Mazda CX-60 2022 long term test

Why we ran it: Mazda’s largest and priciest car is also its first PHEV. Does it make any sense?

Mazda’s maiden PHEV has left some strong impressions after 4000 miles of varied, everyday use, so will we miss it?

When the Fiesta goes, the cheapest Ford on sale will be priced from £25,000. You can currently configure a Kia to command a £63,000 price, should you wish. And Volvo has just revealed an electric take on the XC90 that will ask six figures.

A rapid and dRAMatic surge in prices across the board means cars are properly, properly expensive now, so the concept of a £50,000 Mazda crossover is no longer as shocking as it was when the CX-60was revealed a year ago. But that’s still Mercedes GLC money, and to compete with brands like Lexus and Land Rover in this hotly contested premium SUV seGMent, the CX-60 really ought to be Mazda’s most enticing and best-rounded car yet.

Buuuuttt… it’s not. Not by a long shot. That’s partly Mazda’s fault for making some great cars and thereby giving its big new SUV a particularly lofty bar to clear. But more so it’s Mazda’s fault for not ensuring the CX-60 had what it takes to contend for superiority in this most bitterly fought of car classes.

I can’t imagine BMW’s fearsome quality assessment team signing off on a customer car that creaks and groans as much as the CX-60, which at times felt almost prototypical in its lack of composure over speed bumps and during tight, low-speed manoeuvres. I optimistically put the odd suspension creak and trim rattle down to this early production car ‘bedding in’ during the first thousand miles or so, but even at the 5000-mile mark, I was wincing at sickening driveline graunches and moaning dampers. And this from a £50,000 luxury flagship? Needs improvement.

So too does the ride, which suffers by dint of the CX-60’s two-tonne kerb weight but was worsened by our top-spec Takumi car’s 20in wheels, which bring a chunk of extra unsprung mass and do away with a crucial couple of centimetres of sidewall to exacerbate (both aurally and physically) the effects of every unfilled pothole and gaping expansion joint Highways England has to offer. And that firmness didn’t translate into a surprising propensity for keen cornering, which I tried to keep to a minimum lest the wallowing, rocking and leaning become too pronounced.

But all of these bugbears pale in comparison to the most damning of them all: the CX-60’s real-world efficiency. The very raison d’être of a PHEV is to reduce emissions and running costs, but over nearly 4000 miles, our test car averaged only 38.2mpg (it would have been mid-30s but for two 1000-mile motorway trips) and guzzled a dizzying £699.13 in unleaded. Factor in the £48.41 we spent charging the battery and, all in, the CX-60 cost us around 19p per mile, which doesn’t feel particularly frugal.

This was not for lack of trying to use it as intended. A promised EV range of nearly 40 miles suggested I’d be able to commute on EV power and leave the engine for longer trips, but I didn’t manage anywhere near that figure. Even back when it was warmer, the engine would chime in after just 25 miles or so, and I simply couldn’t get it to a charger often enough to quell the atmo four’s thirst for unleaded.

Of course, if I had a driveway and a home charger, I’d be telling a different story here, but even so, I think I’d want the CX-60 to make good on its promises.

All of this criticism I must temper with an acknowledgement of the homeliness of the CX-60’s plush and kit-laden cabin and the intuitiveness and dependability of its technology. Unlike in many ‘premium’ rivals, the majority of the key functions are controlled using good ol’ fashioned buttons and switches, integrated neatly into the steering wheel, centre console and dashboard and each placed exactly where you would expect to find it.

But ultimately, I feel like the CX-60 would be a better-rounded product had it not been conceived to cater to tightening fleet emissions regulations and surging market demand for cars of this shape and size. And – as I thought when giving back my MX-30 long-termer in 2021 – it’s hard not to wonder whether Mazda’s upcoming volume EVs will be as competitive and attractive as its combustion cars have been for the past few decades, given the glaring shortcomings of its electrified products so far.

But also like the MX-30, which has just received a rotary range-extender variant that will boost its viability no end, the CX-60’s bacon may yet be saved by the pure-combustion-engine variants coming this year: a petrol and a diesel, both straight sixes and unassisted by electrification.

Equipped thus, the CX-60 will become a much more usable (and perhaps no more thirsty) family hauler, and without the distractions and added weight of EV componentry, could shine on the basis of its virtues being brought to the fore.

Second Opinion

I borrowed the Mazda CX-60 over Christmas, and sure, it’s a big SUV with comfy seats and a good audio system, so it’s a nice place to spend time. But then I discovered how much it costs, and for that money, I’d really expect far better efficiency, refinement and space.

