Nearly three years after it confirmed plans for a new rear-wheel-drive platform and inline-six engines, Mazda has revealed the first of four rear-drive, electrified SUVs targeted at more premium rivals: the 2023 Mazda CX-60.
Due in Australian showrooms before the end of 2022, the new CX-60 upper mid-size SUV is the first Mazda model to ride on the company’s new ‘Large Architecture’, designed around a rear-wheel-drive layout – with the option of inline-six petrol and diesel engines, or a new plug-in hybrid system.
Pricing is yet to be announced for Australia, however the CX-60 is positioned as a larger and more premium vehicle than today’s mid-size CX-5 SUV – meaning it’s unlikely to be as affordable as the $34,190 before on-road costs of a CX-5 Maxx automatic.
The five-seat CX-60 will form the basis of a long-wheelbase, seven-seat CX-80 for Europe and Japan, as well as ‘wide-body’ two-row CX-70 and three-row CX-90 SUVs for the US. Those final three models remain under consideration for Australia.
Measuring 4745mm long and 1890mm wide, the new CX-60 is about 200mm longer and 50mm wider than the current CX-5 – which it will be sold alongside – enabling up to 50mm of additional shoulder room, and a larger 570-litre boot (vs 438L in the CX-5).
Under the skin is Mazda’s new rear-wheel-drive platform, enabling a new plug-in hybrid, all-wheel-drive option that pairs a 2.5-litre four-cylinder with an electric motor for combined outputs of 241kW and 500Nm, 60km of claimed electric range, and a 5.8-second 0-100km/h time.
Buyers will also be able to choose between a new 3.0-litre non-turbo SkyActiv-X inline-six petrol engine, and a 3.3-litre turbocharged inline-six diesel engine – though power outputs for these engines are yet to be confirmed.
Eight-speed automatics and 48-volt mild-hybrids are standard in the petrol and diesel, with a choice of rear- or all-wheel drive.
All three options are likely to reach Australian showrooms – though while the plug-in hybrid has been locked in for a local launch, Mazda Australia is yet to confirm if it will be offered at launch, or arrive at a later date.
Inside, the CX-60 becomes the first Mazda with a fully-digital instrument cluster (using a 12.3-inch panel), joined by a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen offering wireless Apple CarPlay and, for the first time, wireless Android Auto.
A full suite of active safety technology is available – as is nappa leather trim, a hands-free power tailgate, panoramic sunroof and a slew of luxury features inspired by pricier German and Japanese luxury cars.
For a full deep-dive into everything there is to know about the new 2023 Mazda CX-60, scroll through the subheadings below.
How big is the 2023 Mazda CX-60 – and what is its new platform?
The five-seat Mazda CX-60 measures in at 4745mm long, 1890mm wide and 1685mm tall (with 20-inch wheels) – making it 170mm longer, 45mm wider and 10mm taller than today’s CX-5, and likely slotting it into the ‘large SUV’ category on the Australian sales charts.
Mazda quotes 2870mm between the wheel arches – 170mm more than the CX-5. Tthere’s now 570 litres of boot space (including underfloor storage), up from 438L in the CX-5, increasing to 1148 litres with the rear seats folded. There’s also a larger cargo opening than before.
The five-seat CX-60 debuts a new ‘Large Architecture’ for the Japanese brand, powering the rear or all wheels – a vast departure from every car built by the company over the last 20 years (excluding its sports cars and utes), which have been based around front-wheel drive.
With the engine now mounted “longitudinally” – with the cylinders running along the length of the vehicle, rather than along its width, like in a “transverse” car – Mazda has been able to fit a new range of inline six-cylinder engines, as well as plug-in hybrid technology.
This new platform will spawn a larger CX-80 for the European and Japanese markets – effectively a long-wheelbase CX-60 with three rows of seats, like how today’s CX-8 is a longer CX-5 – as well as ‘widebody’ CX-70 two-row and CX-90 three-row SUVs for the US. Plans for a new Mazda 6 sedan have stalled.
Only the CX-60 has been confirmed for Australia thus far – the others “under consideration” – where it will be sold alongside the current CX-5, CX-8 and CX-9 SUVs for the immediate future. The CX-8 and CX-9 will be phased out overseas, however, in place of the CX-80 and CX-90.
Under the CX-60’s skin, there’s the same Kinetic Posture Control chassis technology as the MX-5 sports car (which we’ve reviewed here), multi-link rear suspension, electric power steering, and a stiffer chassis with the battery placed low between the axles.
2023 Mazda CX-60 engines – including two six-cylinders, and a plug-in hybrid!
Made possible by the Mazda CX-60’s new ‘longitudinal’ architecture is a pair of inline six-cylinder engines: a 3.0-litre non-turbo petrol unit running Mazda’s breakthrough SkyActiv-X technology, and a 3.3-litre turbocharged diesel engine.
Both engines are mated to eight-speed multi-clutch automatic transmissions – the first Mazda automatic with more than six gears – as well as new 48-volt mild-hybrid systems (termed M Hybrid Boost). A choice of rear-wheel drive or full-time all-wheel drive is offered.
