Cheaper Mazda CX-60 four-cylinder coming soon 

Pricing of the Mazda CX-60 medium SUV will drop below $50,000 for the first time when a 2.5-litre petrol four-cylinder rear-wheel-drive powertrain launches in the second half of 2025. 

Already on sale in Japan, the familiar Skyactiv-G four-cylinder already employed here by the Mazda CX-5 medium SUV and Mazda3 small car (and until recently Mazda6 sedan), will be offered in the new entry-level Pure trim, as well as Evolve and the new-mid spec Touring grade. 

Higher-spec GT and Azami grades will continue with the three engines carried over with the CX-60 update introduced this month – the 3.3-litre inline six mild hybrid petrol and diesel and the four-cylinder plug-in hybrid. 

Mazda is hoping the four-cylinder powertrain will be worth as much as 30 per cent of CX-60’s sales target, which is currently set at 550 per month. 

“This addition will not only further expand our CX-60 offering but importantly continue to offer good value in the segment while meeting our consumers’ motoring needs,” said Mazda Australia Managing Director, Vinesh Bhindi. 

“The idea is to expand the offering as we always have. It’s a powertrain that’s available, complies with our Australian Design Rules, but it will be a more price-focused offering. 

“Its [pricing] will only start with a ‘4’ in front as you would have figured out by now, but it’s too early to confirm where it is going to land.” 

As part of its 2025 update, Mazda has already slashed official pricing of the CX-60 range, with the new Pure starting at $50,240 plus on-road costs with the petrol inline engine, as well as the all-wheel-drive system that is currently standard across the range. 

That price is a drop of almost $10,000 from where the CX-60 first launched in Australia in mid-2023 as a model intended to lead a Mazda move into more premium pricing and positioning. 

That ambition fell flat as the CX-60 copped criticism for its driving dynamics and SUV buyers refused to embrace its price. 

The four-cylinder CX-60 will bring Mazda Australia back closer to the heart of the family/medium SUV market where it performed very successfully with the Mazda CX-8 and its more premium big brother, the CX-9.  

Both models are now discontinued. The CX-8 included variants with the 2.5-litre Skyactiv-G engine. 

In its Japanese specification the four-cylinder CX-60 25S makes 138kW/250Nm, driving either the rear or all four wheels via an eight-speed auto. 

Mazda’s combined fuel consumption claim as a rear-wheel drive is just 5.1L/100km. 

While Mazda has made a big deal about the CX-60’s all-new powertrain offerings in Australia, Bhindi said the four-cylinder CX-60 would appeal to buyers with different priorities. 

“We identified a group of customers who like the size of the car because it has a bigger footprint than CX-5 and they love the direction of the external design,” he explained. 

“They find the interior more modern, up to date and more appealing. 

“But they couldn’t care less about powertrains. They don’t care if it’s inline six or not … and are happy with a four-cylinder type engine that’s not performance-based.” 

Bhindi confirmed there was no plan to expand the four-cylinder offering to the CX-80 long wheelbase seven-seat version of the CX-60, or the larger and more expensive CX-70 and CX-90 models that are based on the same Large Product Group platform.