New Mazda CX-60 priced at a premium

Mazda Australia has today opened the order book and announced full pricing and specs for the all-new 2023 Mazda CX-60 ahead of first local deliveries in June 2023.

Claimed to introduce a new era of ‘Mazda Premium’, which began with the latest Mazda3 in 2019, the new-generation mid-size luxury SUV is the Japanese brand’s first all-hybrid model range and also ushers in its first plug-in hybrid, which is also its most powerful production vehicle to date.

The first vehicle from the car-maker’s new Large Product Group also brings Mazda Australia’s first six-cylinder engines in two decades and the brand’s first-ever inline sixes – 3.3-litre turbocharged mild-hybrid petrol and diesel engines – and is claimed to set a new benchmark in style, quality and performance for Mazda.

But the five-seat CX-60, which was originally due to arrive here this year, will also be Mazda’s most expensive SUV – at least until the bigger new seven-seat CX-90 arrives next year – and the priciest model Mazda has ever sold in Australia apart from the 1995 RX-7 ($89,500) and its super-limited homegrown SP sibling ($101,600).

The 2023 Mazda CX-60 range is priced from $59,800 and extends all the way to $87,252. That doesn’t include on-road costs, a new range of safety and styling option packs priced up to $4000, a new range of car care accessories and luxury car tax (where applicable – see the full price list below).

The pricing positions the CX-60 well above the 195mm-shorter CX-5 ($32,390-$53,880), as well as the seven-seat CX-8 ($40,490-$69,890) and even Mazda’s CX-9 flagship ($47,250-$74,710).

Given the new ground it breaks, at least since the Eunos luxury brand was axed here in 1996 after less than five years on sale, Mazda doesn’t nominate any direct rivals for the CX-60 but concedes competitors could include anything from the Lexus NX (from $60,800-$88,323) to popular mid-size German SUVs like the Audi Q5 (from $66,900) and BMW X3 (from $76,600).

Of the 16,000-plus expressions of interest already received, Mazda says 48 per cent want a high-spec or flagship version and 60 per cent are new to the brand, but it admits that up to 10 per cent of CX-60 sales may be substitutional from other Mazda models.

Of the three equipment grades, it expects the mid-range GT to account for half of all sales, and the top-shelf Azami to attract more buyers than the entry-level Evolve, at least initially.

And of the three new longitudinally-mounted powertrains – each matched as standard with all-wheel drive and a new eight-speed Skyactiv-Drive automatic transmission incorporating an electronic multi-plate clutch rather than torque converter – it expects the petrol six (the most affordable engine in the range) to attract the highest proportion of customers at 45 per cent, but says the $2000-pricier diesel six “could be the sleeper”.

No sales split was nominated for the PHEV, which costs at least $10,500 more than the diesel, but overall Mazda conservatively expects the CX-60 to find about 500 homes a month or 6000 annually, which is around what the CX-8 and CX-9 achieved in 2021 but about half the volume of the CX-3 and CX-30. It’s also less than a quarter the volume of Mazda’s best-selling CX-5.

Mazda Australia says it won’t import rear-wheel drive or 3.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol six versions of the CX-60 sold in other markets with less stringent CO2 regulations.

Two diesel CX-60s have now notched up more than 22,000km in Australian suitability testing, although no local chassis tune will be applied.

The CX-60 has achieved a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating and will likely also be awarded a maximum ANCAP score – although no local crash testing will be conducted.

The standard safety equipment list is extensive and includes Smart Brake Support (SBS) autonomous emergency braking with Turn-across traffic (junction support), i-Adaptive Cruise Control (i-ACC), Traffic Sign Recognition, Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) with Vehicle Exit Warning, 360-degree monitor and automatic high beam.

A new Driver Personalisation System employs a facial recognition camera to automatically adjust the driver’s seat, steering wheel, Active Driving Display and door mirrors to match the driver’s eye position, and can restore more than 250 stored vehicle, audio and climate control settings for up to six drivers.

Rhodium White Premium Metallic joins Soul Red Crystal Metallic and Machine Grey Metallic as Mazda’s third signature body colour, in addition to Jet Black Mica, Deep Crystal Blue Mica, Sonic Silver Metallic, Machine Grey Metallic, Soul Red Crystal Metallic and Platinum Quartz Metallic.

Mazda announced its CX-60 powertrain line-up and equipment highlights in October, but we’ll recap the former here and the extensive equipment breakdown is listed below.

The range-topping e-Skyactiv PHEV offers a combined system output of no less than 241kW of power and 500Nm of torque from its 100kW motor and 2.5-litre Skyactiv-G four-cylinder direct-injection engine.

No kerb weights have yet been listed, but that makes Mazda’s first plug-in hybrid the quickest of the bunch with 0-100km/h acceleration in a claimed 5.9 seconds. It also gives the PHEV a zero-emissions EV driving range of 76km at speeds of up to 100km/h, which Mazda says exceeds the average Australian daily commuting distance by almost five times.

Combined fuel consumption is just 2.1L/100km, corresponding to CO2 emissions of just 49g/km. The centrally-mounted 355-volt, 17.8kWh lithium-ion battery can be charged from 0-100 per cent in 2.5 hours using a 7.2kW AC charger, claims Mazda.

Meantime, both the 3.3-litre turbocharged straight-six petrol and diesel engines employ Mazda’s 48-volt M Hybrid Boost tech and the car-maker says their large capacity actually improves efficiency with a higher volume of air and wider lean-burn range enabling more complete combustion and lower NOx emissions.

With the 209kW/450Nm e-Skyactiv G petrol engine, Mazda says that results in fuel consumption close to a non-turbo 2.5-litre engine but it states no actual figure. Performance is well above that of the 2.5-litre turbo Mazda CX-5 (0-100km/h in 6.9sec – 0.8sec quicker).

With the 187kW/550Nm e-Skyactiv D diesel, which Mazda says weighs around the same as a four-cylinder diesel, the result is combined fuel consumption of 4.9L/100km and 0-100km/h in 7.3sec.

Apart from the new eight-speed auto, all CX-60s come standard with the modular LPG platform’s new rear-biased i-Activ all-wheel drive system supported by Mi-Drive with five selectable driving modes: Normal, Sport, Off-Road, Towing and EV (PHEV only).

Mazda CX-60 equipment

All CX-60s come generously equipped in terms of safety, technology and hardware, including at least 18-inch wheels, but the most advanced safety features remain optional.

Evolve standard features:

GT additional features:

Azami additional features:

Mazda CX-60 option packages

Luxury package (Evolve), Vision Technology plus:

Takumi package (Azami):

SP package (Azami):

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