The CX-90 is a mild hybrid because it uses a 44-volt lithium-ion battery to help drive the SUV.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
I was warned Mazda’s largest SUV might be too big for the narrow roads here and it could be a squeeze in parking lots. New Zealanders have a more European attitude toward cars – they prefer smaller vehicles that handle well. So why drive the CX-90 during my visit?
I have some experience with the mid-sized Mazda. I’ve driven the CX-70, which is essentially the same vehicle except for having only two rows of seats. I even spent some time in the CX-90 plug-in hybrid, which will improve your fuel consumption – especially during the 42 kilometres before its 17.8-kilowatt-hour battery is drained.
This was a chance for the conventionally powered CX-90 to prove itself on challenging roads with a full load of passengers: four adults and all their luggage, off to explore the Kiwi countryside.
The Canadian CX-90 has seatbelts and headrests for eight people, though the top-of-the-line – and more powerful – Signature edition seats seven, with dual captain’s chairs in the second row. I drove the New Zealand equivalent, called the Takami trim, which also seats seven but with a three-person bench seat in the second row. The Kiwis call it like it is: the third row is configured for just two people, unlike the three-passenger squeeze of the Canadian model.
The front seats and dash for the Canadian set-up of the CX-90 with a gauge cluster, a small centre screen and plenty of buttons and knobs.Courtesy of manufacturer
The cargo space easily accommodated four suitcases and four carry-ons.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
This is actually a new feature for the top trim of the 2026 Canadian model – in its two previous years, the third row was equipped for just two people. Nothing has changed, except for the addition of a third seatbelt and headrest, matching other trims. That extra passenger back there had better still be small.
In any case, we kept the third row folded flat most of the time, where the cargo space easily accommodated four suitcases and four carry-ons. The four of us would have been just as content with a CX-70, which has the same 1,133 litres of space behind the second row and is $1,850 less expensive. However, the three-row vehicle does have its advantages for only four people, because bickering passengers can sit in separate rows. (This is usually more useful for teens and pre-teens than for married couples, though you never know.)
The CX-90 is considered a “mild hybrid” because it uses a 44-volt lithium-ion battery to help drive the SUV, though unlike a regular hybrid, it cannot drive on electricity alone. The small battery and 17-horsepower motor boost power during acceleration and replace some of the gasoline that stepping on the throttle would normally call for. It makes the SUV more responsive and also improves fuel consumption, for much less investment than the larger hardware of a full hybrid.
Both of these advantages were welcome here in New Zealand, where regular (91 octane) gas costs about $2.50 a litre, and where beautiful, curving roads are everywhere. Paddle shifters are standard on all trim levels of the big CX-90 and, normally, I would never think to use them, but I did so frequently. I appreciated that I could quickly drop down one or two gears for approaching and driving through a corner, and the SUV was responsive with little roll and pleasantly firm steering. Unusually, the all-wheel-drive system is biased toward the rear, which makes such a drive even more satisfying.
The most basic CX-90 comes in below $50,000 before taxes, making it one of the best values on the market for a three-row SUV.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
Most important, the two passengers in the second row never complained of nausea, even on narrow roads with frequent hairpin turns that climbed and dropped over saddles of sheep and cattle country. Mazda says its “jinba ittai” philosophy of car design – which translates from the Japanese as “horse and rider as one” – helps smooth out the drive through automatic braking of individual wheels as needed, along with barely noticeable corrections of steering and engine speed. Whatever the wizardry of its torque-vectoring technology, there were no complaints from behind me.
Canadians have a choice of power: either 280 horsepower in the two lower trims or 340 horsepower in the two upper trims. The difference is in the tuning – the engines are the same 3.3-litre inline-six units, matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission that will tow up to 2,268 kilograms (but just 1,588 kilograms in the base model). It’s also in the fuel, which requires more costly premium gas for the extra power. You can use regular gas, but you’ll lose 21 horsepower. While some reviewers have criticized the transmission as clunky in its lower gears, I didn’t notice any harshness.
The centre screen is controlled with this dial mounted on the centre console. The version in the picture is the Canadian set-up, not the one driven for the review. Mark Richardson found the dial tedious to use and many Mazda owners have complained about it. The new CX-5 will use a simpler touchscreen.Courtesy of manufacturer
My greatest criticism of the CX-90 is with its controller dial, mounted on the centre console, which I found tedious to use – I’d spin from menu to menu, trying to find whatever I was looking for on the display. Mazda owners have used it for years, and many have lamented online that the new CX-5 has moved on to a simpler touchscreen. I will find this a welcome evolution when it inevitably happens in other models. Even BMW has ditched its rotary controller after years of trying to claim touchscreens were a dangerous option for drivers, requiring hands off the wheel and stretching over to the screen. I hope the CX-90 follows the CX-5’s example soon.
The Signature edition of the CX-90, or the Kiwi-equivalent Takami edition that I drove, is Mazda’s flagship vehicle, but it doesn’t come with an inflated price. It compares well to its competition: opting for the plug-in hybrid version adds an extra $5,000 or so, while the base model starts at less than $50,000 before taxes. That’s one of the best values on the market for a three-row SUV.
The second row, even with a bench, has a good amount of space for two adults.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
Tech specs
2026 Mazda CX-90
- Base price/as tested: $49,199/$65,849 including freight and pre-delivery inspection, plus taxes
- Engine: 3.3-litre turbocharged inline 6 with mild hybrid boost
- Horsepower/torque (lb-ft): 280/332; Signature trim: 340/369
- Transmission/drive: Eight-speed automatic/All-wheel drive
- Fuel consumption (litres per 100 kilometres): 10.1 city, 8.5 highway, 9.4 combined; Signature trim: 10.3 city, 8.5 highway, 9.5 combined
- Alternatives: Toyota Grand Highlander, Hyundai Palisade, Kia Telluride, Honda Pilot, Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee L, Chevrolet Traverse
The ride is smooth and even on narrow roads with frequent hairpin turns, the two passengers in the second row never complained of nausea.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
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