CX-90 Reviews are out

Great summary. I have had XC90 T8 for 3 months now, and the ride quality with 21-inch wheels (especially in the rear seat) is not great without air suspension. Road noise is also noticeable on rough surfaces. These are the only gripes I have so far, and I'm aware of these before the purchase. The powertrain is super smooth, and stupidly fast when both ICE and the electric motor are operating, while handling is not bad. I'm coming from a 2013 Mazda CX5, so the bumpiness of the ride is similar (slightly better in the Volvo, and it feels more premium & composed for sure). CX5's steering feel is slightly better, but volvo is more European-like & more premium overall for sure.
CX9 actually rides better with the 18-inch wheel I test-drove a few years back, steering feels more direct too, which has always been the strong case for Mazda. CX90 has always been my top choice since the news came out 2 years ago, but couldn't wait for that long, and the implementation of its PHEV seems to be a little disappointing to me after the CX60 reviews are out (very low electric-only range: 36 km vs 56 km in Volvo), and its power delivery isn't smooth based on the few European test drives in the CX60.

Other 3-rows I've driven:
1. Last-gen Pilot, feels like a boat, with very generous space, but too utilitarian (no sense of luxury at all).
2. 2022 MDX Tech 3.5 v6 - very lethargic, slow low-speed pick-up, noisy cabin, piano-black trim everywhere, doesn't feel premium at all. 3rd row is small, smaller than cx9.
3. Didn't drive, but rode in a 2022 Toyota highlander plat hybrid. It tries to appear premium, but it's an econobox car in general.
4. BMW X7 - nice, but pricey with options
Cross off the Aviator, XT6 after lurking on their forums. Had I spent enough time on the Volvo forum before the purchase, I might cross off XC90 as well... So far it's been good, met/exceeded my expectation so far. But I always have a soft spot for CX90 hence why I'm in this forum.
 
I think I would have been happy with the Volvo if it were not priced so high :\
the XC60 T8 I was looking at was nearly $76k AND the dealer wanted $5k market adj so I was like NAH. Even at MSRP it's about 20k MORE than the CX90 PHEV top trim. Hell it was just about as much for a X5 45e and that has a sweet I6 engine and quite a bit more interior room.
 
babs86 said:
Any news?
Click to expand...

Yes. Test drove a white Turbo Premium Plus model. My main daily is a 2021 CX-9 Signature.

Things I liked:

1) The handling. The overall handling of the CX-90 is dramatically better than the CX-9. The body roll is minimal and the car is incredibly agile and stable. Just an amazing vehicle in that regard.

2) Smooth feel. The engine and power delivery is very smooth. When you get on the throttle in the CX-9, you feel it in the wheel. You get used to it, and honestly, it gives a sense of speed, but the rear wheel drive platform is such an improvement. I did not get a chance to do a lot of stop and go but in normal traffic did not notice anything crazy. The transmission shifts are solid, and you feel them.

3) The power is nice but not mind blowing. It feels like a CX-9 in most conditions but has way more oomph when putting the hammer down, with a lovely sound as well. I run 93 octane in my CX-9 and the CX-90 was was much quicker. I have previously looked at a Q7 and that car with the 3.0T engine was mind blowing in some ways. This is not that at this level.

4. The front seats and overall front comfort is improved over my CX-9. Much of this comes down to the seats being a little bit longer but the new arm rest on the left and console on the ride side just seemed to be better placed. I really liked this. The front passenger seat was also nice and I had much more leg-room on the passenger side as compared to my CX-9. Not sure why. I found the second row to be similar to the CX-9 but you have much more back and forth options with seat movement. Third row was fine.

I will say that I think the whole third row argument is over blown. When I have 5-6 people in my CX-9, people go were they fit best. Small people go in the third row and big people go in the front. People adjust their seats a little bit and everyone has room and is comfortable. Would not want to drive cross country in the third row, but you can easily fit a 5-10 person back there for a couple of hours without much issue. The CX-90 has more room in the third row and is perfectly acceptable. Do other cars have more space, sure.

5) Stiff chassis. The car is stiffer all around, but in a good way. It goes around corners without any body roll and everything just feels more solid. You really feel the RWD architectures and it is wonderful. Putting the power down with this in a turn is just exhilarating. Very confidence inspiring.

6) You now have the ability to control the 2nd row HVAC system from the front. My dog will be happy, as he always had trouble turning down the air by himself!

7) The digital display is nice and the heads up display showed CarPlay directions beautifully. I have used wireless CarPlay in other vehicles and always had problems. Worked fine here and was stable.


Things I did not like:

1. Don't like the black interior. Felt like something that would be in a Subaru. Was OK but did not have a premium feel to me. The cup holder on the second row looks like something they added on at the last minute. Was not sturdy and just seems cheap.

2. There are lots of electronic beeps and notifications. For example, when you turn the car on, there are lots of bings and when you turn the car off, it asks you to check the rear seats. I hate stuff like that. I hope you can turn it off.

