Anyone have a 2025 CX-90? Impressions?
- Thread starter leok
- Start date
Interestingly enough, there aren’t any extensive hands on third party reviews online.
This will only be some test drive impressions.
Had our '22 CX-9 in for service at our local dealer so decided to finally test drive and price a CX-90. Drove two '25 MY versions: The base car and the top of the line -- a Select, and a Turbo S Premium Plus (actually a CX-70). Per my choice neither car was a plug-in hybrid.
Drove a short ~8 mile loop (freeway + surface roads/streets) in the first car, then two loops in the second car, and then another loop in the first car.
The freeway part included very useful (and enjoyable) "S" entry and exit ramps to exercise some "spirited" handling. Left both cars in "Sport" mode throughout, as that's how I would drive mine in daily use.
My main takeaways:
Engine noise under acceleration is surprisingly high and unrefined for a modern, longitudinally mounted DOHC inline 6. Similar issue in both models.
The 340 hp engine is of course peppier, but the power and torque of the 280 hp one is plenty sufficient for me. If it only sounded quieter and better...
Throttle tip-in from a rolling start can be abrupt in either car, apparently due to the transmission having a last minute change of mind.
Brakes in both cars are a bit too touchy for my preference but I would get used to them. Steering weight, accuracy and self-centering are fine in "Sport" mode; neither one had much feel, unfortunately as expected in these days of electric power steering.
Handling is very nimble and fun for such a large car - quick turn in, minimal understeer, very little roll, great poise -- reason enough to get one!
The suspension for me is the high point of these cars, and by itself very similar between the two versions -- firm yet supple, with great balance point between handling and ride comfort. However, to me the base car is actually better than the Turbo S in that regard, I believe mostly due to the wheels and tires. The base car I drove had 265/55-19 and the Turbo S 275/45-21. In my view the degradation in road isolation with the larger wheels is much greater than whatever little gain there may be in handling (which you would need to go to a road course to experience). The 21" wheels make the ride noticeably jerkier and louder on sharp inputs (expansioon joints, potholes, manholes etc).
My biggest gripe after the engine noise are the front seats. I am 5'9", pretty normal build, and I found the seat cushions too short (and pretty much the same) in both cars. I imagine taller folks will not be happy in them on long trips. Very similar to those in our CX-9 -- a missed opportunity. The small upside is that seat cushion tilt angle is adjustable even on the base car (not on our CX-9).
Another gripe is pretty poor space utilization - for such a large vehicle the usable interior volume, especially for cargo with the seats folded down, is pathetic. Much wasted space.
I liked very much the interior esthetics and feel, even more so in the base car with a little less bling. Interior materials and fit and finish look and feel fine to me. Having read some comments and reviews here I was bracing myself for tinny sounding door closure but didn't notice any issue; to me the sound and feel of the doors closing is fine and in line with the upscale target of these cars. As others, I too noticed the shallower storage cubby in the front of the console vs. that on the CX-9, I suspect due to the packaging of the longitudinal transmission, but the new one should still be good to hold a smartphone in place. And on the upside, I liked very much the relocated cupholders to the front right of the console, so the straw of your diet coke does not poke your elbow...
And the biggest surprise? Having completed the test drives and picked up our CX-9, it actually felt not bad in comparison... I guess I expected the gap in overall feel to be greater.
We may still get one down the road. It would most likely be the 280 hp Preferred variant.
Forgot one additional annoyance, unfortunately carried over from the CX-9: The HVAC fan speed (+) and (-) tiny little buttons set flush in the button row just above the console.
(What) were they thinking??
In the CX-90 they did replace the two rotary temp controls with left and right red and blue protruding tabs -- more of a gimmick or space saving measure than an ergonomic improvement.
But why not keep going and add a protruding center tab for fan speed -- up for faster, down for slower, or a simple rotary knob you can find by feel?
Infuriating how ergonomics (indeed, driving safety) takes a back seat to bells and whistles and cost, also in a company claiming to prioritize driving and the driver as their central focus.
(What) were they thinking??
In the CX-90 they did replace the two rotary temp controls with left and right red and blue protruding tabs -- more of a gimmick or space saving measure than an ergonomic improvement.
But why not keep going and add a protruding center tab for fan speed -- up for faster, down for slower, or a simple rotary knob you can find by feel?
Infuriating how ergonomics (indeed, driving safety) takes a back seat to bells and whistles and cost, also in a company claiming to prioritize driving and the driver as their central focus.
That’s because the system is meant to be used in auto-mode. In auto mode you don’t need to adjust the fan speed with the +,-. You do it by adjusting the temperature dial (for more wind, crank the thermostat higher or lower). If you manually adjust the fan speed, then the auto mode is pretty much turned off.
But my wife can’t adjust to using the auto mode either, and every time i get in the car after her it is back in manual mode.
But my wife can’t adjust to using the auto mode either, and every time i get in the car after her it is back in manual mode.
@youri , I disagree. Temperature, airflow speed and distribution are three separate parameters which are provided for driver and passenger control. Often I do not want to change the temp but I want more airflow (more fresh air). if you crank the thermostat higher, you get more flow at higher temp until the temp reaches the new setting and then the flow slows down, and all you got is a hotter car, not more sustained flow.
I get what you mean, and that if you like to manually control airflow it is not ideal. All I am saying is that it is not how they designed it to run.
Auto which is adjusted by the thermostat (interior temperature, not vent temperature) is the main control function. Vent temperature, Airflow and distribution function are secondary functions which are provided as a back up to Auto.
When you use the fan speed button it turns auto off. And they designed its main controls around the auto function, with the secondary function of manual control still available, but through the secondary controls.
I think most of them are setup that way nowadays. (If you get buttons at all).
Auto which is adjusted by the thermostat (interior temperature, not vent temperature) is the main control function. Vent temperature, Airflow and distribution function are secondary functions which are provided as a back up to Auto.
When you use the fan speed button it turns auto off. And they designed its main controls around the auto function, with the secondary function of manual control still available, but through the secondary controls.
I think most of them are setup that way nowadays. (If you get buttons at all).
