Reviewers so concern about the small 3rd row seats of all SUVs. Get a commuter van if you want space. The 3rd row for SUVs are intended for cargos space. They only put seats there for maximum use of space.
I've had mine for about a month and a half now. Non-S, Premium trim, under $45k and 0.9% financing. Is it perfect? No, but it is a TREMENDOUS bang for the buck at that price.
@@carenthusiast4984that's absolutely true. So in normal mode, at low speed, the electric motor gets the car going, and it's jumpy/inconsistent with its power delivery. My understanding is this is solved by the solenoid update I expect to get when I go for my first oil change. Once the transmission takes over it is okay. It's not 'torque converter' smooth because it's a wet clutch but it's still good. What I'll point out is that the hybrid boost makes a 'whoop' sound when it applies a boost to smooth out a gear shift as you land at your desired cruising speed. For example, if accelerating to 45 mph you may hear a 'whoop' sound as you reach 6th gear and land at your cruising speed. I've heard this sound at speeds as low as 26 mph. I don't hear it as much if I'm in Sport mode. Last thing, the I-Drive mode. Let me start by saying I HATE the typical auto stop/start function most modern cars have. But I gotta say, I like I-Drive on the CX-90. It will literally turn your engine off while cruising at high speeds and you won't even realize it. Then it re-engages the engine when necessary. There is only the slightest power delivery lag as a result. I have not only gotten used to it but I like it, and it really helps your MPG. Of course, I-Drive can be turned off if you want.
These low APRs Mazda is offering makes me wish I had listened to my wife and waited to purchase. However, my kid needed a vehicle to drive to school so my kid got my old Kia and I got my CX90 PHEV.
In regards to the chimes upon starting the engine, I always put my seatbelt on right after I push start and it chimes maybe twice. The entire premise is to get you to put your seatbelt on. It absolutely does it’s job.
Good well-rounded reviews! Shame the transmission is still clunky, hope they're able to fix. Wish there was a non-hybrid version with a small torque converter. I'd even take a non-turbo version TBH. FYI, Sport mode is just changing throttle sensitivity, and shift programming. Steering effort or anything else like suspension is not affected.
Excellent review as always. I really like the family angle and it is fun watching your little girl grow up. However, it interesting how different reviewers feel about which engine they like the best. Many prefer the I6, others the PHEV. I will admit that hybrid lacks the smoothness of the 6 but I love the gas mileage (I plug mine in daily) and the low end torque from the hybrid engine.
You need to augment for where each reviewer tests the vehicles. Micah drives mostly mountain passes, where the PHEV may be out of its natural habitat (urban roads and freeways that are congested, where fuel economy shines), and linearity of Inline-6 is more fitting.
I want to change my opinion on the smoothness. I recently had a i6 loaner vehicle and much to my surprise I now think the PHEV is smoother. However when driving at highway speeds (70 mph) and you step on it to pass even the base i6 accelerates significantly better than the PHEV.
@@ravipeiris4388 true, but they have always felt flimsy. I drove my neighbor’s in 79 and didn’t like the handling and feel. Reliable, but not to my liking. I drove one recently and it really felt like a high end car. Still a bit flimsy feeling compared to American and European, but that’s a Japanese thing I’m not crazy about. However, they feel way better than they have in the past.
6:29 We have the PHEV. If you’re in Sport mode the power is instantaneous and effortless. It’s actually faster to 60mph than the top Turbo S inline-6 Turbo.
@@LafemmebearMusic It's faster 0-60 and silky smooth, but if you accelerate on highway to pass, the inline 6 feels more powerful. If you primarily drive on highway, get inline 6 model. If you drive in town mainly, get phev.
I agree with Evie ...the CX-90 looks great in white. And, I like the black interior with the tan-colored stripe. Also, the black interior has grey-stained wood that looks better. I don't like anything that is beige-and-white such as the leather and wood in your tester. It is wood, isn't it?
I disagree strongly about the fabric on the dash. I happen to be in the textile industry and know it is a very high-quality high-performance fabric. It doesn't look cheap at all to me. Material selection is what makes this competitive with luxury brands.
I love my CX90 PHEV, but sometimes the clunkiness is annoying. Even at highway speeds you sometimes get a clunk that is so pronounced it sometimes feels as if the vehicle got bumped. However, the remarkable gas mileage makes up for it.
I own the Preffered Plus CX 90. The only things I would have liked on my vehicle are mirror mounted garage door opener and seat memory buttons, neither of which is critically important to me.
Recently had a Preferred Plus loaner. I also would have preferred to have an XM radio (however I had the app). Also, not having a 360 camera it really needs front and rear sensors.
