch points feel rather high end.
More to come.
Perhaps the biggest thing here: the north-south orientation of the engine, just like a “traditional” luxury SUV.
Can Mazda really compete in that realm? Even if the vehicle is amazing, does Mazda have the same cache as BMW, Benz, Audi, etc.?
In reply to David S. Wallens :
We bought one and I'm really looking forward to hearing your experiences with it just for comparison.
When I had a couple of the little Mercedes SUV/CUV things (GLC300, I think?) my impressions were that I'd get the same basic car with more features from Mazda for less moolah. Confirm or deny? I know it's a weird cross-shop, but how does it compare to the lower-end Benzes?
I heard Mazda pulled a BMW and put the timing chain on the back of the engine. Hopefully it or the guides never have to be serviced, because it'll be an engine out affair.
That's something I wished they would not have copied from the Germans.
That said, I am interested in how it drives, and more so what other cars that engine ends up in.
For any vehicle, and especially one billed as a premium vehicle, I found the ride to feel incredibly firm over sharp bumps–like, to the point that I checked the tire pressures to see if the tires were overinflated. They were 1 or 2 psi low.
Perhaps the biggest question here: Why this and not a Genesis? What’s the value proposition? What’s going to get someone to trade in their Benz, Audi, etc., for a Mazda? I’d give any Genesis higher marks for ride and touch points–Genesis has nailed the details on the things that you actually interact with. (Just the turn signal stalk, for example, is a thing of beauty both visually and tactilely.)
Many of us here love the Mazda brand, but can it grab people from the established OEs? Genesis came in with a clean slate along with some terrific vehicles. Not sure Mazda has an edge here.
Look for me and the CX-90 on I-4, my favorite road, later today.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
I shall see you. Maybe even ..witness you?
I think "very firm suspensions" are the new "angry eyes" of the automotive world: They are meant to convince buyers that their vehicles are sporty in some fashion, despite making livability demonstrably worse. I do love Mazda -- I own 3 currently -- and would absolutely shop the brand first for another new car purchase, but they have some catching-up to do. For instance, my wife has the absolute perfect use case for an EV. We've discussed at length Mazda's slowness in coming to market with a viable answer to other manufacturers in this domain.
That the CX90 is equipped with a longitudinal I6 is something of a surprise, but it does encapsulate Mazda's desired market position. As does, apparently, a stiff suspension.
I’d call the ride punishingly stiff. (And I have built some fairly stiff cars over the years.)
I think the "Why this and not a Genesis" question is why Mazda will struggle in this segment. Gone are the days where you can answer that with "Well, I want a Japanese car more than a Korean car because of build quality, reliability, etc."
And my guess is the name is a factor. Mazda has to remake its name-image association, Genesis does not. Tiger Woods crashed a Genesis. It must be a nice car. Would Tiger Woods drive a Mazda? Mazda should hire Brad Pitt to crash a CX-90 and have the tabloids cover it.
I love Mazda, and I wish them success because I want love buying there cars used, but I expect them to sell few of these. But what do I know about luxory SUVs, it's not my market. And Hyundai appears to be out Mazda-ing Mazda at this point. Other than the Miata, of course.
File under: not interesting. I just noticed that the trash can lid engine cover appears to be hinged at the back. So it has a hood under the hood. Let's see some under-underhood shots. :)
I'm intrigued by these. I'll be in the market in the next 2-3 years, now that my big kids have outgrown the minivan. It's a tough market segment, but I love Mazda so I'll at least test drive one.
David S. Wallens said:For any vehicle, and especially one billed as a premium vehicle, I found the ride to feel incredibly firm over sharp bumps–like, to the point that I checked the tire pressures to see if the tires were overinflated.
Hey, now. The CX-90 is a 3-row SUV capable of carrying 6 or 7 passengers and their luggage. Were you the only one aboard the vehicle for this drive? We all know how svelte you are and that you couldn't possibly properly load the suspension on this vehicle. My one-ton dually rides a lot better with a cubic yard of mulch in the bed. Just sayin'. 
Mndsm said:In reply to David S. Wallens :
I shall see you. Maybe even ..witness you?
I’ll wave.
David S. Wallens said:I’d call the ride punishingly stiff. (And I have built some fairly stiff cars over the years.)
That's hard to swallow with a $60k starting price.
In reply to CyberEric :
You make some good points. I think the CX-90 might have made more sense before Genesis, before Infiniti upped its game and before the move to electrification.
And let’s see how it feels on tonight’s drive. Will report back.
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