- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 7 seats
- Engine
3.3T, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
254kW, 500Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 8.2L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
5 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2024 Mazda CX-90 G50e GT review
One of the best seven-seaters on the market, the CX-9, makes way for the pricier, plusher CX-90. While everyone is downsizing engines – or doing away with them altogether – Mazda is bringing back the straight-six.
- Seamless drivetrain
- Amazing space
- Stylish looks
- Pricey compared to the CX-9
- Feels huge
- Not a proper hybrid
2023 Mazda CX-90 G50e GT
Mazda’s CX-9 is a cracker of a car. Or, more accurately, was. It’s now (almost) a goner, replaced by a bigger, more expensive, more everything car called the CX-90. The CX-90 is the second of two brand-new SUVs on a brand-new platform, bucking the trend for full electrification and engine downsizing, and instead dropping in a 3.3-litre straight-six mild-hybrid engine.
We’ve been scratching our heads over this decision for a while now, but when you’re presented with a new car, you've just gotta go with it and see what it’s like.
How much does the Mazda CX-90 cost in Australia?
The CX-90 range consists of three tiers and two drivetrains. You start with the Touring and top out with the $100K-plus Azami, and here in the middle is the GT. The petrol mild hybrid kicks off at $85,335 and the diesel at $85,400 before on-roads. Mazda’s usually circumspect attitude to metallic paint is slipping, with premium paint adding $995.
If you’re wondering why the diesel isn’t that much more expensive, it’s because the Luxury Car Tax kicks in later on more fuel-efficient vehicles.
While we’re all complaining a little bit about the price, the CX-90 G50e GT does have an extensive standard specification. You get 21-inch alloys, a 12.3-inch media screen, 12.3-inch digital dashboard, sat nav, 12 Bose-branded speakers, around-view cameras, reversing camera, black leather trim, heated front and outboard rear seats, power front seats, three-zone climate control, auto adaptive LED headlights, wireless phone charger, rear door sunshades, auto wipers, front and rear parking sensors, heated steering wheel, panoramic sunroof, tyre pressure monitoring and a space-saver spare.
Key details | 2024 Mazda CX-90 G50e GT |
Price | $85,335 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Artisan Red metallic |
Options | Premium paint – $995 |
Price as tested | $86,330 plus on-road costs |
Drive-away price | $94,003 (Sydney) |
Rivals | Hyundai Palisade | Genesis GV80 | Lexus RX |
How much space does the Mazda CX-90 have inside?
The CX-90 is an absolute whopper, and with such a long wheelbase it liberates even more room inside the cabin than the CX-9. The new Large Architecture platform means (among other things) that the wheelbase is a gigantic 190mm longer, even though the car itself is only a little lengthier than the car it replaces.
The CX-9’s third row wasn’t bad, but here in the CX-90 there is genuine space for someone my height (180cm) with the second row set to a sensible position for another six-footer.
You’ll find storage trays, too, USB-C ports for power, a pair of cupholders and even air vents. You might be a little hemmed in, but at least you can keep your phone charged and stay cool.
The second row comprises three well-shaped seats, a centre armrest with cupholders, two USB-C ports, air vents with its own climate zone, bottle holders in the doors, and plenty of room for taller folks in all directions. The transmission tunnel isn’t too big, but the middle seat won’t be a whole lot of fun for too long.
Entry and exit are by huge, wide-opening doors that make it very easy to load kids or yourself into either the second or third row. The latter is accessible by prodding a button that slides the outboard portion of the middle row forward and tips the seatback to maximise space. Very simple and straightforward.
Front-row passengers have huge, comfortable seats, a pair of cupholders, bottle holders in the door, a curiously shallow centre console bin under a split-lid armrest, and a wireless charging pad for a phone as well as additional charging by way of USB-C.
It’s a lovely design, with a sweeping vista ahead of you even taking into account the screen poking over the top of the dash. As with most Mazdas, the materials are quite lovely, but you do get the impression it’s not a whole lot more than the CX-9 or, say, a CX-30. The slightly cluttered console features the MX-30’s annoying gear shifter, a rotary dial controller for the screen, shortcut buttons, volume control and some secondary functions.
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In the GT, the console is clothed in wood (plasti-wood?) that never quite convinced me. Give me the MX-30’s cork effect (itself obviously an, er, homage to the BMW i3) rather than this weird affectation that reminded me of the pinstripe effort in big Audi's past.
But it’s a lovely place to be, even when mostly loaded with people I would imagine. It feels upscale and luxurious, but not pretentious or too precious to use, right down to the hardy leather.