Illya Verpraet

Back to the top

Love it:

Driving environmentUncluttered, sensibly laid out and lavishly appointed. A fine balance of digital and analogue.

Real-world paceWhichever way you cut it, 323bhp and 369lb ft are healthy numbers and 4WD deploys them effectively

Loathe it:

Limited EV range It doesn’t deliver anywhere near as much electric-only range as it should, nor what Mazda says it can.

Willful climate controlIt has a mind of its own. By the end, I just opened the windows when hot and put my coat on when cold.

Unrefined rideThe chassis was overwhelmed by rough roads and fast corners. “No sibling of mine!” the MX-5 roars.

Final mileage: 5240

Back to the top

The CX-60 is more rapid than it looks - 25 January

The CX-60’s Sport mode is more than a token nod to Mazda’s dynamic heritage. With the battery charged, this is a disconcertingly quick car, and with Sport activated, it sounds meaty as well. Corner roll remains pretty severe and the gearbox is as lethargic as ever but the throttle and steering responses are tightened just enough to raise a grin.

Mileage: 4930

Back to the top

A petrol car with plug-in electric power gives the best of both worlds, right? - 11 january

We like the Mazda CX-5 for its impressive dynamics, lavish interior and handsome styling, but there’s no denying the economic pitfalls of its naturally aspirated, large-capacity petrol engine. The larger, heavier CX-60 uses that same thirsty 2.5-litre motor but because it’s a PHEV, you might assume this wouldn’t be a massive problem, because it can get you from A to B without needing the engine at all.

Or it could, if it were able to muster up anywhere near as much EV range as it says it will do on a charge, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to rely on plug-in power as much as I was hoping to.

When the weather was warmer, the range indicator told me I could expect nearly 50 miles from a charge, yet the reality was closer to half of that. And during the recent cold snap, the state-of-charge bar once told me the battery was a quarter full, which didn’t seem to tally with the estimated one mile of engine-off running it said it could provide. Hardly the consistency and clarity that an economicallyminded PHEV owner might expect.

It would be a touch less irritating were the petrol tank large enough and the atmo motor suitably abstemious to allow for non-stop, long-distance journeys. But with the 50-litre tank fully brimmed, the CX-60 reckons it’ll go about 240 miles between stops – assuming the battery is empty. Overall, the economy readout is currently nudging a paltry 36mpg.

Sure, if I didn’t live in a flat and didn’t need to travel long distances on the motorway on a frequent basis, I’d be telling a different tale here. Indeed, my original plan was to commute exclusively on electric power and save the engine for the weekends, but the disappointing real-world range has played havoc with my logistics and I’m now in the awkward position where the CX-60 doesn’t really fit my lifestyle at all.

An EV (even one with a short range) would be a far more useful and affordable option for city driving, and a conventionally fuelled car – smaller, and without the weight of a PHEV drivetrain – would save money on longer runs. Marrying both in the same package? The worst of both worlds in economy terms. Incongruous though it may seem, the pure-diesel CX-60 due early this year could right a lot of these wrongs.

Love it

Heated wheel and seats

As the cold weather bites, the effective heating for the seats and steering wheel comes into its own…

Loathe it

Air-confoible

…It’s just a shame the air-con is so confounding. Auto mode seems to only want to heat my knees

Mileage: 4220

Back to the top

This rotary dial isn't always the best - 21 December

I’ve always hailed Mazda’s aversion to the touchscreen, and there’s a special sense of satisfaction to be gleaned from a fingerprint-free dash, but sometimes its rotary dial frustrates. Switching between CarPlay and the Mazda interface is fiddly, for example, and spelling out addresses using the linear keyboard takes up loads of time.

Mileage: 3150

Back to the top

A high-pressure booze cruise proves revealing in this wedding-friendly SUV - 30 November

Funnily enough, this was always going to be the report that dealt with the CX-60’s ride quality: it’s just a happy coincidence that it’s been such a, particularly defining influence over my relationship with the car during these past few weeks.

We’ll pretend my partner’s sister was happy to see me when I arrived at her house the day before her wedding, rather than the massive (and conveniently white) SUV I’d just climbed out of. “Oh, brilliant! I was worried you’d bring a Mini or something,” she exclaimed with glee, revealing that I had the privilege of taking all the alcohol (for more than 200 guests) and favours (pick and mix boxes for everyone) to the venue, 20 miles away.

The plan was to take two cars, but to the delight of everyone except me, all the booze and sweets fittedinto the Mazda’s cavernous rear with the seats down, after some real-world Tetris, and I was waved off with the strict instruction to be at the venue inside an hour lest another wedding get underway and I had to return with my wares.

