Admittedly, we should have known better. With the announcement of the electric MX-5 and the first PHEV, we thought Mazda was going to conform a bit to what other brands were doing. Just something normal – but no. It is impossible for Mazda to ‘just act normal for a while’. The EV will have a Wankel engine to charge the battery and this plug-in hybrid is also a different story. And don’t get us wrong, we’re very happy with that. Ordinary is just so ordinary.
Because where even Mercedes (you know, of the eight and twelve cylinders) no longer dares to put more than four cylinders in the C-class, Mazda suddenly comes with a six-cylinder petrol engine. And not a polished V6 that they still had lying around; no, a brand new six-in-line. They put this together with some mild-hybrid stuff – after a while – in this Mazda CX-60.
The drivetrain is longitudinal, just like in an MX-5
And what do you do with such a long six-cylinder? You don’t mash it transversely under the hood, but lay it neatly lengthwise, with the gearbox behind it and a drive shaft to the rear wheels. Just like BMW does not entirely by chance. The goal of Mazda with this CX-60 is therefore to play customer stealing with the German premium brands.
This FR layout (front engine, rear wheel drive) ensures the best road holding and weight distribution, according to Mazda. The CX-60 is in fact a very large MX-5 with a fixed roof. Come on, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. Also, both the layout and the six-in-line ensure the least unwanted noise and vibrations in the car. And because after all that effort to build an FR-SUV you will not turn the block again for the other versions, the engine in the CX-60 PHEV is also neatly positioned lengthwise.
The Mazda CX-60 comes to the Netherlands as a six-cylinder
The six-in-line will have to wait a little longer (but it will come to the Netherlands!), and so we step into this PHEV with 327 hp and 500 Nm for now. The powertrain consists of a 2.5-liter four-cylinder without turbo, an automatic transmission and permanent four-wheel drive. The electric motor sits between the petrol engine and the gearbox, which has the advantage that in electric mode the CX-60 can do almost everything the petrol engine does.
You also have four-wheel drive, just to name a few. The disadvantage is that the electric motor behaves more like a petrol engine when accelerating, so that there is, for example, some delay if you want to go on the gas. In cars where the petrol engine drives the front wheels and an electric motor the rear wheels, you often have a more direct response. The electric top speed is only 100 km/h, which prevents early risers and late workers from making their full commute electrically. With the e-range of more than 60 kilometers, it is fine to live.
This Mazda CX-60 is still a pre-production model
Very strange are the many sounds that come from the drivetrain. For example, the electric motor in front of the traffic light seems to be running almost idling. In any case, it makes more noise than we are used to. We must also say that we are on the road with a pre-production model to which the last things still need to be fine-tuned. The excessive noise production would be solved by software, Mazda assures us.
We touched on it for a while, but the drivetrain is calibrated for dynamic handling. Leave it to Mazda to let a large SUV frolic through the bends. Okay, the statement that it’s a MX-5 with a fixed roof doesn’t hold up, but for a 2,000-pound thing, the CX-60 rides quite nicely. In Sport mode there is more than enough urgency in the powertrain and the car can not be unbalanced in some sportier cornering. We even detect some feeling in the steering wheel and the response is immediate enough.
Isn’t the chassis a bit too hard?
Perhaps the focus has shifted too much to the driver. The chassis is on the hard side and especially on bad asphalt it is sometimes too much of a good thing for the passengers. Mazda does not offer adaptive dampers, so you have to do it with this chassis. It also applies here that something may still be tinkered with, but they will not suddenly tie the chassis of a Citroën 2CV under it. The petrol and electric motor sometimes also need to communicate better with each other. The transition from fully electric to petrol, and vice versa, could be a bit smoother.
To ensure that you optimally enjoy the dynamic road holding, the car is happy to adjust the seat and steering wheel for you. Once you get in, you can enter your height to start the process. A sensor looks at the location of your eyes and adjusts the seat and steering wheel. If you save the preferences, the car will recognize you next time and it will be ready for you again.
The interior of the Mazda CX-60
The interior also looks fantastic. The cockpit is a minimalist and serene environment without unnecessary elements, with beautiful materials. Plus, everything is where it should be. In the top-of-the-range Takumi Mazda covers the dashboard with white cloth, composed according to the special Japanese Kakenui technique. You don’t have to remember, but it does look fresh and distinctive.
The infotainment system is not very extensive and actually does exactly what it should. It is nice that Mazda opts for many physical buttons, where a rotary knob on the center console controls most functions. The only drawback is that you also have to use this button to enter the letters of your navigation address one by one.
The Mazda CX-60’s rear seat isn’t necessarily bigger
The Mazda CX-60 is a tad larger than the CX-5 and the two will be placed side by side in the range. It is 17 centimeters longer, but in terms of legroom in the front and back it really doesn’t matter. The CX-60 has an inch more in the front, but even an inch less in the back.
Compared to the CX-5, it is possible to carry 80 liters of extra luggage. So don’t buy the CX-60 because you think the CX-5 is too small, but because you want a Mazda plug-in hybrid or an SUV with 327 hp. Or if you are looking for a six-in-line with rear-wheel drive – but then you have to be patient for a while.
Specifications Mazda CX-60 e-Skyactiv PHEV (2022)
engine
2,488 cc
four-cylinder hybrid
327 hp @ 6,000 rpm
500 Nm @ 4,000 rpm
Drive
four wheels
8v automatic
Performance
0-100 km/h in 5.8 s
top 200 km/h
Consumption (average)
1.5 l/100 km
33 g/km CO2, A label
Dimensions
4,745 x 1,890 x 1,680 mm (lxwxh)
2,870mm (wheelbase)
2.055 kg
50 l (petrol)
570 / 1,726 l (luggage)
Prices
€51,690 (NL)
€48,890 (B)
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