Mazda has spent over a century employing a human-first approach to building vehicles—centering the car around the driver to create a holistic and natural synergy from open road to race track. Relentlessly focused on the future of design, engineering, and craftsmanship, Mazda’s contributions in engine development have enriched our interactions with cars.
Today, the all-new Mazda CX-90 marks another stage in that tireless devotion to elevating every drive—pushing its heritage of invention and ingenuity into the future.
Powering The Future
The CX-90 comes with two all-new e-Skyactiv® powertrains, developed together in parallel paths to mirror performance dynamics and preserve the driving experience in each variation. The CX-90 is Mazda’s first-ever Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) and delivers the thrill of electric-vehicle acceleration without the anxiety of range runout. The PHEV houses a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine mated to a 173 horsepower electric motor and a 17.8-kWh battery pack, delivering a total output of 323 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, when using recommended premium fuel with the engine firing. Using a Level 2 AC charger, it can reach up to 80 percent of a full charge in about two hours.¹
In addition to the PHEV option, the CX-90 will also come with Mazda’s very first inline 6 turbocharged engine with two tuning options. Prized for its smoothness, and historically found under the hoods of pricey European sports sedans, the inline 6 is an engine layout lauded by performance enthusiasts. The standard output 3.3-liter inline 6 offers 280 horsepower and 322 lb-ft of torque. A high output version—Mazda’s most prodigious production engine to date—is primed to yield an impressive 340 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque when using recommended premium fuel. The multi-speed gearbox setup eliminates the need for a traditional torque converter and uses a multi-plate wet clutch instead, an arrangement favored by high-end performance cars. This space-saving setup delivers smooth and direct acceleration while helping improve drivetrain efficiency.
Pride and Joy (of Driving)
The CX-90 may be an all-new flagship SUV, but because it’s a Mazda, it’s got the Miata’s essence of pure driving euphoria. The Japanese automaker prioritizes developing a meaningful connection when it comes to a car and its driver by building vehicles around the human form, instead of necessitating a connection that forces you to adapt to your surroundings. Mazda has so cleverly perfected the art of bottling up and replicating these joyful exchanges in each one of its cars, and the CX-90 has no shortage of that secret sauce.
The CX-90 also comes equipped with an always-on Kinematic Posture Control (KPC), a feature that first made its debut on the MX-5 Miata and has since become a key attribute of Mazda’s performance profile. This system uses onboard sensors and computers to constantly monitor vehicle dynamics, and during spirited driving, works in tandem with the suspension and braking systems to help minimize vehicle body roll and suppress lift to enhance grip and stability through corners. The result? A more planted rear end and sharper turn-in behavior—much-loved characteristics that were once found only in nimble sports cars that are coupled with the comfortable ride quality of a luxury SUV.²
Drawing influence once again from the roadster in the family tree, the CX-90’s inline 6 and PHEV powertrains share the same i-Activ AWD® platform that is designed with a rear-wheel bias to offer surprisingly balanced and agile responsiveness for a wide-body, three row SUV. The rear-wheel bias creates a more elevated driving experience than its typically front-wheel-drive rivals, improving ride and handling quality. Not only does the CX-90 come bearing plenty of sports car genetics, it can also adapt to a variety of weather forecasts and challenging driving surfaces, combining the best of both worlds into one vehicle.² The i-Activ AWD® drivetrain is complemented by Mazda Intelligent Drive Select (Mi-Drive) which fortifies the feeling of control behind the wheel, shifting your focus to embracing the joys of driving, rather than worrying about the state of the road beneath you.
The CX-90’s systems work in tandem to create excellent balance, precise control, and ultimately more confidence in a range of driving situations. You can call it sorcery or wizardry, but there’s no denying that Mazda’s signature ability to bond a driver to their vehicle is pure magic.
An Active Approach
It’s a common misconception that the engineering behind performance cars is solely utilized for clipping the apex on hairpin turns, but the same engineering that heightens the driving feel of performance cars is also a critical cornerstone of driver safety. As Mazda’s philosophy on safety goes, fostering a human connection to driving reduces the risk factors out on the road.
