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- 2024 CX90 PHEV Premium Plus
I picked up a CX90 PHEV premium plus almost 3 weeks ago and have about 550 miles on the odometer. Here are some of my initial observations. I’m not gonna go into too much detail here because I’m sure my initial impressions will change but if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.
Likes…
“Dislike” might be too strong of a word. Let’s just say a little annoying …
A few miscellaneous neutral observations…
Also, I have all weather floor mats coming from a company I’ve never heard of, but they got great reviews. I’ll post pictures and some comments in a separate thread.
Likes…
- Overall an awesome vehicle with a premium feel
- Handling for a vehicle this size is amazing, it really does drive much smaller than it’s size
- The exterior body lines really make the machine gray pop with entire sections that light up in bright silver bordered by dark gray shadows
- The seats are leaps and bounds way more comfortable than my CX9
- The Bose sound system to my ears sounds significantly better. I can pick up on nuances I could not quite catch in the CX9. Mid range is clear, highs are not brassy, and the bass is so smooth, defined and punchy. The door mounted tweeters help pull the soundstage off the windshield which was one of my biggest complaints with the previous system.
- The PHEV drivetrain!! In sport mode it hustles. EV mode is really cool. 550 miles and barely used 1/2 tank of dino juice. The small electric range is more than enough for our daily errands.
“Dislike” might be too strong of a word. Let’s just say a little annoying …
- The way Mazda packaged some of the features. it’s the top level trim. Where are the reverse tilting mirrors, tied to memory? Adaptive headlights?
- Speaking of packaging, while we don’t need tons of interior storage space, holy Ant-man… Every door pocket and cubby is either half the size of a CX9 or is missing completely. Yes, I bought the vehicle for its handling, aesthetics, and PHEV, but a vehicle this big it shouldn’t be difficult to find a place to literally put some Chapstick.
- The rear mounted cupholder tray is kind of cheap and in a terrible position. Not only does it block the aisle when it‘s up but it’s too far back to reach from the front seat. I went through a drive-through and out of habit turned around to set the kid’s drinks in the center consule mounted cupholders… Nope. And I couldn’t reach the stupid tray.
- The rear lights above the door are positioned perfectly to burn out the passengers retinas. The lights should be moved forward about a foot.
- Storage behind the third row is supposed to be a cubic foot or so larger but that must come from the height. The rear floormat I have for my CX9 hangs off the back a little bit so it’s not as deep and not quite as usable.
- I hate that you cannot turn off radar cruise from the steering wheel
- Speaking of the steering wheel, I wish Mazda would heat the entire thing. Turning a corner on a cold day… Hot, cold, hot, cold…
- Some minor quality, or maybe lack of attention to detail items …. The roof liner flexes quite a bit when using the sunglass holder. There was a slight rattle in the roof liner. I killed two birds with one stone. I rolled a small towel and tucked it up there, which stopped the flexing and the noise. Underneath the window switches, you can feel a gap where the plastic was cut short.
A few miscellaneous neutral observations…
- The ride is FIRM. I prioritize and appreciate the great handling but a little bit softer would’ve been nice
- I usually adjust the headlights up a degree or two because the cut offs are super low but apparently now you need a scan tool to set the auto leveling
- The window switches on the drivers door for me are positioned a bit awkwardly. I have to pull my arm back a bit to reach them. In the CX9 they were further forward on the door and more comfortable to access
Also, I have all weather floor mats coming from a company I’ve never heard of, but they got great reviews. I’ll post pictures and some comments in a separate thread.
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