I’ve thought the CX-60 rode fiRMLy since taking delivery, albeit not unbearably so, but there’s surely no better test of rolling refinement than loading a car up with more than 100 loosely secured glass bottles in slidey-bottomed cardboard boxes with a time limit to adhere to.

By the third junction, I’d had enough. Not only did my precious cargo exacerbate the Mazda’s crashiness over imperfections, drowning out the radio with a chorus of tinkling and clinking at every speed bump and pothole, but it also highlighted the shortcomings of its hybrid drivetrain.

The relationship between the gearbox-integrated EV motor andthe meatier petrol unit up front feels tenuous at best. Try to nip into a tight gap on a roundabout (carefully, mind: don’t smash the Gavi) and the CX-60 hesitates, as if judging whether you’ve pressed the accelerator lightly enough to move off in EV mode or hard enough to imply you want the combined grunt of combustion and plug-in power. By the time it’s decided, you’re obliged to get a wriggle on to avoid traffic entering from stage right, which in turn encourages firmer accelerator pressure and generally makes for less comfortable progress through the suburbs.

In pure EV mode, happily, the accelerative performance is much more predictable and composed, but you can’t get too comfortable: I’ve yet to travel anywhere near as many miles on a charge as the range indicator says I can. More on this – and other efficiency matters – soon.

Heading out of town and on to the motorway, another refinement issuerears its head: ambient noise. Our top-rung Takumi car wears chunky 20in wheels, which certainly help to fill the arches and break up the CX-60’s monolithic silhouette, but I wouldn’t mind trying an entry-level Exclusive Line car with 18s and thicker tyres to see if it abates some of the persistent background roar at a cruise. Thicker rubber would no doubt help cushion the impact of low-speed bumps, as well.

Love it

Vision on

Cameras all around and CGI topdown view make the CX-60 as easy to park as a car half its size.

Loathe it

Ironic distraction

'Distracted driver' alert pops up (randomly) several times a journeyand it can’t be permanently deactivated.

Mileage: 2992

Back to the top

Jumper cables prompt a rethink - 16 November

I ran a 12V battery dead trying to start my Beetle and wheeled the CX-60 over for a jump – but scared myself after a quick Google search suggested PHEVs and jumper cables are best kept separate. To be safe, I just had a cup of tea and went back inside. But I’m keen to hear from anyone who can explain the risks, if there are any...

Mileage: 2255

Back to the top

Rotary dial not the most intuitive - 2 November

It’s a task spelling things out with the CX-60’s rotary dial, so my lazy self was happy to go with the suggested surname it offered me on delivery. The idea is it automatically applies your preferred seating position, but even though the car greets me with “Hello, Felix Hernandez” every time I get in, it rarely does – and it’s a faff to reposition it. Annoying when I’m in a rush.

Mileage:2017

Back to the top

Welcoming the CX-60 to the fleet - 26 October2022

Thisfamily SUV, powered by a hybridised four-cylinder petrol engine, weighing 1980kg and devised as a rival to such suburban stalwarts as the Volvo XC60 and BMW X3, happens to be the most powerful car yet put on the road by a firm inextricably linked to one of the most simplistic yet effective marketing slogans ever: Zoom Zoom.

Until fairly recently, hope was lingering that dynamically adept and weight-averse Mazda still planned to bring the drop-dead RX Vision coupé concept to production – and then there were some fairly strong signs that it was even planning to bring rotary power back to its ranks fora tail-happy sports car in the vein of the legendary RX-7.

Neither of those wondrous prospects has yet come to pass, but in the meantime, here’s the CX-60: a big, premium-flavoured SUV that provides Mazda (at long last) with an electrified entry into one of the most important market segments in Europe. It’s a CX-5 with a battery, a bigger boot and a bit more power.

Oh, and as tested here (in top-flight Takumi trim with a few option boxes ticked), it’s close to £55,000, which lends weight to what Mazda UK boss Jeremy Thomson told me a while ago about the Japanese brand’s long-term positioning goals: “Our aspirations are to become a credible alternative to the traditional mainstream premium, and that means non-German.”

Money well spent? You would struggle to argue otherwise after a few minutes poking and prodding your way around inside. This is a delightfully well-appointed cockpit with carefully chosen materials, subtle but attractive f lourishes throughout and – praise be – an infotainment interface that’s controlled by a dial and supported by a raft of actual buttons and switches.

It’s a welcome respite from the cold, tech-heavy and unimaginative cabins of the Germans it aims to worry – and one that has yet to leave me longing for absolutely anything, courtesy of the impressively expansive kit list.

