Testing the new Mazda CX60

DW (English)

The new Mazda CX60, a midsize SUV available as a diesel or plug-in hybrid that aims to make its mark in the premium segment. How does it compare with rivals like the BMW X3 and Mercedes GLC? REV puts it to the test.

Transcript

00:00As you might be able to tell by the rain on the window, the weather is once again not

00:14in my favor, that's why I'm greeting you from inside the car today.

00:21Our test car is Mazda's new CX-60, a mid-size SUV that aims to jump into the premium segment.

00:31Does that work?

00:32We'll find out right now.

00:33Welcome to REV.

00:37As you would expect from its size, Mazda sees this car as a long-distance trip vehicle.

00:44And you can also tell by the choice of engines they are offering.

00:48You can have it as a plug-in hybrid or, as we're testing right now, a diesel version.

00:53So both of these are very well suited for long-distance trips.

00:58However, the diesel is better than the hybrid, but we'll come to that in a second.

01:06The plug-in hybrid has a power output of 327 horsepower, making it the strongest available

01:14Mazda model.

01:15And our diesel here has a 3.3-liter engine, delivering 254 horsepower, which is also quite

01:23good.

01:24It makes the dash from 0 to 100 kilometers an hour in under 8 seconds and has a top speed

01:29of 219 kilometers an hour, which is absolutely okay for such a big car.

01:37The average consumption for the diesel version is around 5.5 liters, which is a very good

01:43figure considering the size and weight of the car.

01:51The plug-in hybrid is officially rated at some 1.5, 1.7 liters per 100 kilometers, combined

02:02with the electric energy.

02:05And once the battery is empty, and that is what I mentioned in the beginning, the consumption

02:14will go up to 7.5, maybe 8 liters.

02:19And that is, of course, not what you like to see when you plan to go on a long-distance

02:23trip.

02:24In 2024, Mazda sold more than 45,000 cars in Germany alone, with 45 percent of them

02:32bought by private individuals.

02:34Giving the Japanese carmaker a market share of 1.6 percent.

02:41Since it's raining, I cannot put the camera outside, which is why I had to improvise,

02:46adapt.

02:48And I added this little helper camera, which will show you a view of the interior.

02:54Talking about that, it looks very good.

02:57Everything is high quality, I mentioned it, and is soft to the touch.

03:02No matter what you touch, it feels very good, it looks very good, and there is basically

03:08nothing to complain about.

03:11However, there are things that are unusual.

03:15The first thing is the infotainment system.

03:21Usually nowadays you have a touchscreen, always.

03:26And Mazda still has their display that looks quite good.

03:32But it's not touch-operated.

03:33Instead, it uses this button down here where you will rotate or press, and the knobs right

03:40around that for the different functions, so navigation, media, or the home button.

03:51It works good, don't get me wrong, but if you'd want to use that system, for example

03:57for navigation, and you don't want to use voice recognition, because the car has that

04:02and that works quite good as well, but if you don't want to use that, then setting a

04:06destination with the turning knob is quite time-consuming.

04:16What's good, on the other hand, is the Mazda CX-60 still has physical buttons for climate

04:24control and also for seat and steering wheel heating.

04:27The seats can also be ventilated, so everything you would expect in a premium segment SUV.

04:36A very cool feature the car has is the driver personalization system.

04:44You can get that via the settings menu, and you will simply open it, and you can then

04:50add a new driver, then you just enter your height, so let's do it for me, 1.80m, and

04:58then you press start.

05:01And as you can tell, the car will adjust the seating position to what seems to be the ideal

05:08one for driving this car.

05:14However, I feel like I'm sitting a little too low, so I can still adjust that, like

05:23put it up or put it back, adjust the steering wheel, adjust the mirrors, whatever I like,

05:29and then I can simply press save, and that will be then set to my driver profile.

05:35How does the car do that?

05:37It will recognize your face, so once I get in the car, everything will be adjusted to

05:43my liking, and once someone else gets into the car, it will also be adjusted to their

05:49liking, so no need to choose some driver profile or anything.

05:53The car will do all of that automatically, which is a very nice and clever feature.

05:59The back row is very spacious with decent headroom.

06:02USB-C sockets for smartphones and a regular power socket offer plenty of charging possibilities,

06:08and the outer rear seats can be heated.

06:14You can tell Mazda wants to place this car in a premium environment, because they put

06:20a lot of effort into soundproofing the interior.

06:24It is super silent in here, even with the rough asphalt we have right here, you can

06:30tell Mazda did a very good job on this one.

06:33So, as I mentioned in the beginning, the plug-in hybrid is good if you also use the

06:44car for everyday driving to go to work, because then you can move it purely electric, but

06:50if you go on long-distance trips on a regular basis, then the diesel is the better choice.

06:55Being in the mid-size premium SUV segment, the CX-60 competes with the BMW X3 and Mercedes

07:10GLC.

07:11It is a few centimeters longer than both of these, but it's only three to five centimeters,

07:19so not really that much bigger.

07:26However, both of these are way more expensive than the Mazda.

07:31A Mercedes GLC will cost you around 58,500 Euros in Germany, which is 9,500 Euros more

07:41than the Mazda, and the BMW is around 66,000 Euros, which means around 17,000 Euros more

07:51than the CX-60.

07:56Considering that everything in here is high-quality to the touch, to the look, I see no reason,

08:04except maybe the personal taste of design, why you would choose a Mercedes or a BMW.

08:14One thing is clear, this is a rather big car, 4.75 meters in length.

08:19You sit rather high, so you have a very good overview of the road.

08:23However, you cannot exactly tell where the car ends at the front.

08:31To be fair, though, that is not really a problem, because the car has all sorts of assistance

08:37systems that will warn you if you get too close to any obstacle.

08:42The seats in the CX-60 are very comfortable.

08:47Just as a general driving impression, there is nothing to complain about in this car.

08:58Just as usual, there are all the driver assistance systems, which you can already hear beeping

09:04in the background.

09:06However, Mazda has a quite nice solution to the constant beeping if you drive two kilometers

09:12an hour too fast.

09:14There is a button right next to the steering wheel.

09:17You simply press it and all the warning sounds will be disabled.

09:21The systems, however, are still on, so you don't need to worry about your car not assisting

09:27you anymore.

09:28It will just not inform you with sound.

09:36It once again started raining, just as during the rest of the day, and despite of the weather

09:49being so annoying, I really enjoyed driving the car.

09:53It is very comfortable, quite luxurious, and considering the entry-level price of under

10:0050,000 euros, you get a very high-quality car for your money, which can easily compete

10:07with others in the premium segment.

10:10So, if you're looking for a premium midsize SUV, then the Mazda CX-60 might be worth to

10:17take a look at.

10:19All in all, the Mazda CX-60 offers plenty of standard equipment, like a rear-view camera,

10:25full LED headlights, and various safety and assistance systems.

10:29The soundproofing of the interior is excellent, and the ride comfort cannot be faulted.

10:35On the downside, the navigation system lacks touchscreen operation, and the plug-in hybrid

10:41consumes a lot of fuel once the battery is empty.

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