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The Mazda CX-60 aims to establish Mazda in the premium part of the upper mid-sized SUV segment. In this, it'll be aided by sharp driving dynamics, a refreshing different and rather classy cabin and the option of a PHEV powertrain with a 39 mile driving range. It's most affordable than obvious rivals, better equipped - and really rather different.
Mazda thinks differently - and continues to do so with this car, CX-60. This SUV is the largest model the brand has made in recent times and in this Plug-in Hybrid form, the fastest too. The platform's all- new and there's a hand-finished 'Crafted in Japan' design ethos that the company hopes will propel this car into contention with premium rivals. Previous Mazda followers will be interested to see if the brand's usual sharp handling has been preserved by this 2.1-tonne SUV; the company promises it's snappily-titled 'Skyactiv Multi-Solution Scalable Architecture' platform will help deliver that. It's a chassis that's made possible the introduction of a PHEV powertrain - the company's very first. And a pair of more conventionally-electrified 'M hybrid' mild hybrid petrol and diesel units. So, Mazda is going up-market, in product size, image quality and luxury. Can cars like this one support that move?
Mazda has correctly identified that, with a couple of exceptions, upper mid-sized SUVs are generally pretty uninspiring to drive. So enormous efforts have been made here to deliver something a bit more engaging. Or at least as engaging as a two-tonne crossover is ever going to be. This CX-60's stiff new 'Skyactiv Multi-Solution Scalable Architecture' platform helps here. Plus to that new chassis, the engineers have built in clever corner-stabilising system lately added the MX-5 sports car - Mazda calls it 'Kinetic Posture Control'. It all sounds quite promising, particularly as the engines are new too, all of them, in typical Mazda style, bucking the industry trend for low capacity sizing and turbocharged tech. All are linked to a freshly-developed 8-speed auto gearbox, which ditches the usual torque converter in favour of a multi-plate clutch and an integrated electric motor/generator. Most customers will want the four cylinder Plug-in Hybrid model we tried, which mates a 2.5-litre petrol engine to a 175PS electric motor powered by a 17.8kWh battery which, when fully charged, offers an EV driving range of up to 39 miles. The system output (distributed to all four wheels via an on-demand AWD system) is 327PS, the highest of any Mazda yet made and enough to get you to 62mph in just 5.8s. It's also enough to give some credence to the brand's claim that this car puts the 'Sport' back into SUV and though slightly vague steering prevents it from claiming overall class honours in that regard, the CX-60 comes close. If you don't want your CX-60 to be a PHEV, two other engines are available, both of them non-plug-in powerplants, the 3.0-litre e-Skyactiv X petrol and the 3.3-litre e-Skyactiv D diesel we've also tried, the latter available in rear-driven as well as AWD forms. Both are large capacity six cylinder units and each also features electrification but it's of the much less significant mild hybrid kind.
| Performance | |
| Handling | |
| Comfort | |
| Space | |
| Styling | |
| Build | |
| Value | |
| Equipment | |
| Economy | 70% |
| Depreciation | 70% |
| Insurance | 70% |
| Total | 75% |