Boot space is predictably impressive, with a 257-litre start rising to 608L with the third row folded away (and including the underfloor storage). There’s even room for a space-saver spare under there where I was expecting a battery. Folding the middle row and packing the cabin full to the roof yields a 2025L result.
2024 Mazda CX-90 G50e GT | |
Seats | Seven |
Boot volume | 257L to third row 608L to second row 2025L to first row |
Length | 5120mm |
Width | 2157mm |
Height | 1745mm |
Wheelbase | 3120mm |
Does the Mazda CX-90 have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
Mazda’s own software is front and centre on the huge 12.3-inch screen. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay can be used either wired or wirelessly. Interestingly, Mazda has accepted that both of these systems are a pain in the backside to use with a rotary controller and so both can be controlled with the screen. The hardware is excellent and responds quickly to fingertips touching and swiping.
It’s a terrific screen, and the Mazda software also features a sat nav.
The mid-spec GT also picks up the larger 12.3-inch digital dashboard that is the usual model of Mazda clarity. Couple that with the huge, widescreen head-up display and if you can’t find out what’s going on in the car – and around it given all the safety gear – it might be time to switch to the back seat and let someone else do the driving.
The DAB+ radio interface is reasonably simple to use, and something car makers really struggle with. The Bose-branded 12 speakers are predictably thumping and really fill the huge cabin with what I guess is pretty good sound, but I’m not an audiophile. The bass is clear, though, I can vouch for that.
Is the Mazda CX-90 a safe car?
The CX-90 has not yet been assessed by ANCAP or its overseas equivalent, Euro NCAP, and as such does not yet carry an applicable safety rating.
2024 Mazda CX-90 G50e GT | |
ANCAP rating | Untested |
What safety technology does the Mazda CX-90 have?
The CX-90 is equipped with 10 airbags, forward autonomous emergency braking (AEB), front cross-traffic alert with braking, reverse AEB, lane-keep assist, vehicle exit warning, traffic sign recognition, automatic high beam, blind-spot monitoring, driver attention detection, rear cross-traffic alert, multi-collision braking and lane-departure warning.
The forward AEB features vehicle, pedestrian and cyclist detection, along with the ability to stop you from turning across oncoming traffic.
The sheer volume of safety gear is initially a bit irritating because you have to learn what all the different beeps, bongs and visual aids mean. It all works pretty well and just a couple of panicked “car in front” warnings blighted an otherwise immaculate performance, not that anyone did anything to test its self-braking features.
How much does the Mazda CX-90 cost to maintain?
There’s some good news and bad news. The CX-90 requires a visit to the dealer every 12 months or 15,000km, which is pretty good going for a large turbo-engined six from the Far East. Korean and Japanese makers seem really keen on seeing you every 10,000km, so average-milers are lightly punished over the life of the car.
At those visits, you will be paying a reasonable amount for those services, however. Mazda is pushing upmarket so the service costs are going with it, starting at $1639 for three years ($546 per service average) and $3360 for five years ($672 average). The fixed-price service program runs for seven years, topping out at $4546 for the whole period, or $649 per year. Not horrific but not super-cheap either.
Comprehensive insurance landed at $2629, which isn’t mucking about and is based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
At a glance | 2024 Mazda CX-90 G50e GT |
Warranty | Five years, unlimited km |
Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km |
Servicing costs | $1639 (3 years) $3360 (5 years) $4546 (7 years) |
Is the Mazda CX-90 fuel-efficient?
Mazda reckons you’ll get 8.2 litres per 100 kilometres over the combined cycle, which is excellent for such a huge car without real hybrid electric motivation. It’s even possible given I managed 9.9L/100km without any babying as that amount of grunt is worth exploring.
Unusually for a turbo Mazda, it does require 95-octane petrol, which knocks the edge off the cost to run.
Fuel Consumption - brought to you by bp
Fuel Useage | Fuel Stats |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 8.2L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 9.9L/100km |
Fuel type | 95-octane premium unleaded |
Fuel tank size | 74L |
What is the Mazda CX-90 like to drive?
The outgoing CX-9 is a terrific car. Quiet, composed and a competent rider and handler, it kind of has had everything. It was also one of the early cars to take Mazda on its seemingly inexorable journey upmarket, with a sleek cabin that got better with every update. It helped that it looked good too.
In 2023, Mazda is a long way down the track to become more like BMW or Audi and less like its compatriots. While that’s a slightly trite thing to say – and it’s probably annoying for Mazda to hear it – we’re now considering a car that’s significantly more expensive than the car it replaces.
