This summer Mazda is launching its most powerful model ever built, the CX-60. At the same time, the large SUV is the brand's first vehicle to have a plug-in hybrid under the hood. We wanted to take a good look at what’s coming from Mazda and how it will compete with others.
Mazda always builds what their customer wants and they have been increasingly committed to this motto. All too often in the past, Mazda dealers had to listen to the question of why there was no larger and more powerful SUV than the compact CX-5 model in the portfolio.
Starting this summer, the answer will be available, the CX-60. And it’s coming out with a wonderful power unit.
The Design
Mazda developers did not take the easy way out with their large SUV. In order to meet customer requirements worldwide, especially in terms of comfort and space requirements, a CX-5 was not simply enlarged but started from scratch.
Therefore, the CX-60 is the brand's first model based on a completely redesigned architecture, called "Large Platform". It forms the basis for future large Mazda models also. The company is working on bringing out the CX-70 and CX-90 on the same platform in the future.
This also involves new drives. Not only is there a plug-in drive for the first time but the "Large Platform" was also designed for longitudinally installed six-cylinder in-line engines. This means extraordinary costs. Only companies like BMW and Mercedes can afford something like that nowadays.
What drives Mazda to such a solution? Answer: The brand would like to develop further in the direction of premium. And here, what is required above all is a high level of driving comfort. In Mazda's opinion, this can best be achieved via the drive layout of the "Large Platform".
It is also well suited to accommodate a plug-in hybrid. The double heart drive marks the beginning of a new electrification strategy. By 2025, Mazda plans to have five full hybrids (HEV), five plug-in hybrids (PHEV), and three fully electric models (BEV) in its portfolio. From 2025 there will even be a pure BEV platform that is extremely flexible and can be used for various vehicle segments.
The Interior
The Mazda engineers have not only put a lot of thought into the drives but also into the premium quality of the interior. The cockpit is characterized by fine materials, ample space, and precise workmanship, paired with a typical Japanese, reduced design.
In the interior, the CX-60 customer can also enjoy a special feature: the "Driver Personalization System". For the first time ever in a car, a camera measures the distance to the eyes of the person behind the steering wheel in order to determine the optimum seating position based on their height (which is entered on the display beforehand).
The system can also remember faces. If you get back into the car that was previously driven by someone else, the system recognizes you immediately and restores all previously saved data for the steering wheel, and seat.
Also new in the automotive industry is the "See-Through View" assistance system, a next-generation digital 360-degree monitor. When maneuvering and parking, you can apparently look through the car on the screen and see exactly what could possibly be dangerous in the immediate vicinity.
The Mazda CX-60 is primarily intended to challenge established competitors such as Audi, Mercedes, BMW, and Volvo, but also brands such as Lexus and Genesis. Whether Mazda's premium strategy will be successful will be seen next year at the latest, when the six-cylinder models will also be available.
The Power
The CX-60 e-Skyactiv PHEV, as the plug-in SUV is called, has a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 141 kW (191 hp) and a 129 kW (175 hp) electric motor under the hood. Docked to an also newly developed eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.
A lavish 241 kW / 327 hp is mentioned as the system output. The torque value is going to be 500 Nm. Both values mark a top-level in Mazda's history and give the large SUV an overall confident character. Especially when the "Sport" driving mode has been selected. All your senses are sharpened, the drive reacts spontaneously and encourages you to take corners more quickly, especially since the center of gravity is lower than usual thanks to the battery, which is housed deep in the floor.
When it accelerates, the four-cylinder can clearly draw attention to itself. On the other hand, in hybrid mode, it remains so unobtrusively in the background that you can hardly hear it. Of course, things are even quieter and more relaxed in EV mode.
The 129 kilowatts of the electric motor are enough to cover almost all traffic situations. If you charge the 18 kWh battery often enough at your home wall box, you can practically cover your daily routes electrically during the week. The electric range (according to WLTP) is 39 miles. According to Mazda, that number should even be 42 in the urban environment.
Conclusion
The CX-60 plug-in hybrid will have efficient competition in early 2023 with a 3.3-liter inline six-cylinder diesel coupled with a 48-volt mild hybrid system. Such an electrified diesel engine is certainly an attractive combination of low consumption and short travel times for covering long distances without stress. The three-liter gas engine should then promise the smoothest running at the end of next year. It will also be equipped with 48-volt hybrid technology.
Mazda CX-60 PHEV will hit the market at the end of this year and if you are planning on buying one, you should also buy the proper equipment to protect it. You should definitely check out the Coverking’s catalog for custom covers and accessories, they will carry the best protective equipment as soon as the new model comes out.
Resources
- https://www.mazda.co.uk/mazda-cx-60/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_CX-60
- https://www.motor1.com/features/583029/2022-mazda-cx-60-phev-test-drive/
- https://topelectricsuv.com/news/mazda/mazda-cx-60-phev-details/
- https://www.auto-data.net/en/mazda-cx-60-2.5-e-skyactiv-328hp-phev-awd-automatic-45483
- https://www.whatcar.com/mazda/cx-60/estate/review/n24505
- https://www.whichcar.com.au/news/2023-mazda-cx-60-revealed-power-figures
- https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/mazda/cx-60
- https://www.motortrend.com/news/2022-mazda-cx-60-first-look-review/
- https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/mazda/cx-60
- https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/mazda/cx-60/356235/new-2022-mazda-cx-60-plug-suv-firms-most-powerful-car-ever
Tankut Basar
Tankut Basar is an ARA (American Rally Assoc.) Racing Driver and an FIA Bronze Category License Holder. His passion for driving began with karting like most racers. He started racing internationally at the age of 22. Tankut loves everything car-related and will keep enjoying the drive until the end.