Although, there’s more to safety than predictable driving behavior. Mazda’s approach to safety keeps human centricity at its core, implementing vital features that not only keep a single driver safe, but keep other drivers on the road safe, too. This is precisely why all CX-90 vehicles come standard with i-Activsense® Safety—Mazda’s acclaimed suite of safety advancements—which intuitively assists the driver by detecting potential hazards and helping preemptively avoid crashes. The CX-90 will receive the full assortment of pre-collision and passive safety measures including: Smart Brake Support, Blind Spot Monitoring, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Departure Warning System, Lane-keep Assist, and Mazda Radar Cruise Control with Stop & Go.
Alongside the CX-90’s hearty offering of safety assists, Mazda is committed to developing a deeper understanding of human functionality which informs the technology that is integrated to empower driver awareness. As drivers push the start button on the CX-90, they will notice plenty of features and amenities that elevate the cabin space and foster a deeper sense of focus behind the wheel. From the driver’s seat, the CX-90 is equipped with a new, available Mazda Driver Personalization System that uses facial recognition software, once enabled, to detect the driver’s height and eyepoint in order to calculate the ideal driving position—adjusting seating, steering wheel, Active Driving Display, and outside mirror positions to offer an ultra-curated encounter before you even take off.³
The interior is centered around a full-color liquid-crystal display that comes in two sizes—10.3” or 12.3”, bringing a range of vehicle status information, weather, or messaging into full view. The larger display comes with an available 360° View Monitor with See-Through View technology that uses cameras to project the area around all four sides of the vehicle, including a bird’s-eye view from above onto the display. This really comes in handy when maneuvering around objects or tight parking spaces. The display is accompanied by physical buttons for a more tactile user experience, adding reassuring access to critical infotainment menu items.
Indulging In Design
Beyond powertrain advancements, the magic of engineering an unexplainable feeling, or advanced safety and technology, it’s Mazda’s design innovation that pushes the Japanese carmaker beyond the thresholds it once set for itself. Mazda believes that one’s emotional response to a vehicle is just as important as its mechanical response to the driver. After introducing a minimalist and modern philosophy in recent years that has quickly spread to the rest of the lineup, the all-new CX-90 is the latest and most refined version of the Mazda aesthetic.
Developed using revolutionary paint technology that simulates hand painting techniques, the CX-90 debuts in two striking colors—Artisan Red Premium and Rhodium White Premium—that create an ever-evolving shape and a sense of motion, even at a standstill. Beneath the sheen of its complex color treatments, Mazda’s Takumi master craftsmen spent hundreds of hours hand-shaping life-size clay models to work light and shadow to its most dramatic effect. When most vehicle renderings are done by computer-aided design, Mazda strikes the perfect balance between utilizing modern technology and the warmth of human hands to arrive at designs that exude the passion of physical touch. As light hits the CX-90, dynamic movement and reflections form, bringing attention to the denser body sides and stately proportions of the rear, while the powerful dash-to-axle length of the front engine emphasizes the longitudinally arrayed engine. Its broad physique also extends to its generous interior with impressive cabin space and ample room to accommodate cargo.†
Inside, the CX-90 Inline 6 Turbo Signature model includes Nappa leather, natural maple wood, and tone-on-tone fabrics in synthesis. The dashboard is swathed in a flecked, mélange-style fabric that is based on a traditional Japanese hand-weaving technique called Nishijin-ori. The top and bottom pieces of the dashboard are connected by hanging stitches, inspired by a hand bookbinding technique called Kakenui, which creates design elements out of negative space. The CX-90 channels Zen principles of simplicity, enclosure, and completeness that is an homage to both traditional Japanese aesthetics and Mazda’s proud heritage of design.
¹Mazda CX-90 PHEV can reach up to an 80% charge using a Level 2 AC charger in 1.5 hours. Claim based on the following charging conditions: State of charge (SOC) in the meter from 20% to 80%. Battery temperature at 75° F. Charging times will vary based on charger type, vehicle and battery condition, temperature, and other factors. Actual results will vary. Please see your Owner’s Manual for further details.
²Always drive carefully based on road and weather conditions. No vehicle or all-wheel-drive technology can accommodate all driving maneuvers and situations.
³Mazda Driver Personalization System – Ideal Driving Position Assist is a driver-enabled feature that suggests an ideal driving position. The driver must input their height and the internal camera on the Mazda Connect screen scans the center point between the driver’s eyebrows. Settings including driver’s seat position, outer mirror angle, and steering wheel position are automatically adjusted. Please see your Owner’s Manual for further details.
†Please remember to properly secure all cargo.
