Our Mazda CX-90 Was a Good SUV but a Bad Hybrid

• We tested a 2024 Mazda CX-90 plug-in hybrid for one year and 21,000 miles.
• We liked its on-road manners and the plush interior.
• The hybrid powertrain left a lot to be desired.

Driving and efficiency

Mazda sells the CX-90 with either a traditional gas-powered inline-six or the plug-in hybrid powertrain tested here. And let me be clear: While we liked the CX-90 as a whole, the hybrid system in particular is what drew ire from our staff.

"I'm not a big fan of this powertrain," said Jonathan Elfalan, our director of vehicle testing. "Specifically, how it blends power from the electric motors and gas engine feels clunky at times. I also noticed that the transmission shifts with the electric motor, which is kind of cool, but it doesn't feel as smooth as the Hyundai hybrid system."

That same comment was repeated by other editors over and over again. The CX-90 was far less smooth to drive than other plug-in hybrid SUVs on the market. When it came to efficiency, however, the Mazda was good about hitting its range target. In most cases we would see 25 to 28 miles of electric range, which matches what the EPA says the CX-90 will deliver.

When the battery went flat, however, the CX-90 only provided average fuel economy. In fact, the 25 mpg combined we got running on gas alone is what the EPA says you could expect with a gas-only CX-90. Translation: You need to plug this thing in all of the time to make it worthwhile, and even then, the return on investment is questionable.

"I ran some numbers and found that it would cost me about $22.50 per 100 miles of driving on electric power (based on my observed efficiency of 56 kWh/100 miles)," wrote Brent Romans, director of written content. "That's more than gas, which would be $19.20 per 100 miles on just gas power (with gas costing approximately $5 a gallon and assuming 26 mpg). But your situation will likely be different because most other utilities will have lower pricing. (Gas prices are also typically lower outside of California, too.) For example, I checked out Aurora, Colorado, where my mom lives. For her utility, it would only be about $7 per 100 miles driven on electric power."

Some highlights worth noting

Set aside the the plug-in hybrid powertrain and our team had some nice things to say about the CX-90, especially as a road trip vehicle. Most editors liked the CX-90's chassis tuning, saying that it was still a very nice SUV to drive, despite what’s under the hood. Mazda has always been good at building cars that know how to handle themselves on twisty roads, and even this three-row SUV full of heavy batteries is no exception.

The CX-90 was also good at good ole’ boring highway driving, too. This SUV had the ability to eat up mile after mile without making you feel exhausted at the end of a long drive. Those on our team who took road trips credited the Mazda’s quiet, relaxing cabin and good ride quality.

OK, what about the bad stuff?

When you live with a car on a daily basis, there are lots of little gripes that develop over time, but we’ll stick to the big stuff here. Mazda’s insistence on using a control knob instead of a touchscreen setup has been a problem for years, but at this point, it’s just plain dumb. The industry has moved on, and using the CX-90’s control knob felt like a frustrating, archaic process most of the. Even Mazda owners on our team couldn’t justify it.

From Will Kaufman, video manager: "I own a Mazda 6, and I really like it. I'm on record as a defender of the knob-based system in that car (and basically every Mazda prior to the CX-50). This was my first encounter with the new knob, and ... I don't like it. It's sleeker, but that makes it harder to grip. The rotational clicks are certainly tighter, with a little less play, but the directional pushes feel more rubbery. And overall, the knob material feels cheaper in your hand. And the revisions to the OS make navigating things just a little less clear than before."

Beyond the tech, another major complaint we have about the CX-90 was the overall lack of space for a three-row SUV. This is a vehicle that is made to accommodate families and their things, which isn’t something we could always accomplish.

Editor Jake Sundstrom noted: "It's jarring how tight the third row is on the CX-90 given its size. The Mazda is more than 200 inches long and has a long wheelbase (122.8 inches) but that hasn't translated into an adequate third row for adults. The Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade, both of which are smaller vehicles, have roomier third rows that are easier to access. The Mazda has a high floor in the third row, which makes it difficult to climb in and out, in addition to limiting legroom."

If you don't need to use the third row all of the time, the cargo area offers good space, but if the SUV is full of passengers, good luck. We prefer the CX-90’s stylish look to just about everything else it competes against, but those attractive proportions come at the cost of genuine space that could be used by a family.

How did the CX-90 hold up?

Relatively well, actually. Alongside the CX-90, we also owned a 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee plug-in hybrid, which famously needed to be towed on three separate occasions. So while the bar might be low here, the Mazda was a shining star by comparison.

During our yearlong test, the CX-90 only visited the dealer once for a routine oil change. We spent $104 and went on our way. Apart from that very normal occurrence, there was nothing out the ordinary to report for the Mazda. It provided trouble-free motoring for our year. That’s exactly what we want to be saying about a new car at the 20,000-mile mark.

Bottom line: The 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV was a reliable, functional SUV that served us well for a year. Would we pick this exact one again? No. The savings benefit of driving on electricity wasn't nearly enough to justify living with this clunky powertrain. Get the inline-six engine instead. If we had to do it over again, that's what we'd do.