After launching the new CX model two years ago after announcing its product portfolio five months earlier, Mazda has taken the wraps off a third model in the form of the all-new CX-90.
Second rear-wheel-drive
The Hiroshima-based new flagship SUV positioned above the CX-9, the CX-90 is also the most powerful and after the CX-60, the second to ride on the all-wheel-drive platform that will support the now canceled one. Mazda6 generation.
Launched in one of its main markets, the United States, which will go on sale later this year, the CX-90 incorporates the same sloping rear design as the CX-60, but with a special, more concave LED rear light cluster model. bootlid, chrome finish on the fake diffuser under the bumper and up to 21-inch alloy wheels.
Meanwhile the front facia has been slightly modified with a smaller grille and not the same L-shaped air ducts enlarged on the side of the bumper as the CX-60.
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While the LED lights are largely the same, the chrome skidplate replaces the latter’s satin silver setting. Also bespoke for the CX-90 is a new color option called Artisan Red.
Inside
Although Mazda refused to divulge the details of the dimensions of the CX-90 or its adaptation to the platform compared to the CX-60, it revealed the details of the interior, saying it has been designed in a “dignified” way “that gives an expansive impression from the dashboard to the doors”.
Like the CX-9, the CX-90 provides seating for seven and while the same as the CX-60 is easy to find in the center console display, air vents, climate control panel, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and steering wheel, nice seats in Nappa leather and addition can be mentioned with heating for the second line.
Also brought from the CX-60 is a 12.3-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the option of a heated steering wheel and a panoramic sunroof, plus the availability of maple wood inserts and the so-called “tone-on-nada” fabric that the brother does not have.
In addition to updated materials and standard USB type-C ports in all three rows, Mazda has equipped the CX-60 with what it calls a See-Through View monitor that can be used in conjunction with the surround-view camera system to provide a transparent image. when parking.
Other notable safety and driver assistance systems are Radar Cruise Control, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Monitoring and Kinematic Posture Control developed for the MX-5 which “stops body lift in tight corners to increase grip to maintain a natural posture”.
Gasoline only for now
In the United States, the CX-90 will have a choice of two electrified SkyActiv-G gasoline engines; plug-in hybrid that combines a 17.8-kWh battery with a 100 kW electric motor with a total output of 241kW / 500Nm, and a 48-volt mild hybrid 3.3 liter straight-six turbo with 254kW / 500Nm.
Despite the rear-wheel-drive layout, all-wheel-drive can be fitted as an option, with the only transmission option being an eight-speed torque converter automatic.
While it won’t be offered in the United States, speculation is rife that Mazda could offer the CX-90 with the all-new 3.3-liter SkyActiv-D turbodiesel in other markets.
In the CX-60, the 48-volt assisted oil-burner has two outputs; 147kW/450Nm in the rear-wheel-drive model and 187kW/550Nm when twisting to all four corners.
In the investigation
It has been classified as a model along with the CX-60 and CX-70 that will still appear, only the CX-50 is exclusive to the US market, the CX-90 is known to be considered for South Africa as it has been confirmed for the other right-hand drive market, Australia, to the final stage in 2023.
If the investigation produces the desired results, the expectation is that the CX-90 can be sold in South Africa by the end of the year, or in early 2024. The exact confirmation from Mazda South Africa is expected later in the year.