Mazda CX-60 2022 Review – International

The 2022 Mazda CX-60 was originally set to launch in Australia in the second half of this year, but that timing has now been pushed back due to a delayed local testing program.

Now, the CX-60 isn’t expected to arrive until March next year, at the earliest.

That might suck for any eager buyers out there who can’t wait for their CX-60 to land, but it could bode well, as the 30,000km of local testing that will be carried out over the next six months should address issues with the powertrain and suspension that we’ve found with the plug-in hybrid at its international launch in Turkey. But time will tell.

When it arrives, we’re expecting the all-new Mazda CX-60 will sit well above the current Mazda CX-5 (from $32,390), with pricing set to stretch from $50,000 plus on-road costs to about $80,000 plus ORCs for the flagship PHEV we’re driving here.

Considering the local launch of the 2022 Mazda CX-60 has now been pushed back, details remain thin on the ground for what the Australian line-up will look like.

Later on, the 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder turbo-petrol will land, possibly as late as 2024.

In markets like the UK, the CX-60 is offered in three model grades – Exclusive-Line, Homura and Takumi – and a similar (renamed) strategy could be used Down Under.

If so, expect the base model to include 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, power tailgate, dual-zone climate control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel (heated) and transmission lever, a head-up display, large 12.3-inch instrument panel, big 12.3-inch infotainment screen that works with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus an eight-speaker sound system.

The mid-grade model adds larger 20-inch rims, heated and ventilated leather front seats, a 12-speaker premium Bose sound system and the neat Mazda Driver Personalisation System.

The latter uses facial recognition to detect the driver’s eyes and automatically adjust the seat, steering wheel, head-up display, climate control and audio system to your preferences, which are stored in the car.

Range-topping models – as shown here – get different 20-inch metallic machined alloy wheels, a woven fabric-wrapped dash covering and white maple wood interior accents, plus other unique colour and trim options.

When it arrives, the CX-60 range will be covered by Mazda’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre factory warranty. Service intervals and pricing have yet to be confirmed.

The 2022 Mazda CX-60 has yet to be crash-tested by either Euro NCAP or ANCAP, but it would be unwise to bet against the all-new SUV being awarded the full five stars for protection.

As standard, the CX-60 gets full-size driver and front passenger frontal airbags, side and head-protecting curtain airbags for front and rear occupants, a driver’s knee airbag and a central airbag up front that cuts the risk of driver and passenger head-strike in the event of a collision.

Driver assist safety tech includes blind spot monitoring, driver attention alert, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, rear collision warning and the car-maker’s latest autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system.

The 2022 Mazda CX-60 is the first of four incoming SUVs based on the Japanese brand’s all-new Large Product Group (LPG) architecture that heralds a switch to a rear/all-wheel drive platform.

The thinking behind the switch from a front- to rear-drive architecture is that it will help Mazda go toe-to-toe with its Germanic rivals.

Combined with the new powertrains, the arrival of the CX-60 will mark the first time Mazda has offered a rear-drive six-cylinder model in more than 20 years.

More remarkable is the fact that the efficient all-wheel drive CX-60 PHEV will be the most powerful road-going Mazda ever produced.

Size-wise, the CX-60 is perhaps bigger than it looks, measuring 4745mm long, 1890mm wide and, with 20-inch wheels, 1685mm high. That makes it a considerable 170mm longer, 45mm wider and 10mm taller than the current Mazda CX-5.

Inside, those dimensions help liberate more front and rear shoulder room (+44/50mm respectively) and an extra 132 litres of cargo space behind the second row, with a sizeable 570-litre boot that expands to 1148L with the rear seats folded.

It’s not all good news. While all of the CX-60’s extra body length over the CX-5 lies between its axles with a 2870mm wheelbase (+170mm), rear legroom is actually 17mm tighter at 990mm, likely due to its move to a longitudinal engine layout and the resulting increase in front-wheel-to-dashboard ratio.

The CX-60 is no lightweight either, with Mazda listing kerb weights for Europe’s PHEV-only model at between 1980kg and 2072kg, which is over 500kg more than a base CX-5.

We expect the 2022 Mazda CX-60 to kick off in Australia with a naturally-aspirated 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that should produce around 138kW of power and 250Nm of torque.

It should be offered with either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive and be combined with an eight-speed automatic.

There will be at least two inline six-cylinder engines in the range, both using Mazda’s latest 48-volt mild-hybrid technology. In Europe, a 3.3-litre inline-six turbo-diesel is offered with either 147kW/450Nm or 187kW/550Nm.

The less powerful of the two can sprint from 0-100km/h in 8.4 seconds and top out at 212km/h. The more eager turbo-diesel hits 100km/h from rest in 7.4 seconds before topping out at 219km/h.

Details for the 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol have yet to be announced and will be released closer to its debut late next year or early in 2024.