I wonder if the bikini influencer made a comment on their instagram, “hey there goes Micah Muzio & Co in a car review!” Cool SUV, Cooler sunglasses! 🕶️
Micah and family, what about the engine and associated (regular) maintenance? belts, pumps, plugs, etc.? I hear the I6 might need a lot of "engine out" for some serviceable items...
9:48 gosh the left hand drive transmision stick is weird I got cx-60 right hand drive, cuz i live in asia And the P is just straight line with N & D If you wanna reverse just put in the P and move to the right and you got tge R😮
You told us to leave you a comment if you forget something. Well, there's one thing. You forgot to mention another competitor in its price segment which is the Nissan Pathfinder which I find to be a better looking SUV.
I haven't tried it, but typically for the transmission to shift into Park when you accidentally leave it in R and open the door the seat belt has to be unbuckled.
Zack and and Andrea from Motormouth test drove this and Andrea loves Mazda but both did complain about the transmission and it seems that it may need to get a software update because of the jerkiness.
Software update is already out there. They don't like the heavy steering but I love it. Funny they keep mentioning they had a Cayenne and loved it but Cayenne has heavy steering too. I have both Cayenne and CX-90 and love steering on both.
I noticed the same distinction between the inline 6 and the hybrid on the CX-90 launch event after driving both back-to-back. There are powertrain tuning peculiarities with the hybrid that aren't present with the non-hybrid I6.
I Absolutely hate the back of this car … I’d you are looking at it from the back it looks like a minivan , that egg shell back is terrible. I was so hoping the 70 they would have slanted that down … but no it’s a cx90 with third row delete ! Lol thanks for the review ! New sub here !
It's for a feature called Driver Attention Alert. The vehicle monitors the driver for signs of distraction or drowsiness and will alert them accordingly.
I think it compares extremely well. I actually chose the CX90 over the MDX. Any Premium Plus model will give you most of the features of an Advance Model CX90 for anywhere from 5-10 thousand dollars less.
Technically its really a wagon.....no true SUV pretenses whatsoever. That being said...Mazda builds quality vehicles and this is one of them.....Drove it compared to many others....Ended up getting a 23' Santa Fe 2.5t Calligraphy instead. Thanks for the great content as always.
It sounds like a little premature extrapolation on Mazda's part...you test drive proves that its not quite ready for prime time yet. That's a miss as their "first ever" PHEV and inline 6 should have been launched when it was fully ready. Also, I have a 2023 CX-5 Turbo and I agree with your comments - the car just nags too much! Thanks for another great, clear and unbiased review. Cheers from Canada ... Jim
well, German cars nag too, and if Mazda is trying to be German, well, they are only following who they want to be like... former GTI owner so familiar with VW nagging features
Leg room is fine in the front and second row. Becomes more cramped in the third row but how many times are people really traveling around with 5 plus adults in a vehicle?
Enjoy what they’ve done with the front end styling on these new models, but I think they lose some appeal the further you move towards the rear end. I generally like the interior design (lack of piano black is much appreciated), and don’t mind the media control dial; you can get used to it. I think it’s way more user friendly than the laptop-style mousepad on the Acura. Biggest gripe with the interior is probably the cargo area. Didn’t seem that wide or spacious for how large the car is, and the seats (much like my CX-5) don’t provide the flattest loading platform once folded. The CX-70 looks better in this regard, which you’d expect given the lack of 3rd row. Kind of odd it’s almost the same car aside from that distinction. I have to wonder if most people shopping for an actual family hauler will seriously be considering a CX-90 anyway. It doesn’t have that great of a third row, they probably won’t care as much about the driving performance oriented powertrain, and the pricing of the higher trims will start to look pretty unattractive. Outside of brand loyalty shoppers, I can see family buyers preferring a grand highlander, pilot, palisade, or perhaps even the new sante fe.
I was so excited for this CX-90. But when we drove it, I had my teenage boys sit in the third row and knew it wouldn't work. we went with the grand highlander.
@@kfc_hackeye That only makes sense to me. Appears as though Toyota had a more focused mission/target audience for the Grand Highlander as a family hauler with some guts. Meanwhile, the CX-90 may be their largest car, but that doesn’t make it inherently a great option for families. I’m not in need of a family hauler, so look at it a little differently, but if I was, I would be cross shopping pretty hard.
I'm a former CX-9 owner and test drove the 90 yesterday. It definitely has more room in the front seat especially the width, but aside from that, it feels much smaller than the competition.
As a Maybach driver, I utilize my 2008 Honda CRV as my daily driver. I'm going to purchase this vehicle for Mazda's reliability, the car's good looks and resale value ❤.
Mazda Metallic reds are stunning and this one is no different. It does, however, looks like it’s been run through 40,000 automatic car washes. Somebody please correct that paint! 😢
I like the look of the cx90, but I'm unlikely to ever see one in the metal. I'm on the wrong side of the Atlantic. I agree that light colours are better.
Hard disagree with Evie about the color. No better red than Mazda red. Also, that dash piece looks like it's made of the cupholders they give you at a coffee shop.
Really nice car but these aren't selling well and already are on big discount in my area. After the CX-9 failed to compete, I understand why Mazda didn't learn the lesson that having below average cargo and third row space in one of the biggest (by exterior dimension) cars in the class wasn't a winning formula. Luxury and driving dynamics are important but for the three row family segment, utility is king and this falls on its face compared to the Pilot, Telluride, and Grand Highlander on those counts. It has almost exactly the same amount of space behind the first row as a CRV which is a full two size classes down and is miles behind something its competitors on max cargo space.
Recently test drove this. It’s pretty cramped and feels more like a car than a $54K+ three row SUV. I’m coming from a 2021 Honda Pilot and choosing the 2024 Pilot instead of the CX-90.
It’s a 90 that Micah is showing. However, recently Mazda revealed the 70, and majority of people said it looks exactly the same as the 90 with third-row deleted. The dimensions are almost exactly the same as well. That’s why people make jokes about. The CX70 is a nice suv, but I do have to agree with the majority that Mazda overhyped it, and the CX70 turns out to be dead on arrival because you’re better off with the CX90 so that you have more space and features with the third row just in case of the emergency.
At 60k there are some very obvious issues. For one, that’s about the price of an Audi q7 or BMW X5. Both of those are going to have all doors with keyless access. And regardless of reliability, Mazda does not have the brand prestige to get away with those prices.
Mazda has recently lowered the prices of all top trims (other than the PHEV) at least $4,000.00. Also, any BMW or Mercedes at that price are not going to have ANY of the features you want.
Stiff ride, clunky transmission, slow steering. It is like you make the sacrifices giving up comfort but you don't get much back in fun and sporty driving. But the platform has potential - Mazda just need to spend a bit more time fine-tuning the car.
This was the second vehicle that is co developed with Toyota... Notice all of their other vehicles up to date have had no significant issues from the factory
I own one, and I do wish they would have fine tuned it better. However, they have gradually been addressing all of the most concerning issues (which are mostly relatively minor). However, that “slow” steering is so reassuring at highway speeds.
I saw it, I have a 2005 ford explorer, replaced trasmission at 160k last year. I am hoping cx-90 trans last at least 150k. I have a vw eos and turbo still working fine at 105k. My only concern is how hard is to replace the spark plugs, water pump, tensioner or alternator..😁😁😁😁
Have you seen or heard anyone backing up the car care nut guy and what he said? I know a few people that have Mazda CX9s with a lot of miles and they love them - the car care nut guy also does not like the CX9. I’m thinking about getting a CX90 - if you have more info let me know - thanks!
@@Jay-bw3fl I realize they are different CX9 vs CX90. It’s just that the car care nut also reviewed the CX9 and didn’t care for it as well. My take is his CX90 review was very harsh and his CX9 review was only harsh.
Handsome looking car, nice interior and that is it. Lack of practicality and functionality, which are essentials of a 3 row suv, is killing this car. Who wants such a big car, when size dont bring you any benefit?? Mazda engineers fail again, after failing with CX9 with same reasons.
IMO, I think this and much of their upcoming product mix is intended more as a Infiniti, Acura, Buick, maybe Genesis , and even lower trim Lexus, BMW, Audi, Merc fighter...it can't compete at the top of the product ranges in each class but this is a good first effort to me on paper...going to touch and feel it personally soon as I am considering it for the next Family hauler
You are right, it cannot match the sea of Piano Black in newest Audi and Mercedes models that reflect sunlight in just ever-so-perfect way to blind the driver and collect fingerprints. As for BMW, in latest models you are saying goodbye for some of physical Climate control buttons. I am glad Mazda went its own way and did not copycat all of the manufacturers above.
That color wood trim looks absolutely atrocious on camera. It looks yellow, sometimes with a hint of green, absolutely nasty. In person this has to look better???
Shut off car ..radio & phone calls bye bye?, as cx5, also remote start…open any door , engine bye bye..so dam annoying , in fact the entertainment system is intolerable
