Tag Archives: Mazda CX-90

2026 Mazda CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus

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Design and details make this a standout vehicle in a category needing difference

By Gary S. Vasilash

One of the places that Mazda has consistently been a leader in is exterior design execution.

Arguably no other OEM does as well a job on putting out vehicles with stand-out designs not on a here-or-there basis, but across the board, from the top to the bottom.

There seems to be a recognition at Mazda that whether someone can afford an entry level vehicle or the one that is the most expensive, for that person it is their new vehicle that they are proud of. While the high-end vehicles from marques generally have little someone can feel underserved about, often the other vehicles in the lineup don’t resonate as well.

But Mazda is different. It puts its design mark on every vehicle that wears its badge, and that is a highly laudable thing.

Another way Mazda is different is that it doesn’t follow the overall design trends that tends to make too much seem too much alike.

That is, consider the CX-90, its three-row crossover.

Mazda CX-90: The details make the difference. (Image: Mazda)

Nowadays there is an evident rush toward making crossovers—large and small—boxier. This, apparently, is meant to make people think that these vehicles are ready for the Rubicon Trail, people who couldn’t find the Rubicon on a map. (In case you are wondering, it is about a two-hour drive northeast of Sacramento.)

Rather than boxy—or a previous design approach that can be described as “blobby”—there is an overall theme to the design of the CX-90 brings to mind the Streamline Moderne era of the late 1930s and 1940s. There are curves and lines that seem to be indicate the body is streaming through the air.

The top metallic trim piece with speed lines is echoed below in the design of the door handle. (Image: gsv)

And this design theme is picked up in the cabin, as well, with metallic trim accents that are certainly Moderne.

However, the most distinctive thing in the interior is the material on the instrument panel that is handmade-paper-like in appearance and which has two pieces, top and bottom, that appear to be joined by stitched thread. This is described by Mazda as the use of a Japanese weaving technique known as “Kumihimo.” You will not find this—or anything like it, for that matter—in any other crossover vehicle.

The blue line goes to the Kumihimo” stitching. The green line goes to the metallic piece that runs across the instrument panel, wrapping up to the HVAC vents at the A-pillars. (Image: gsv)

Those delicate stitches show that there is a recognition the CX-90 is a premium vehicle that is about comfort, not something that one can imagine having globs of mud hosed out of, as is the case with many other vehicles in the category.

The CX-90 offers seating for seven or eight, depending on the type of seats selected. And for those passengers it is an environment that is characteristic of the country club, not a nearly inaccessible trailhead.

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The Non-Design Aspects

The CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus (yes, that’s a mouthful) is powered by a turbocharged 3.3-liter turbocharged straight six. This is a mild-hybrid that, when the recommended 91 octane fuel is used, produces 340 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. When 87 octane is used (a.k.a., “regular”) the engine controller figures that out and consequently there is a reduction of power to 319 hp.

The official name of the engine is the e-Skyactiv G 3.3 Turbo with M-Hybrid Boost. What this means is there is a 48-volt mild-hybrid assist system, an electric motor that helps provide smoother starts and a modicum of efficiency. (This system just works; there is no plugging in required.)

There is an eight-speed automatic. There is intelligent all-wheel drive (i.e., it comes into play when needed).

Even with that highly respectable performance the vehicle returns an estimated 23 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, and 25 mpg combined.

There is a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen display. The knob-centric Mazda infotainment interface is used; while not great, it is something that one quickly becomes used to.

There are wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. There are USB-C ports for all three rows. There is a wireless charge pad just below the infotainment screen (though I’ve got to say it would be better if it was a bit larger because I found spirited driving and the phone in that space not to be particularly consonant).

Among the tech offered in the package are i-Activsense (Mazda really likes names) safety features including a 360° View Monitor with See-Through View, Rear View Monitor (dynamic reversing guidelines), Smart Brake Support Rear, Smart Brake Support Front Crossing, Front Cross Traffic Alert, and and Trailer Hitch View. That’s right: the CX-90 can tow: 3,500 pounds or, when equipped with “Mazda Genuine Towing Accessories,” 5,000 pounds.

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One Thing to Consider

While the entry CX-90, the 3.3 Turbo Select, starts at $39,300, the 3.3 Turbo S Premium Plus starts at $57,570. This puts it into entry-lux category. Which may make one think about vehicles like, say, the Acura MDX or the Infiniti QX60 because those marques are considered to be more lux than Mazda, which is mainly a mainstream brand.

