The rain was pounding down on the windshield of the 2024 Mazda CX-90 in a constant rat-tat-tat, sliding sideways in a near blinding wall of water. Though the downpour didn’t last long, the effects were seen on the back winding roads between San Francisco and Sonoma. Branches and debris littered the narrow pavement, and pooled water dotted the roads in intermittent intervals.
[Read more: 2024 Mazda CX-90: A worthy update to the CX-9?]
As I was coming around one corner, a full-size truck flashed its lights at me, signaling some kind of caution ahead. It was another mile before I hit the edge of a flash flood blocking the road. It looked like a lake. As I paused at the water’s edge, I saw two CX-90s ahead of me. The water was midway up their wheels, sloshing against the back bumpers as they slowly forded their way through the murky liquid.
I shrugged and followed.
This clearly wasn’t a planned activity, but it ended up showcasing how incredible this new three-row SUV is. The 2024 CX-90 is rugged enough to handle a flash flood with water depth nearing 2 feet, flexible enough to hold up to eight passengers and elegant enough to look at home in the driveway of a posh California mansion.
And the starting price? Less than $40k.
@jillciminillo Flash floods = accidental water fording exercise in the #Mazda #CX90 … 😳 Plus a snippet ofbdound from the Bose premium audio system. #cardujour #mazdacx90 #cartok ♬ original sound – Jill Ciminillo
Power times three
One of many interesting things Mazda has done with the 2024 CX-90 is offer three powertrains. The base Turbo is a 3.3-liter inline-6 that delivers 280 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. Though we didn’t have the chance to test this model, a turbo, 6-cylinder from Mazda should offer smooth power.
The Turbo S uses the same 3.3-liter engine but adds extra power, delivering 340 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque – as long as you use premium fuel. With regular fuel, you’re looking at a 21-horsepower drop. And, trust me, you want that 21 horsepower. Seriously, if you’re just going to put regular fuel in this model, buy the base engine option, which gets the same power ratings regardless of fuel choice.
The Turbo S was by far my favorite powertrain with nice bursts of speed for highway passing. Pop it over into Sport mode, and the transmission holds the gear a little longer and revs the engine a little louder, making the driving experience visceral.
The final powertrain is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle with 26 miles of all-electric range. It has a 100 kW electric motor mated to a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated I-4 engine. This model delivers 323 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. While I really wanted to like the PHEV the most, I found it to be lukewarm, but part of that could be because I drove it after the Turbo S. In EV mode, acceleration was meh, and if you really pound your foot to the floor hoping for instantaneous torque, the engine turns on. Sport mode on this model left the engine whining rather than rumbling.
Don’t get me wrong, the all-electric range and ability to charge at home overnight on a 110-volt jack are a huge selling point for someone who has a short commute or carpool route. And it will be plenty of power for most people. It’s just not my jam.
Sporty Mazdaness
Powertrains aside, Mazda engineers did a lot of work to make this big-and-heavy three-row SUV drive like a Mazda. Things like the double wishbone suspension and the rear-wheel-biased all-wheel-drive system add grip and ride quality.
Sloshing through rain on curvy roads didn’t give me the opportunity to push the 2024 CX-90 too hard, which is fine because that’s now how most people are going to be driving this vehicle. But I didn’t feel a lot of body roll, and I perpetually forgot I was driving a three-row vehicle.
Overall, the CX-90 was comfortable and added a little zip to the drive.
Infotainment and other tech
The first question I anticipate many Mazda faithful will ask: Is there a touch screen? The answer: No. Ish. Mazda persists in using the rotary dial to operate the tasks on the large horizontal screen. But the quadrant buttons for navigation, music, home and back make the operation a tad more seamless.
And here’s the ish: When you connect the wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, commands can be performed via the dial OR the screen itself. Hallelujah because operating CarPlay/Auto through the dial is disastrous.
During the day-long drive, I played around with the premium Bose audio system, and I found it to be well done. Whether I was using the provided USB music drive, my top-40 iTunes music or Sirius XM radio, the sound quality was quite good. To be fair, I’m not an audiophile, but I did crank the volume and heard little distortion on the high end of the volume scale. Plus, the overall clarity was quite good.
The standard digital cluster isn’t highly configurable, but it is well designed. Plus, the theme changes depending on drive mode.
I also really appreciated the tri-zone climate controls. In addition to the dual front controls, honest-to-goodness, adjust-the-temperature climate controls are available in the middle row – as are heated and ventilated seats.
It’s also worth noting USB-C charge ports are standard. So, if you haven’t invested in the updated cord, you’ll want to.
Safety matters
Mazda is targeting the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick + award with this vehicle, and it has included a lot of active and passive safety content to ensure the designation. In addition to the standard i-ActivSense safety suite, which includes blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control and vehicle exit warning, there is a slew of new safety tech.
The 2024 CX-90 includes things like front- and turn-across traffic alert, emergency lane keeping, secondary collision reduction and a hands-on traffic jam assist.
While this was just a first look drive, I had the opportunity to play around with some of the cruise control and lane keep assist functionality, and it is, thankfully, not too obtrusive. Thus, I’d be apt to keep it all turned on.
Flexible seating
Something interesting Mazda has done with the CX-90 is give a multitude of seating configurations. In addition to 6-, 7- and 8-passenger options, there are two 7-passenger options.
The complete breakdown and availability is as follows:
6 seats 2/2/2: Standard on 3.3 Turbo S Premium and Premium Plus; available on CX-90 3.3 Turbo S.
7-seats 2/3/2: Standard on 3.3 Turbo S.
7-seats 2/2/3: Standard on 3.3 Turbo Premium and Premium Plus; PHEV Premium and Premium Plus. Available on 3.3 Turbo Preferred and Preferred Plus; PHEV Preferred.
8-seats: 2/3/3: Standard on 3.3 Turbo Select, Preferred and Preferred Plus; CX-90 Preferred.
On big problem
The new target of my wrath on a test vehicle is poorly designed and implemented wireless charging, and the 2024 CX-90 hits high on my ire scale. Since I didn’t have a USB-C charge cord, I depended on the wireless pad to keep my phone charged, which was a huge mistake. Within 30 minutes, it was overheating my phone. I took off my protective case and tried again to the same result. The infotainment screen even showed a hot thermometer icon on it. Boo.
I’m a firm believer that if an automaker can’t do this feature properly, then they should offer it. Mazda shouldn’t offer it.
Pricing
As Mazda continues to go upmarket, the prices for its vehicles continue to go up as well. The 2024 CX-90 replaces the outgoing CX-9 in the automaker’s lineup, and while the top end of the price scale increases drastically, Mazda has kept the base pricing fairly close to the into price of the CX-90.
In fact, there’s just an $845 price increase base to base.
Because there are three different powertrains and 11 different packaging options, however, you’re going to see a huge variation between the base 3.3 Turbo Select trim and the 3.3 Turbo S Premium Plus trim.
Complete pricing is as follows:
The bottom line:
As this is entering into near-luxury territory, I see primary competitors being Acura MDX and Infiniti QX60. The 2024 CX-90 beats the pants off both of those in terms of comfort and tech.
I liked the Mazda CX-9, but I love the CX-90. This ups the ante on the three-row SUV in every way. From materials to amenities to flexibility, this three-row SUV is #winning. If you don’t need a U-boat-sized three-row SUV and are looking for something svelte yet functional, this is a great place to start your search.
Editor’s note: Driving impressions in this “First Drive” review are from an invitation-only automaker launch event that allowed special access to the vehicle and executives. Mazda covered our accommodations, meals and transportation costs.
