How's your comparison to the XC90 you drove, in particular ride quality, cabin noise, and handling feel? Which XC90 you drove, B5/B6 or T8 recharge? Both suvs offer interesting PHEV, but I feel that XC90 T8> cx90 PHEV, while cx90 i6> xc90 B5/B6 from the drivetrain perspective.
I haven't driven PHEVs yet. I'll probably start test driving them next month. I am warming up to idea of PHEVs.
I drove a friend's T6 during a local trip and test drove the B6 XC90. I really like the way it drives, ride quality and handling is good (not sporty but more tuned to feel luxurious). Powertrain is torquey and responsive, smooth gear shifts, start-stop is almost not noticeable, good turning radius, light steering. It's got all the qualities to make you feel like you are driving an expensive car except the engine note under acceleration and road noise. Because other types of noise is so well controlled, the road noise seems amplified. Where I live, we have a lot of coarse concrete roads and most vehicles with low profile tires suffers from terrible road noise and jittery ride. I rode along in a Jeep Grand Cherokee and test drove a CPO X5 a while ago. And they don't have this problem. So, this is definitely a problem with the Volvo XC90s. I saw in the Volvo forums that the annual Volvo dealer conference finished and mentioned a significant refresh is coming up for 2025 model year. So, I'd just recommend waiting a year if XC90 fits the bill for y'all. Alternatively, downsize to smaller wheel size like 18".
Regarding which powertrain is better between CX90 and B6 XC90, my personal preference is the Volvo for smoothness. The jerky transmission and lethargic off the line feel of the Mazda really put me off. After a while, the Mazda's fun revving engine becomes tiresome especially in traffic. I'd be curious to see a torque curve graph of the Mazdas (google can't find one yet).