The CX-60 is big and made visually bulkier by the questionable execution of Mazda’s generally acclaimed Kodo design language. Here, it’s manifested in a disproportionately long bonnet (presumably to allow space for the traditional straight sixes coming in 2023), an expansive, featureless side profile and a bulky rear - although I’m happy that it hasn’t fallen into the trap of sacrificing interior space for a more ‘style-focused’ sloping roofline.

Its generous stature is proving good news for all-round utility (or bad, if you consider every car-free friend I have has seemingly just decided to move house...); and with quick-witted steering and agreeable visibility among its attributes, it’s yet to grate when edging along London’s clogged veins and parking in multi-storey spaces marked in the 1960s.

When I first saw the CX-60, it wasn’t its size or look that surprised me most but that Mazda hadn’t called on strategic partner Toyota to provide the means of propulsion for its first PHEV. Especially as the CX-60 is such a similar mechanical proposition to the RAV4 PHEV, pairing a 2.5-litre Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder petrol engine with a circa-18kWh battery and with a driven axle at each end. The drivetrain is all Mazda’s work, the ICE side based on that used in the CX-5 and the electric side is developed using learnings from the MX-30 EV.

Interesting point, that, because the drivetrain in each of those SUVs is far from a stand-out strength: the CX-5 falls short in perk and efficiency compared with turbocharged rivals and the MX-30 fails to quite make up for its lacklustre range with any real sense of urgency when you floor it.

Even so, the CX-60 looks more in step with what’s broadly expected in a car of its ilk, and it certainly can surprise on kick down, leaping forth with an electrically aided urgency that belies its size, weight and forced induction – although the harsh, monotonous soundtrack makes it clear the shove is a by-product, nota priority, of the electrified innards.

The real calling card of this drivetrain (or at least what it should be) is efficiency. Officially, our car will get 188mpg – but I won’t bang on about that, because that’s a figure measured on the notoriously flawed WLTP cycle. What’s more important is the claimed 39 miles that it can do on electricity alone, because that’s the sort of number that would give an owner the confidence to use this PHEV as they are meant to: commute on the battery, then switch on the ICE for longer weekend trips.

And indeed that is my plan. My commute is roughly a 12-mile round trip, and I do it three times per week, so everything seems to have come together very nicely. I got particularly excited when my first full charge of the battery offered up 51 miles of EV power – but it quickly became clear that the reality is closer to half that figure, and I’m expecting it to drop further as we shiver into winter.

Being able to charge at work means I can stick to the plan, by and large, but already I’m trying hard to keep the combined efficiency readout at around the 40mpg mark, plugging in whenever possible and constantly driving like a saint to avoid waking the thirsty ICE.

Whether I tire of being abstemious over the coming months remains to be seen (petrol prices would have to come down a lot more...). But aside from frugality, the CX-60 must prove its worth as a bona fide contender in the premium SUV field, so there are a number of areas in which it needs to shine. Let’s hope it does.

Second Opinion

When I went on the launch of this car, it was clear that Mazda was pinning a lot on the CX-60. If the CX-5 is the firm’s current sales success, the CX-60 is the future – and part of its “multi- solution approach”, all riding on its scalable platform architecture. Given all that forward success hinges on this car as the first step, here’s hoping Felix likes it. No pressure

Piers Ward

Back to the top

Prices: List price new £49,520List price now £49,520Price as tested £53,370

Options:Rhodium White paint £750, Convenience and Driver Assistance pack £2100, panoramic sunroof £1000

Fuel consumption

Fuel consumption and range: Claimed economy188.0mpg Fuel tank50 litres Test average38.2mpg Test best44.6mpg Test worst23.5mpg Real-world range 420 miles

Tech highlights: 0-62mph5.8sec Top speed124mph Engine 4 cyls in line, 2488cc, petrol, plus electric motorMax power323bhpMax torque 369 lb ftTransmission 8-spd autoBoot capacity 570 litres Wheels 20in alloyTyres 235/50 R20Kerb weight1980kg

Service and running costs: Contract hire rate £606CO233g/km Service costsNoneOther costs NoneFuel costs £699.13 (petrol), £48.41 (electricity)Running costs inc fuel £747.54Cost per mile 19 penceFaults None

Back to the top

Felix is Autocar's deputyeditor, responsible for leading the brand's agenda-shaping coverage across all facets of the global automotive industry - both in print and online.

He has interviewed the most powerful and widely respected people in motoring, covered the reveals and launches of today's most important cars, and broken some of the biggest automotive stories of the last few years.