3. The twin moon- roof is nice but still seems small to me.

4. The car was similar in road noise to my CX-9. Maybe a little less overall but a different sound. You hear the big tires in the CX-90, while in my CX-9 there are other noises.

Overall, the car is a solid successor to the CX-9. The engine, transmission and handling are huge improvements over the CX-9. I can't emphasize enough how well this thing handled. Better than any Mazda outside of a Miata honestly. Getting back into my CX-9 was eye opening. But I will also say, those are the area's that if someone asked me what was great about the CX-9, I would have said were the strengths and did not need to be improved that much. Mazda is all about the driving feel and the CX-90 lets you know they care about handling and the driving experience. This is not a competitor for the Pilot, Highlander, Pallisade/Telluride but really for the MDX. It is in a weird position as it is just a different type of vehicle. I have tested the new MDX and this feels much better than it. You can't beat a RWD platform for driving feel.

Waiting to try the PHEV which should be here in a month or two. My head is saying to wait a year and get the Turbo S Premium Plus but I might bite the bullet and pick this up later in the year.
 
Great review, thanks! Since you have a dog you might want to leave that rear seat alarm on. My kids are teenagers now, but one time I forgot my dog was in the back seat, and I had turned the rear seat alarm off. Luckily I heard her bark. I turned the alarm back on again
 
Great feedback @dougal, thanks for posting! I'm still waiting for one to be available for me to test drive, but it sounds like a solid first entry. They'll probably make improvements to the interior and the NVH as the years go by.. easy minor tweaks to make.
 
7) The digital display is nice and the heads up display showed CarPlay directions beautifully. I have used wireless CarPlay in other vehicles and always had problems. Worked fine here and was stable.
Click to expand...
I didn't realize HUD would show directions from CarPlay. That seems super useful! I don't know of other cars that can do this today.

dougal said:
This is not a competitor for the Pilot, Highlander, Pallisade/Telluride but really for the MDX. It is in a weird position as it is just a different type of vehicle. I have tested the new MDX and this feels much better than it. You can't beat a RWD platform for driving feel.
Click to expand...
I had the same conclusion. It's better than the MDX in every way I could think of and would recommend CX90 over MDX unless you really need a second row middle seat in top trim.
 
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Dimcorner said:
I think I would have been happy with the Volvo if it were not priced so high :\
the XC60 T8 I was looking at was nearly $76k AND the dealer wanted $5k market adj so I was like NAH. Even at MSRP it's about 20k MORE than the CX90 PHEV top trim. Hell it was just about as much for a X5 45e and that has a sweet I6 engine and quite a bit more interior room.
Click to expand...
The price diff b/w XC90 T8 and Cx-90 PHEV in Canada is huge. $30k diff for top of line trims, which makes Mazda a great bargain. The Volvo is nicer in many ways, but I don't think the price difference is justified.
 
Matt Maran Review: This is a good one for the Turbo S and PHEV (later in the video). He also covers some shifting roughness at low speeds with the Turbo S, and mentions that you don’t get touchscreen CarPlay in the lower trim Turbo versions.
youtu.be

Review: 2024 Mazda CX-90 (Turbo S and PHEV)

I review the all-new 2024 Mazda CX-90 both in the Turbo S and PHEV versions and take you through the interior, driving dynamics, pricing and fuel economy. Wi...
youtu.be youtu.be
 
This review is odd to me for the criticism of the brakes and some other things.

When I test drove the CX-90, one thing that stood out was the brake performance, which was amazing. This review found the brakes to be really bad.

The other thing was motor trend got a 0-60 time of 6.5 seconds. Others - lots of YouTube stuff has closer to 6.0 seconds.

I wonder if there are some QC issues with these new vehicles that is being reflected in the wild?

www.motortrend.com

2024 Mazda CX-90 3.3 Turbo S First Test: You Sure This Is What You Want?

The three-row SUV as only Mazda can do it. But is that a good thing?
www.motortrend.com www.motortrend.com
 
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dougal said:
This review is odd to me for the criticism of the brakes and some other things.

When I test drove the CX-90, one thing that stood out was the brake performance, which was amazing. This review found the brakes to be really bad.

The other thing was motor trend got a 0-60 time of 6.5 seconds. Others - lots of YouTube stuff has closer to 6.0 seconds.

I wonder if there are some QC issues with these new vehicles that is being reflected in the wild?

www.motortrend.com

2024 Mazda CX-90 3.3 Turbo S First Test: You Sure This Is What You Want?

The three-row SUV as only Mazda can do it. But is that a good thing?
www.motortrend.com www.motortrend.com
Click to expand...
Potentially QC, but I bet it's due to motortrend (likely) getting a press car, which get a million brake tests and 0-60 tests from all of the other journalists. People treat vehicles a bit nicer when they're test driving a showroom model compared to auto journalists who want to test the limits and have more free reign with the press vehicles. Just my two cents though.
 
One thing I will bring up about 0-60, is that starting in non-manual mode is always going to be less than ideal from a pure speed perspective.

