The Mazda CX-60 isn’t just another SUV to plug another gap in the market. It is more than that. What you are witnessing is the launch of Mazda’s future. Just as Mazda’s Skyactiv revolution began with an SUV, so too will its premium market campaign start with another.
Loaded with intent
As its double-digit designation implies, the Mazda CX-60 doesn’t serve as a direct replacement to any existing Mazda model. Instead, the CX-60 debuts Mazda’s long-awaited rear-wheel-drive architecture and inline-six engine.
Be still your heart enthusiasts everywhere, unfortunately, Mazda has yet to reveal details on its inline-six engine range. The only mention it gives is that there will be a 3-litre petrol and a 3.3-litre diesel variant with mild-hybrid assistance.
With the CX-60 making its debut for the European market, Mazda is rolling it out with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. The introduction of the hybrid version is suited to the zeitgeist of Europe. As for enthusiasts, details of the inline-six are expected to follow the SUV’s introduction to other … less-restrictive markets.
That isn’t to say the hybrid CX-60 is all green cred with no go. The Mazda CX-60 PHEV sports Mazda’s hearty 2.5-litre inline-four Skyactiv-G petrol engine with a 100kW electric motor coupled to it. Put together, the hybrid system produces a total system output of 241k/500Nm, making it Mazda’s most powerful road car. With a new eight-speed automatic and Mazda’s i-Activ all-wheel drive, the hybrid sprints to 100km/h in 5.8sec. Meanwhile, its 17.8kWh high-capacity battery provides 60km of all-electric range.
Mazda CX-60 – Can it succeed?
So, is this everything enthusiasts have hoped Mazda would achieve for its premium push? Hopefully so. It might not come wrapped in a seductive body, but the CX-60’s side profile is more reminiscent of the BMW X3 than its own stablemates. Similar in size too. At least we know where Mazda is angling their new SUV towards.
However, premium buyers are a finicky bunch that won’t open their chequebooks for something built with under-the-skin engineering merits. Mazda would have to do more than just conjure up the “enthusiast favourite” rear-wheel-drive and inline-six recipe.
For starters, Mazda will need to shed its main street reputation and woo the wealthy with luxury and high street sophistication. Easier said than done, considering how Lexus took decades to build its reputation in markets outside of the United States. Humiliating Mercedes-Benz would be a near-impossible act to follow in this day and age. Though from a design perspective, Mazda is already crushing it.
Hopefully, the rumoured rear-drive Mazda 6 replacement will give Mazda the profile boost it needs to realise its ambitions. Till then, the Mazda CX-60 offers a tantalising preview of what is to come from Hiroshima.