We drove the new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) that blends a 141kW/261Nm 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a small, punchy electric motor that, alone, musters 129kW/270Nm and is fed current by a 17.8kWh lithium-ion battery.

Combined, the CX-60 PHEV produces 241kW and 500Nm, enough for a brisk 0-100km/h dash of 5.8 seconds and a 200km/h top speed.

Whatever version, Mazda says the CX-60 can tow up to 2500kg.

The 2022 Mazda CX-60 with the 147kW 3.3-litre diesel slotted under the bonnet can average up to 4.9L/100km while emitting 127g/km of CO2.

Fancy more power and the fuel consumption of the 187kW diesel increases to 5.3L/100km while pumping out 139g/km of CO2.

Best for fuel efficiency, on paper at least, is the plug-in hybrid version that is said to sip fuel at the rate of 1.5L/100km while emitting just 33g/km of CO2. Those incredible figures are due to its decent 63km pure-electric range that skews the WLTP test.

In reality, an average commute could see you barely use any fuel Monday to Friday. Longer-distance journeys over a range of conditions will naturally increase consumption, but it should still be lower than what you’d get from the diesels.

As far as charging goes, Mazda says it takes two hours and 20 minutes for a full top-up of the PHEV using a 7kW wallbox.

With an all-new architecture for the 2022 Mazda CX-60, the Japanese contender has nowhere to hide when it comes to matching its premium rivals, especially since all models come equipped with double wishbones up front and a multi-link suspension at the rear.

Mazda says the CX-60 body structure is highly rigid, thanks to its switch to a longitudinal powertrain layout.

In the case of the CX-60 PHEV, the hefty 176kg battery pack is also positioned between the front and rear axles for a low centre of gravity.

So far, so good. But when easing the CX-60 PHEV out into heavy stop/start traffic, it doesn’t take long to become a little frustrated with the most advanced powertrain in the range.

Instead of a traditional torque-converter eight-speed automatic, Mazda has chosen to use clutch packs that are both quicker and more efficient in their role of transferring torque to the wheels.

Normally, a proper auto is preferable to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) used by the likes of Toyota, but in the CX-60 the amount of shunting going on as the computer shuffles from pure-electric mode to combustion power interrupts what is otherwise a very refined car.

It’s also disappointing that, when worked hard, the 2.5-litre four-cylinder becomes raucous.

We have no complaints over the actual performance delivered, but a considerably cheaper Toyota RAV4 does a better job of blending the two powertrains.

Elsewhere, the CX-60’s ride feels unresolved on the Turkish roads we drove on. The stiff springs used on the new SUV see it ‘fight’ the road surface too much along a bumpy road, while the dampers do a ham-fisted job of smoothing out the undulations.

It’s a shame that a drive of a diesel-powered CX-5 over similar roads the next day showed just how accomplished a Mazda mid-size SUV can be at balancing a fine ride with sharp handling.

Back in the CX-60 PHEV and pushing on shows a lack of body roll but little evidence of any rear bias to the handling that would have given it the edge over its rivals.

We’re hoping the next 30,000km and six months of intensive local tuning will address the gripes we unearthed because the Mazda should easily have what it takes to at least match it rivals for ride and handling.

It’s within the 2022 Mazda CX-60 that perhaps shows just how serious the car-maker is at challenging established European premium brands – the cabin is nothing short of the best we’ve ever experienced from the brand.

Annoyingly, we didn’t get to sample the facial recognition technology that auto-adjusts the steering wheel, seat and mirrors for you. A low battery level during transit had triggered an error code, so serious that the entire infotainment system stopped working.

Shame, but even that couldn’t detract from the interior’s fine design.

It’s a relief there’s separate controls for the climate control and heated and ventilated seats, although it comes as a bit of a shock that the infotainment display, when it works, isn’t touch-screen and needs the rotary controller to operate it.

For fit, finish and use of high-grade materials like maple wood on the door cards and centre console, the CX-60 feels as good as it looks.

It’s fair to say our first experience with the 2022 Mazda CX-60 didn’t live up to expectations.

Luckily, there’s still plenty of local tuning to be carried out that, we hope, will iron out some of the issues we found with the CX-60 PHEV’s powertrain and ride quality.

That said, we’re optimistic that we’ve yet to sample the best the Mazda CX-60 has to offer, and that a powerful, smooth-spinning inline-six turbo-diesel might be a better match for it.

2022 Mazda CX-60 PHEV AWD Takumi at a glance:
Price: $80,000 est (plus on-road costs)
Available: Second quarter 2023
Powertrain: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol-electric
Output: 141kW/261Nm (electric motor: 129kW/270Nm)
Combined output: 241kW/500Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Battery: 17.8kWh lithium-ion
Range: 63km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 23.0Wh/100km (WLTP)
Fuel: 1.5L/100km (WLTP)
CO2: 33g/km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested