Go your own way multiplied by five
With the arrival of the new CX-60, Mazda proves once again that it is going its own way when it comes to design and powertrains, which is great.
And it is that many do not cease to surprise us that for their compact models they opt for a block of two liters and four cylinders. Take, for example, the Mazda 3 or the CX-30, which also carry an Eco label in all their versions.
But now from Hiroshima they have taken a step forward, and not only for size (at 4.74 meters, the CX-60 is the largest model in its range), but for engines: the rightsizing that they talk about so much in the brand advances a box.
Let’s see: blocks of 1.5 liters or 2.0? All this is far behind in the CX-60, which will have a range made up of a plug-in hybrid with an atmospheric Skyactiv 2.5 linked to an electric motor, a 3.0-liter Skyactiv-X petrol block and a turbodiesel with Skyactiv technology. -D of 3.3 liters! Pure fantasy.
First the PHEV
But the market rules and the first Mazda CX-60 to be sold in 2022 is going to be the plug-in hybrid. Which in another way is understandable, since in the brand they think that no less than two thirds of the Mazda CX-60 that are sold will be of this version.
The hybrid system consists of a 2.5 injection petrol with 190 hp and 261 Nm, which is joined by an electric motor of 100 kW and 250 Nm. In total there are 327 hp and 500 Nm, although perhaps the most interesting thing for those who get one is beyond the 33 grams of CO2 and goes through the autonomy: 63 km in electric mode combined (68 in the city) and a average consumption of 1.5 liters.
The heart of everything is a 17.8 kWh battery that, curiously, is half of what the Mazda CX-30 uses. In total, it can be charged at home in about four hours with a normal 220-volt AC charger, so that’s good news, while regenerative braking will take care of recovering while driving.
Later six-cylinder engines
Crazy. The new Mazda CX-60 will also come with two other engines, although there is not much data yet.
On the one hand, there will be the expected in-line six-cylinder gasoline that will have three liters of displacement and Skyactiv-X technology. In other words, it will use a compressor to inject more air into the mixture, but it does not exactly serve to provide more power, as the brand assures me. This block will arrive in 2023.
A little earlier the new 3.3 diesel will arrive and it is “ideal for those who want to drive long distances”. There is nothing official about the CX-60 Skyactiv-D at the moment, although they do admit that it will comply with Euro 7 and that for this it will need a catalytic converter (SCR) and AdBlue.
Other novelties: integral traction or propulsion
The CX-60 has come out of a blank sheet of paper in what they only knew was that they were going to use Mazda’s new platform for large models. That means, among other things, that there will be propulsion and all-wheel drive versions.
The CX-60 AWD will be the PHEV, although this type of traction can also be mounted on the diesel. And no: in case you’re wondering, Mazda doesn’t use an all-wheel drive system in which each motor drives an axle, but rather a transmission shaft is responsible for distributing the torque between the front and rear wheels.
In the case of the integral ones, under normal circumstances the new Mazda SUV will move like a pure propulsion model (a little torque is maintained in the front for stability reasons, as Joachim Kunz, one of those responsible for the project, confesses to me), although depending on the needs, 100% of the torque could be sent to the front axle.
A curious detail of the Mazda CX-60 is that its new automatic transmission, which goes from six to eight speeds, does not use a clutch, but a multi-disc system that is in charge of acting as the torque converter. With that, says Kunz, the feeling is much more immediate and more like a manual change.
In the brand they continue betting on that concept called Jinba Ittai that refers to the union of the rider with the horse. That is to say: they try to make the driver and the car feel like a unit. They released it in the MX-5 and the truth is that since then the driving feel is at a very good level.
And to maintain it, the engineers (the development has been done on horseback between the European and Japanese teams) have developed a system that slightly brakes the inside rear wheel in curves. That, coupled with the multi-link suspension, causes the body to sink on that side, so roll is eliminated. Simple but but effective!
Interior: alternative materials and inspiration in craftsmanship
When talking about a Mazda, I couldn’t leave my Japanese dictionary in a drawer. The already classic Jinba-Ittai is joined by words like Musubu (which is the art of joining things and from which the peculiar seams between panels come) or Ma, which is a concept that means something like that the void is not bad at all, that emptiness gives way to existence.
And the truth is that when I sit in the front seats of a pre-production CX-60 I enjoy a pleasant feeling of tranquility thanks to that idea: no thousand decorations, curves, straight lines, chrome and whatnot.
As in other models of the Hiroshima brand, the information has several levels: the 12.3-inch central screen is the heart of the infotainment system, although, you know what? It is handled with a roulette! No touch controls. Music for your ears? Normal.
There’s also a digital display for the watches, though again to be on the safe side: they represent a conventional watch chart with the usual brand information. And to complete the pack, there is the Head-Up Display, which is larger (although it will not be standard on the access version).
As for the cabin, it is a model that is close to five meters and, therefore, enjoys a lot of interior space. The feeling of relief is remarkable sitting at the wheel and much appreciated behind, where hard soft seats and very marked backrest pick up passengers without problem.
Maybe the window line is a little high, but I don’t think that’s a problem, and neither is the headroom (despite having the panoramic sunroof for the first time in Mazda) or the gap under the seats to put your feet.
When does the CX-60 arrive and at what price?
Without a doubt, the Mazda CX-60 is a powerful bet for many reasons. For example, by betting on a large SUV. That this one has propulsion is great. But that under the hood, apart from the PHEV version, there are three-liter engines is something fantastic. It sure raises interest.
But then what is its price? Well, the cheapest CX-60 will cost 50,268 euros, although it will be an access version that is probably not the most successful: as brand officials assure me, most Mazdas that come out of dealerships have high equipment. We will have to be attentive to the complete and definitive price list…
