10 Best Features of the 2024 Mazda CX-90

Photo by Brady Holt

Years of fun-to-drive cars have established Mazda as a sporty brand. But the Japanese automaker has also been trying to move itself upscale. And there’s no clearer sign of that than the all-new 2024 Mazda CX-90 full-size three-row crossover. We just spent a week testing a top-trim CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus. Here are our 10 favorite things about the big new Mazda.

Competitive Pricing

If you’ve read about the CX-90 before, you may have heard about the $61,920 price tag on fully optioned models like our test vehicle. But overall, the CX-90 is competitively priced for what you get. 

Consider this: a base model, called the Select, already includes all-wheel drive, leatherette upholstery, a power driver’s seat, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring, an eight-speaker stereo, a power liftgate, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and tri-zone automatic climate control at a price of $39,595. While rivals like the Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander have lower starting prices, they actually cost more when you factor in all this standard stuff. The next-up CX-90 Preferred, $43,445, is about as luxe as some three-row crossovers get, with genuine leather, heated front seats, a sunroof, and second-row window shades. But Mazda lets you keep going by adding a more powerful engine, a bigger infotainment screen, bigger wheels, a Bose stereo, heated and ventilated front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel, a panoramic sunroof, Nappa leather, and more. A fully loaded CX-90 is equipped more like an Acura MDX or Lexus RX than even the poshest Pilot or Highlander. 

Photo by Brady Holt

Premium Design

There are easy traps for car designers to fall into. To convey luxury, a car needs tons of chrome. To convey performance, lots of angry slashes and busy details. 

The 2024 Mazda CX-90 conveys luxury performance the hard way. Its rear-drive platform and inline-six engine give it a long nose and short front overhang that you just won’t find with a front-wheel-drive-based competitor. And Mazda showed great restraint with simple shapes instead of fussy details. While some might find the look too bland, we think it works. Our test vehicle’s coat of Rhodium White Metallic paint also left it shimmering in a parking lot, standing out from humbler grays parked nearby. Entry-level models have sturdy gray plastic trim on their fenders and door sills, while luxury-priced CX-90s risk scuffs in exchange for a more upscale body-colored look.

Photo by Brady Holt

Premium Interior

The CX-90 also sports a premium-grade interior, particularly on upper-trim models like our test vehicle. In addition to the Nappa leather upholstery, the dashboard is decked out in plush suede. All materials feel opulent, and moving parts operate with precision. Mazda also continues to clean up the instrument panel by moving some buttons and knobs to the center console, providing a simple elegance to the dashboard design. And the customizable digital gauge cluster is crisp and attractive. 

Like many luxury cars, the CX-90’s interior sometimes puts style ahead of functionality. Notably, there’s little storage space in the shallow center console bin, and the cupholders are small. Another quirk is the infotainment system, which only operates through the console controls with no touchscreen function (except if you use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay on upper-trim models only). A 10.25-inch screen comes standard, while our test vehicle increases to 12.3 inches. The system’s graphics and functionality also trail the most advanced competitors. But nitpicks aside, the CX-90’s overall ambiance inside is as upscale as many luxury-brand crossovers. 

Photo by Brady Holt

Premium Ride and Handling

Nearly any automaker can build a fancy interior for its expensive SUV. But not everyone is willing or able to build one that drives like a properly high-end vehicle. Mazda made this investment in the CX-90. 

It started with an all-new rear-wheel-drive-based platform for superior weight distribution. Then it tuned the suspension to favor poised, responsive handling over a cushy, isolating ride. The CX-90’s steering has a heft that you won’t find in many modern crossovers, and this big SUV responds willingly as you whip it along a winding country road or a tight exit ramp. The tradeoff is a stiffer ride over bumps than some folks would like, especially with our test vehicle’s big 21-inch wheels. And lots of folks want light and easy steering. But the CX-90 feels solid, stable, and remarkably agile for a big three-row SUV. It’s easy to find a more comfortable, relaxed family-sized crossover, but it’s not easy to find one that’s more fun to drive. 

Photo by Brady Holt

Premium Six-Cylinder Power

Mazda’s engineering work continued with the revival of six-cylinder engines. Mazda was at the forefront of the trend of replacing V6s with turbocharged four-cylinders, with the old CX-9 making the switch back in 2016. Now, the CX-90 debuts with an all-new turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine whose rich growl stands apart from its predecessor’s humming whir. 

The standard six-cylinder CX-90, which Mazda calls the Turbo, makes 280 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque on regular-grade fuel. Our test vehicle, called the Turbo S, makes 340 hp and 369 lb-ft on premium fuel (or 319 hp and the same torque on regular). The Turbo S costs about $3,500 more than a similarly equipped Turbo. Even the S isn’t as wildly fast as the specs would suggest; some rivals with less power on paper are just as quick. But it’s effortlessly speedy and rich-sounding. This engine isn’t subtle about going about its business; some people would pick a quieter four-cylinder over this character-infused six. We also noticed a few low-speed stumbles from the eight-speed automatic transmission. But once again, this is the rarer option. If you like an engine that makes noise when it goes, you’ll find more character in this Mazda. 

