It’s always been slightly strange the way Mazda has gone about marketing its rather splendid vehicles.
In particular, its SUVs. Or the lack of them.
The Hiroshima-based brand has always been great when it comes to high-end hatches and sedans. Not to mention its brilliant sports models.
But the SUV always seems to be a little underdone.
Whatever the reason, Mazda’s approach to the ubiquitous, still-growing SUV market has recently switched from one extreme to the other.
That is, from having two or three soft-roader machines (the baby CX3 and volume-selling CX5) flying the flag in Mazda’s shiny showrooms, it has added a handful of other formats giving its reborn soft-roader
fleet a free run of the place.
Not just one big, handsome SUV (the flagship CX-90 released mid-2024) but four all-new SUV models and seven in all - each answering to roughly the same name and all proving almost impossible to tell apart.
Same engines, same sleek silhouette and same high-end finishes
Fortunately, it got the recipe bang on target and the full range has been fleshed out with the CX-60, CX-80 and CX-90.
The last piece of the puzzle is the recently-arrived CX-70 - which Mazda calls its “all-new flagship five-seat SUV” and the “first-ever All Hybrid CX-70”.
Note how carefully Mazda chooses its words for this handful of new machines: the CX-90 is SUV flagship with six-seat configuration - the CX-70 is “flagship five-seater” and last of the range to arrive.
A good chunk of this new SUV crop was tested across a three-week Christmas-New Year-year period - a perfect solution for all those family commitments across the year’s most demanding holiday.
Not to mention a lovely way to kick off the driving year.
Of four lookalike models - ranging from the CX-60, CX-70 and CX-80 - have joined the flagship soft-roader CX-90, which spent some time in the test driveway late in 2024.
There are two all-wheel-drive versions, two offering seven-seat capacity (and the biggest model gets six seats in a 2-2-2 configuration, making use of the flashy “captain’s chair” feature in the middle of the three seating rows.
Two of them are diesels - turbo-charged, of course - and the other two offer the punchy performance of a six-cylinder, turbo-charged, mild hybrid power-plant, driving through an eight-speed “Sky Activ” automatic transmission.
But that’s not where the only differences (and similarities) lay.
Mazda has gone completely against the grain with its approach to the ever-pressing question of performance versus fuel efficiency. Mazda’s response is two biggish (albeit snappy) six-cylinders.
As nice as it is, the six-cylinder, mild-hybrid powerplant (both diesel and petrol) are fond of a drink.
The first few days of testing was behind the wheel of the CX70 is notable for its impressive safety suite and high-quality interior.
For a hefty $75,970 the CX70 delivers a thumping 254k/w and 500Nm - fulfilling Mazda’s promise to match against anything comparable in its class.
The diesel variant brings 187kW and 550Nm.
Both models get the welcome boost of 48kW mild hybrid support.
Among other benefits of the CX-70 is 923 litres in five-seat mode or 2015 with the middle seats folded down.
The CX-70 is offered in GT and luxury Azami grades.
The interior operates via a 12.3-inch widescreen display enabling the Mazda Connect system full voice.
Panoramic sunroof, adaptive LED headlights, 360 degree view monitor, Premium Bose audio, leather seats (heated front and rear) and piano highlights.
Driver aides include Lane Keeping assist, Blind Spot monitoring, Unresponsive Driver Support (including Cruising Travel Support), Vehicle Locator services, Curfew notification and Geofencing capability.
There were a couple minor niggles, including the mild hybrid system showing an annoying jumpiness in the way the transmission puts all that power to the ground.
The stubby little automatic gear-shifter is unnecessarily tricky to grab the right slot when changing ratios quickly.
The Mazda makes you wait what feels like a couple of seconds before you can switch it across from park to reverse and drive.
Again, not a major issue but still a bit galling in a $75,000 machine. The CX’s dynamic cruise control is also a touch aggressive.
The CX-70 looks classy thanks to 21-inch black alloys, premium paint.
MAZDA CX-70 G50 GT
HOW BIG: A fully-fledged, full-sized all-wheel-drive machine that is just as much at home in the city as the bush, thanks to a clever mild hybrid boosting its already powerful engine.
HOW FAST: Mazda, like other Japanese brands, is always a bit coy about revealing performance figures. But with more than 250kW beneath the bonnet it’s likely to be one of the sharpest tools in the shed.
HOW THIRSTY: This is where the mild hybrid system shines - by getting all that power to the road without blowing the budget. But we found the 3.3-litre, turbocharged a bit thirstier than anticipated. Almost 1000k of mostly-open road testing returned a thirsty 8.3L/100km.
HOW MUCH: With its generous tech suite and its high-level finishes, the $75,970 starting price seems pretty good buying.
