CX-90 Act 2, Scene 1 (2026}

[Trip CX90]

Welp …. I bit the bullet on a 2026 CX90 PHEV Prem Plus. The lease on my 2024 CX90 PHEV Prem Plus is up in a few months. New leases suck tremendously. I was able to purchase this time for about $100 more monthly than what I’m currently leasing.

I had been looking at alternatives (other PHEV SUVs) but nothing was clicking. Rav4 …ridiculous MSRP markups and waiting lists months long. X5 …. Hesitant about reliability. Volvo … not bad, old platform, very quick (0-60 5 secs) but reliability concerns and not a fan of the styling and handling.

Love the CX90’s exterior aesthetics. Of course the handling and steering are pretty good for this size vehicle. Knock on wood, reliability has been stellar. There haven't been any issues at all outside of going in for scheduled recalls, but nothing ever lit up the dashboard and made the vehicle undrivable.

The 2024 PHEV is my first electric vehicle and it’s been amazing. It works well with our work from home schedule. The short EV range is fine with the level 2 home charger. Drop kids off in the morning, recharge, run errands at lunch, recharge, pick kids up, evening errands all in EV mode. For longer road trips, no range anxiety with the ICE.

The first few months with the 2024 were honestly underwhelming. Coming from a CX9, the CX90 had fewer features, more space, and to Mazda’s credit, it handled really well and for the most part the CX90 didn’t feel like it was that much of a step forward. But the PHEV was great. The RWD became more apparent, I.e. no FWD torque steer. And the firm highway ride seemed to soften a bit after the suspension broke in.

Looking forward to the 2026 with the extra feature that will make it feel a little more luxurious … power tilt/tel steering column, signature exterior LED lighting with adaptive headlights, Cruise & Traffic Support, mirror linked to memory to name a few. (These feature should hav been on *all* Prem Plus trims.) Also, while the captain chairs worked for us for a while, the kids have really grown and the 3rd row isn’t working so well. A 2nd row bench is standard now with the captain chairs an option. We can use the 3 across seating. And when the 3rd row is needed, it’s 2 across, not 3 across making it more hospitable for short trips.

 

[Antoine]

Congratulations @Trip CX90! Got pics? Looking forward to your updates!

 

[Trip CX90]

A few pics. The Artisan Red looks almost black at times. Signature lighting is a small but nice detail. The vehicle came with illuminated sills, cargo blocks, wheel locks, first aid kit, and road side kit. No mention of the accessories and they weren’t in the paperwork either.

 

[GTEyes]

A few pics. The Artisan Red looks almost black at times. Signature lighting is a small but nice detail. The vehicle came with illuminated sills, cargo blocks, wheel locks, first aid kit, and road side kit. No mention of the accessories and they weren’t in the paperwork either.

View attachment 380097

Very nice rig! Congrats.

 

[Trip CX90]

About a month and 1,200 miles later … nothing earth shattering to report but I have noticed a few things.

The most interesting thing is possible suspension changes. I noticed on the Mazda USA site that a rear stabilizer bar is listed under the suspension description. For ‘24 and ‘25, I don’t think the CX 90 had a rear stabilizer bar. I remember a video clip with a Mazda engineer saying that kinetic posture control (KPC) works so well, they didn’t need it. A couple car reviews also made note that there was no rear stabilizer bar. Checking Mazda parts online, only a front stabilizer bar seems to be available for the ‘24 and ‘25.

My seat of the pants impression is that Mazda softened the springs for ‘26 which makes sense as to why they would add a rear stabilizer bar. My ‘24 was too firm on the highway and was a bit obnoxious on long highway drives, especially the pitted and patched northeast highways. It got better after about 15,000 miles and a new set of tires. But the ‘26 rides much better right from the get-go, even with the OEM tires. And I do notice a little bit more body lean in corners.

The other drivetrain related thing I noticed is that the regenerative braking feels like it has been recalibrated. In the ‘24 when you left off the break, you can fill the car slowing down under the low setting. On the high setting, it was like you were hitting the wall… it was pretty obvious. In the ‘26 it feels like it has been softened up. It doesn’t feel like there was much regenerative feedback at all on the low setting. The high setting feels much better this time.

Speaking of the EV components, I wonder if there have been changes to the battery or the software. Even with max capacity set to 90% and the cold weather we’ve been having in the 20s and 30s, the battery will still charged to 21 or 22 mile range. Even when the ‘24 was new, during the winter months, I would be lucky if I could get over 15 miles registered for the range and that was setting the max charge capacity to 100%.

I definitely appreciate the additional features that I listed in my original post.

Mixed feelings about the Driver Personalization System. As other reviewers have said, the auto seat position feature does NOT work. I put in my height and I can’t remember if I had to answer a couple more questions but that thing jacked me up against the steering wheel like a UFC fighter and put the seat 5 feet up in the air. I literally found it impossible to turn the steering wheel, I was so close. The facial recognition feature is kind of neat. As long as you take a second to glance at the center screen when you first sit down, it will recognize you and adjust the seat, mirrors, and steering wheel. But it feels like overkill because you can do the same thing with programming the fob to a driver as well. And the fob works more consistently.

Speaking of entry and exit, I wish there was a setting that would allow the doors to unlock as you approach the car, and did not have to actually grab the handle like Toyota does. I’ve tried to open the door faster than the system will respond. You just have to hold the handle for a split second before tugging.

Having a rear bench seat makes much more sense for us now. The third row is only occasional use now, but still comes in handy. But it’s great being able to put three normal sized people in the back.

Ambient lighting was added underneath the silver trim pieces on the upper door card. They don’t do much because the way they are positioned, you get more of a shadow and harsh line of light on the armrest. Hyundai does this much better where there’s a soft glow that emanates up from the door pulls. Also, I don’t like that Mazda uses harsh white lights. For the door pockets and foot wells I cut pieces of yellow gel film and taped them over the lights. It gives the light a softer golden glow which feels a little bit more upscale. I took a yellow permanent sharpie and traced the light under the silver trim to change it up as well. Actually, for the back lights, I did the same thing but with blue. I know that sounds like a weird combination, but you don’t really see them together. And the kids think the blue looks.

FYI Love the Auxko all weather floor mat set. All 3 rows and a trunk mat for $130. Good quality. I like the textured look. For the money, you cannot beat them. The off brand set that I had in my 2024 aged just fine and did not fade at all. I’m sure these will be great long-term as well.

Also picked up the $70 Okutech retractable cargo cover. Initial quality is very good. The carbon fiber texture looks really nice. It literally takes five seconds to install into the side panels that already have the space for the spring loaded ends to snap into. For $70 it was a cheap gamble. It’s not as big and awkward as you might think for that huge rear area. Note, this is for behind the second row, not just the third row. Pretty easy to use. I like the extra security when we’re shopping and going from store to store.