There are several reasons for the extra expense. As I said in the opening, the venerable and effective 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo is out. In is what Mazda says is a more efficient but markedly bigger 3.3-litre straight-six (hence the BMW comparisons) assisted by a turbo as well as feeding a small battery on the overrun to deliver a mild hybrid set-up.
The mild-hybrid system doesn’t move the car on its own, but will add an unspecified torque boost under certain circumstances, as well as providing power when the engine coasts at speed or on its way to a stop. Its operation is almost imperceptible, no doubt aided by the super-smooth operation of the six cylinders. A straight-six is a lovely thing when done right, and Mazda has certainly sorted out this engine pretty well on the first go.
It’s very powerful – 254kW and 500Nm – and one wonders if there isn’t a lot more to come from this engine should Mazda give it a crack (BMW pulls gigantic numbers from its turbo straight-sixes), but as ever, that’s not what this car is about. Mazda uses turbos to support rather than punch. Despite that – and the CX-90’s 2.2-tonne heft – it does not hang around.
There’s no lag, just a smooth build-up of speed. Despite all that power and torque, the car never feels smaller than it is, though, because it’s so smooth and limo-like. Well, most of the time.
The CX-90 rolls on a new platform built for Mazda’s new generation of six-powered SUVs, the other one being the CX-60. It also supports rear-wheel drive (there’s that BMW vibe again), but in the G50e GT it’s all-wheel drive. For the most part, it’s a pretty plush experience, but because it’s on massive 21-inch alloys, sharp, little bumps that run across the road, like big expansion joints in concrete, can unsettle it slightly. It never feels knobbly, but it can sometimes feel a bit out of place in a luxe-feeling car.
To be perfectly honest, it’s a fascinating car. So smooth and charming, with a good turn of speed. A mostly luxurious ride and a mostly isolating vibe, with just enough of a sporting edge to keep things interesting. But you never do get away from its not-inconsiderable size, so the sportiness is more to keep you interested than delivering any serious intent.
Key details | 2024 Mazda CX-90 G50e GT |
Engine | 3.3-litre six-cylinder turbo petrol |
Power | 254kW @ 5000–6000rpm |
Torque | 500Nm @ 2000–4500rpm |
Drive type | All-wheel drive |
Transmission | Eight-speed multi-clutch automatic |
Power-to-weight ratio | 114.4kW/t |
Weight (kerb) | 2220kg |
Spare tyre type | Space-saver |
Tow rating | 2500kg braked 750kg unbraked |
Towball download maximum | 150kg |
Turning circle | 10.8m |
Should I buy a Mazda CX-90?
The CX-90 is a lovely car replacing another lovely car but costing a heck of a lot more. It’s a genuine jump forward both for Mazda and owners looking for a roomy seven-seat SUV, both in refinement and space. There’s another big jump, though, and that’s in the price, with more stuff, yes, but not an appreciably more expensive-feeling interior. Which is no bad thing because it’s still pretty nice in here.
There’s also the seemingly counterintuitive move to a larger engine and heavier platform, but as I found it’s pretty good on fuel, better even than the lighter, four-cylinder CX-9. This car kind of sits at a Lexus/Genesis price point without the premium badge to support it, but that shouldn’t detract from just how good this car is.
So while I remain slightly confused as to the path Mazda has taken, I can’t say anything other than this is a cracker of a seven-seat SUV.
How do I buy a Mazda CX-90 – next steps?
Mazda’s website has a lot of information about the CX-90 range, which is a six-choice proposition, with three spec levels and two engine choices. The diesel is likely thriftier and therefore a longer-range proposition but can’t tow as big a load as the petrol.
This mid-spec GT is about 10 grand more than the Touring, which at this level and for this type of car looks like better value and may ride a bit more smoothly on significantly smaller 19-inch wheels. The jump to the Azami isn’t all that exciting or worth it, in my view, unless you’re going for the Takumi captain’s chair package.
Supply is strong according to Mazda Australia, with a variety of specifications available. If a customer places a specific order, wait times are typically three to four months.
You can obviously head down to your Mazda dealer armed with plenty of info from the website and this review (and other reviews here for the Mazda CX-90) and have a look at the cars yourself. Take the whole family to make sure everyone fits, but unless you’re an entire, fully-grown basketball team, you should be just fine.
You can find your nearest Mazda dealer here and find Mazdas for sale at drive.com.au/cars-for-sale.