Using manual mode, you can start from a stop in 2nd gear. This provides two benefits, 1st being gear ratio. 1st is 5.26, 2nd is 3.3. The second benefit is that 2nd gear doesn't use the slipping clutch in the transmission, so the full power is being put down from the get go. 60 MPH can be reached in the top of 3rd gear, so there is only one shift during the sequence. Not sure how to factor in EV motor, but ensure 48V battery has a higher percentage charge probably wouldn't hurt in ensuring you are going to spool the turbo quickly.

In the owners manual the start in 2nd / 2nd gear hold mechanism is described as being useful for slippery roads at slower speeds. It doesn't give a warning for using it on dry pavement (like off-road mode), however, it is safe to assume that doing this repeatedly will likely wear out and/or damage transmission components faster then normal.

To get into this mode, simply tap the up-shift paddle at a stop (or slow speeds below 5mph).

In practice, I still recommend using sport mode and you need to enable permanent shift control under vehicle settings (this setting gets reset every drive by the way, it does not save, which is annoying). The second thing you want to do after putting into 2nd is let off the brake so the transmission can fully engage the gear (if you dont do this there may be a delay when you first try to get going). You can re-engage the brake after moving forward a bit.

I don't have a GPS drag box, but I am fairly certain this nets you high 5 second 0-60. Make sure engine oil / transmission temps are warmed up before attempting such things..... Best to avoid first few hundred miles as well.... Also this is the sort of thing you only do with premium gas in the car.....

I have only done this once, to test the theory and compare it to normal sport mode, and it feels noticeably faster. The 1-2 shift feels slower than other shifts, and the transmission doesn't shift very quickly to begin with.
 
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www.edmunds.com

2025 Mazda CX-90 Prices, Reviews, and Pictures | Edmunds

Research the 2025 Mazda CX-90 with our expert reviews and ratings. Edmunds also has Mazda CX-90 pricing, MPG, specs, pictures, safety features, consumer reviews and more. Our comprehensive coverage delivers all you need to know to make an informed car buying decision.
www.edmunds.com
Dlcorbett said:
Cx90 new car rating.
Click to expand...

I'm most concerned by the following:

"But we're less fond of the center infotainment screen. The graphics look a little dated, and touchscreen functionality is oddly limited to when you're using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone integration."

This is quite jarring to go from the native Mazda interface to CP/AA!
 
EWL5 said:
www.edmunds.com

2025 Mazda CX-90 Prices, Reviews, and Pictures | Edmunds

Research the 2025 Mazda CX-90 with our expert reviews and ratings. Edmunds also has Mazda CX-90 pricing, MPG, specs, pictures, safety features, consumer reviews and more. Our comprehensive coverage delivers all you need to know to make an informed car buying decision.
www.edmunds.com


I'm most concerned by the following:

"But we're less fond of the center infotainment screen. The graphics look a little dated, and touchscreen functionality is oddly limited to when you're using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone integration."

This is quite jarring to go from the native Mazda interface to CP/AA!
Click to expand...
All I care about is the touchscreen for Apple CarPlay works. The only thing I want to look at when I’m driving is the speedometer and RPM
 
For me. touch screen is overrated although it depends on your priority and preferences. I don't have Apple CarPlay on my 2018 MX-5 and wouldn't pay to get it installed. I connect my iPhone to USB and able to listen to Apple music or SXM app on my iPhone. Works for me. I have Apple CarPlay on my VW Tiguan (soon to be replaced by CX-90) and really the only thing I gain is able to listen and respond via Siri to text messages. So, the comment by Edmunds on the CX-90 infotainment screen means absolutely nothing to me. I hardly touch the screen once I start driving.
 
Zoom2 said:
For me. touch screen is overrated although it depends on your priority and preferences. I don't have Apple CarPlay on my 2018 MX-5 and wouldn't pay to get it installed. I connect my iPhone to USB and able to listen to Apple music or SXM app on my iPhone. Works for me. I have Apple CarPlay on my VW Tiguan (soon to be replaced by CX-90) and really the only thing I gain is able to listen and respond via Siri to text messages. So, the comment by Edmunds on the CX-90 infotainment screen means absolutely nothing to me. I hardly touch the screen once I start driving.
Click to expand...
I am of the same mind. I find if the whole system is designed well for touch, it works great (easy to reach screen and navigate through). I think Mazda's approach with the dial is fine, I am able to get around in the screens and don't need to look at the controller when I am doing it, so I think that's a sign that it works.
 
One more benefit of the dial and Mazda approach is during winter. Coming from skiing or some other winter activities I tend to keep one pair of thin gloves on my hands. I found almost impossible to use a touch screen when you are wearing gloves, at best is very tricky and frustrating and takes even more time. Having a dial I can still use the infotainment system without any issues.

Did I also mention smudges ;). I hate them. Especially when one of my kids is in the front and starts playing with the screen using his dirty hands (my wife's 2015 CX-5). No problem in my CX-9 :)
 
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