TERE’S A GRAB bag of clichés I could trot out to describe what Mazda’s doing with the CX-90.
These stretch from the utterly unimaginative ‘fake it ’til you make it’ to the K-Mart brochure-level ‘dress for success’, with plenty in between – but none would accurately describe what Mazda has accomplished with this excellent large SUV.
The Mazda we know today has been making an explicit push towards premium since launching the CX-30 small SUV in 2019, but it’s been going on longer than that. Remember the rotary-powered Eunos Cosmo coupe (1990-1996)? Or perhaps Amati, Mazda’s failed Lexus rival?
With the CX-60 and CX-90 (both built at Mazda’s Hofu plant), this attempt is a little different. These are a pair of SUVs featuring longitudinal engines (including all-new straight-sixes), rear-biased AWD, and double-wishbone front suspension – things you’d typically only find in rivals from BMW, Benz, and Audi.
But why now? It’s simple. Mazda says its fiercely loyal customers want to spend