Photo by Brady Holt

Great Gas Mileage and Available PHEV Version

One reason for the turbo four’s takeover is gas mileage. Mazda solves that with a small electric motor that helps out during acceleration and lets the engine shut off when you’re coasting. The result is EPA estimates of 24 mpg in the city, 28 mpg on the highway, and 25 mpg combined with the 280-hp Turbo engine and 23 city, 28 highway, 25 combined on the 340-hp Turbo S. That crushes all rivals except for a couple of full hybrids while matching many smaller, less powerful SUVs. It also beats the old CX-9 by 2 mpg. We averaged 26 mpg in the Turbo S. 

When you want to use even less fuel, the CX-90 is also available as Mazda’s first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) to hit the U.S. market. The CX-90 PHEV travels an estimated 26 miles per electric charge, then averages the same 25 mpg as gas models. This four-cylinder-based powertrain makes a total of 323 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque on premium fuel (or 319 hp with regular). It costs $4,000 more than the equivalent Turbo model and about the same as an equivalently equipped Turbo S, and it can greatly reduce your gas usage if you usually drive less than 30 or 40 miles in a day. 

Photo by Brady Holt

Three Usable Rows of Seats

Some three-row SUVs, particularly sporty and luxurious ones, have only token nods to three-row seating. In the 2024 Mazda CX-90, you can even fit adults in the third row if you carefully distribute legroom among the three rows by sliding the front and middle-row seats forward a bit. What’s more, most CX-90 trim levels let you seat up to eight passengers via bench seats in the second and third rows, unusual for a premium-feeling SUV. (Top trims focus on two wider third-row positions, dropping capacity to seven passengers with a second-row bench seat and six with captain’s chairs like our test vehicle.) 

Now, the CX-90 isn’t the most functional big crossover you’ll find. The second row was optimized for comfort, not extra-easy third-row access or ideally placed third-row foot room. But it can fit a large family without looking and feeling like a big bland box. 

Photo by Brady Holt

Cargo Capabilities

We talked about it with cabin storage, then with third-row comfort and access. Now we have the same story to tell about the CX-90’s cargo capabilities: Some function-focused rivals do better, but this Mazda is pretty useful for what it is. 

By the numbers, the CX-90 has about 15 cubic feet of cargo space behind its third-row seat (varying slightly by trim level), 40 cubic feet behind the middle row, and 75 cubic feet behind the front seats. That’s less space than you’d get in a Honda Pilot or Volkswagen Atlas. But the CX-90 stacks up well against premium three-row crossovers like the Audi Q7 and Infiniti QX60. That means there’s enough room behind the third row for some groceries or a couple of small suitcases, but you’ll need to fold it down to fit most things. And a high cargo floor cuts into total capacity even then. But for many families, the CX-90 has all the room they’ll need. 

Photo by Brady Holt

Toe to Toe With Luxury Rivals

As we’ve mentioned, the 2024 Mazda CX-90 can compete both with mainstream family haulers like the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, and Hyundai Palisade and with luxury models like the Acura MDX, Audi Q7, and Infiniti QX60. 

Entry-level CX-90s offer lots of features for the money even compared with those mainstream rivals, along with their throaty yet fuel-efficient six-cylinder engine, poised handling, upscale design, and beautifully finished interior. The Mazda just comes up short if you’re looking for maximum functionality and ease of use. And if you choose a top-trim model with the more powerful six-cylinder or the plug-in hybrid, it impresses for its interior quality, driving manners, and relative affordability even at higher prices, while matching or beating many rivals for functionality. The CX-90’s chief failings in this company are its humbler badge and its clunky infotainment system. 

Photo by Brady Holt

The Fun, Fancy Option

The 2024 Mazda CX-90 isn’t for you if you’re looking for the roomiest, most comfortable, quietest, most family-friendly, and easiest-to-drive three-row crossover. But that’s just fine. Rather than join the scrum in chasing the heart of the market, Mazda has conquered the market for folks who want something more special. 

Especially when it’s still priced in the low $40,000s, the CX-90 is a fun-to-drive luxury SUV that can still do family duty. If you want an even richer experience, Mazda lets you dial up both its performance and luxury with the Turbo S. And the PHEV model can be perfect for folks who’d like their big SUV to burn little to no gas during short enough commutes, all while still going any distance on a highway road trip. For a big crossover that doesn’t trade all its everyday functionality and value in pursuit of personality, don’t miss the CX-90. 

Photo by Brady Holt