- Mazda is planning to launch two new crossovers in the U.S. called the CX-70 and CX-90.
- They will both use the company's new longitudinal-engine platform and inline-six engine.
- The CX-90 is expected to debut first, later this year, with the two-row CX-70 to follow in 2023.
CORRECTION 5/16/22: The CX-90 will arrive before the CX-70, not the other way around, according to Mazda documents. A Mazda financial presentation states that the CX-90 will begin production by the end of the year. We've updated the article accordingly.
The upcoming CX-70 and CX-90 mid-size crossovers will be the first U.S.-bound Mazda models to use the company’s new longitudinal-engine platform and inline-six engine. The three-row CX-90 replaces the CX-9, while the CX-70 is a two-row variant. Mazda has already shown the CX-60, a global model that's narrower than the eventual wide-body U.S. versions, but its styling likely previews what we'll see on our shores, as illustrated above in our idea of what the CX-90 will look like.
While Mazda promises gasoline, diesel, and Skyactiv-X compression-ignition variants of its new inline-six, diesel is unlikely for the U.S. And Mazda has yet to certify the Skyactiv-X technology here, so our market will likely get a gasoline 3.0-liter. The engine is expected to have a turbocharger and a 48-volt hybrid system with an output somewhere in the mid-300-hp range. A plug-in-hybrid powertrain using an inline-four and a single AC motor is also in the works. It'll likely be similar to the CX-60's plug-in setup, which produces a total of 323 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque and has a 17.8-kWh battery pack.
The new platform and engine are Mazda's bid for premiumness, to become more like BMW and less like Honda or Toyota. The longitudinal-engine layout should allow engineers to better tune ride and handling, and it also creates that all-important dash-to-axle ratio that implies luxury. All-wheel drive will likely be standard across the board, as we think it's unlikely that Mazda will offer rear-wheel-drive versions of these models.
The seven-passenger CX-90 will arrive sometime before the end of 2022 starting at about $40,000, with the five-passenger CX-70 set to follow in 2023 with a starting price around $38,000.
Despite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.