But again, look at the design. Look at the detail.

Those make a big difference and act in the favor of this vehicle.

2025 Mazda CX-90 S Premium Plus

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In which we wonder a bit about engine nomenclature. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

As everyone doesn’t know, a Newton is the force required to accelerate a one-kilogram object one meter per second second. So a Newton meter is essentially the measurement of a forward push.

Another way of looking at it (which is similarly less helpful for understanding because unless you have a master’s degree. . .in Science! you are likely not to get this, either) is that a Newton-meter is the unit of torque in the International System of Units (SI).

In this part of the world, where we don’t much cotton to things of an international nature, we use foot-pounds instead when it comes to torque.

One Newton-meter is equal to 0.73756215 pound-force-feet.

Got that?

In March 2019, when internal combustion was still the thing and people weren’t concerned about kWh and the like, Cadillac, undoubtedly wanting to get its international bona fides in order, decided on a new nomenclature system for its vehicles predicated on torque figures in Newton-meters. But because some of those numbers can be somewhat awkward, a decision was made to round up to the nearest 50 so there would be a nice round number used on the exterior badging.

Guess it is hard to come up with things to name the various vehicles in your showrooms.

Generally speaking, there has been the use of engine names on vehicles with varying levels of success over the years. Ford using “EcoBoost” had its moment. GM’s “Ecotec” didn’t have much in the way of resonance.

The all-time champ, one that can still achieve knowing nods, is the Dodge HEMI.

Someone can have absolutely no idea of what a horsepower is, to say nothing of a Newton-meter, and still know that the HEMI badge means bad-ass performance.

Which is a roundabout way of getting to the Mazda CX-90 S Premium Plus, a three-row SUV built on Mazda’s electrified Large Platform.

And if you think “Mazda” and something diminutive like the Miata (officially known as the MX-5), then the CX-90 may come as something of a surprise because it is nothing if not sizable: 122.8-inch wheelbase; 200.8 inches long; 78.5 inches wide; 68.2 inches high.

It provides 57 cubic feet of space for those in the front row; 51 cubic feet for those in the middle; 35 cubic feet for those in the rear (OK, a bit tight, but. . .).

And in terms of cargo capacity, there is 75 cubic feet with the second and third rows folded and 16 cubic feet if the seat backs are vertical.

But you’re wondering what all of that engine stuff at the start of this piece has to do with this vehicle. . . .

It’s this: For some reason known probably only to the marketing team, on the front quarter panel of the CX-90 there is a black and chrome badge that reads: “INLINE 6.”

That’s what’s under the hood. Does it matter? (Images: Mazda)

That’s right: the vehicle has a 3.3-liter, turbocharged, inline six-cylinder engine. Perhaps this is to differentiate the Mazda from something like a Chevy Traverse, which has an INLINE 4. (Though it doesn’t indicate that.)

From a performance point of view, the Mazda powertrain produces 340 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque (or, for those of you who are now SI mavens, 500 Nm, which is a fairly impressive number on its own, so maybe that would be a good moniker: CX-90 500).

The use of the word “powertrain” rather than “engine” is deliberate, for you may still recall the word “electrified” above.

The vehicle is fitted with what is called the “M-Hybrid Boost.” This is a 48-volt mild hybrid system, which means that it serves as a, well, boost, especially at starting from low speeds. It also helps with the overall efficiency, which is what I noticed in driving, as the low-speed boost was “meh,” but getting a combined 27 mpg for a vehicle weighing some 4,900 pounds with three rows and all-wheel drive is certainly satisfying.

Somehow I think it would have been cooler, if no more meaningful, to have “M-Hybrid Boost” on an exterior badge rather than INLINE 6. At least it would seem more future-oriented if no more clear to consumers.

Because the CX-90 is the top-of-the-line, the interior is well appointed with Nappa leather, streamline-design metal trim pieces, and a large piece of fabric on the IP with intricate stitching which appears as though it has more to do with high-fashion than Newton-meters.

That large surface is covered with an intricately stitched fabric.

All, in, however, this model is an interesting alternative to the vehicles in this category that have been available for a longer period of time, especially as Mazda seems to be making a serious effort to get its foot in the proverbial door in the three-row SUV space so it is over indexing.

To the benefit of the buyer.