Outputs for these engines are yet to be confirmed, however it’s hinted multiple states of tune will be offered. Mazda claims the petrol engine will offer “the same fuel economy as the [2.0-litre] four-cylinder e-Skyactiv X engine”, which consumes 6.0 litres per 100 kilometres in the smaller and lighter CX-30 small SUV.
Interestingly, these engines do not appear to be all new, but rather scaled-up versions of the 132kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder SkyActiv-X petrol and 140kW 2.2-litre four-cylinder SkyActiv-D turbo-diesel motors in smaller Mazda models.
Other highlights of these engines include mild-hybrid systems that support the engine at low speeds to improve performance, regenerative braking functionality, and trick automatic gearboxes that ditch a traditional ‘torque converter’ in favour of a multi-plate clutch pack, much like a Mercedes-AMG performance car.
Four drive modes are available in petrol and diesel models – Normal, Sport, Off-Road and Towing – with the hybrid adding EV mode (more details below).
2023 Mazda CX-60 plug-in hybrid specs
While the new inline-sixes might be most popular in power-hungry Australia, European buyers will be clamouring for the plug-in hybrid option – the first of its kind in a Mazda product, designed in house (rather than by Toyota, per some rumours).
The system pairs a “modified version” of the current CX-5’s 2.5-litre non-turbo four-cylinder petrol engine developing 141kW/261Nm, paired to a 100kW/250Nm electric motor for combined outputs of 241kW and 500Nm – making it the most powerful production Mazda ever built.
The company claims a 5.8-second 0-100km/h sprint time – nearly two seconds quicker than a Mazda CX-5 with a 2.5-litre turbo-petrol engine (7.7s) – towards an electronically-limited top speed of 200km/h.
A 17.8kWh onboard battery enables 60km of claimed all-electric driving range (at speed below 100km/h), with a laboratory fuel consumption claim of 1.5-1.6L/100km (according to European testing).
An AC home wallbox will boost the battery from empty to full in four hours. DC fast charging is not available.
However, the battery tech comes at the cost of weight, as with 20-inch wheels, all option boxes ticked and no driver on board (but fuel, oil, water and all fluids) the PHEV tips the scales in at 2072kg – 300kg more than a diesel CX-5, or over half a tonne more than a base manual CX-5.
The Mazda CX-60 plug-in hybrid can tow 2500kg braked (on a 12 per cent slope) – a record in the mainstream hybrid medium SUV class in Australia, one tonne more than an MG HS Plus EV or Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. A diesel Mazda CX-5 can only haul 2000kg.
2023 Mazda CX-60 interior and technology
The Mazda firsts continue inside the cabin, where the 2023 CX-60 becomes the company’s first model with a widescreen digital instrument cluster, namely a 12.3-inch unit displaying key readouts, unique start-up views, and drive mode animations.
The CX-60 features a new Driver Personalisation System, which uses a camera reading the driver’s eyes and height to adjust the seat, steering wheel, head-up display to their position – and then use facial recognition to remember their preferences, and adjust vehicle settings on entry accordingly.
Sitting atop the dashboard is a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, running an updated version of the Mazda Connect system seen in Mazda’s latest models, equipped with wireless Apple CarPlay, new-for-Mazda wireless Android Auto, digital radio and satellite navigation.
European buyers have access to a MyMazda smartphone app, offering features including a vehicle tracker, remote door locking, pre-loading of the navigation system, tyre pressure and fuel, roadside assistance, and easy access to service bookings and timing.
Available features in Europe include a head-up display, ambient cabin lighting, a power-adjustable steering column, a hands-free power tailgate, a 1500-watt charging point in the boot of plug-in hybrid models, and a choice of an eight-speaker unbranded sound system, or a 12-speaker Bose surround system.
Flagship models score nappa leather upholstery, which up front trims 10-way power-adjustable seats with heating, ventilation, and a CX-60-specific design intended to provide optimal support. A heated steering wheel is available.
While base models rely heavily on plastic trim, flagship CX-60s gain natural maple wood inlays and woven textile accents (with unique Japanese-style Kakenui stitching) – plus a panoramic sunroof measuring just over one square metre.
There’s more space inside than a CX-5, with front and rear shoulder room increases of 44mm and 50mm respectively, and rear seats that “offer enough legroom for passengers to sit with their legs straight” – though Mazda doesn’t say how tall these passengers can be.
Despite additional sheetmetal between the front wheels and cabin to house the new inline-six engines, Mazda says there’s more visibility than a CX-5 – with the area in front of the vehicle obscured by the bonnet reduced by 100mm, and a redesigned A-pillar to “make it easier to identify children at intersections.”
2023 Mazda CX-60 exterior design
The Mazda CX-60 evolves the company’s ‘Kodo’ design language seen across its entire range – but takes it a step further, with new touches including an unconventional split headlight cluster with the LED daytime-running lights placed separately.
There’s a small garnish behind the front wheels which Mazda says is “in keeping with the practice of adding an emblem to the front wing of sports cars”, while L-shaped signatures are seen inside the LED headlights and tail-lights.
Eight colours are available – Jet Black, Deep Crystal Blue, Sonic Silver, Platinum Quartz, Arctic White, Rhodium White, Machine Grey and Mazda’s signature Soul Red Crystal – alongside 18-inch or 20-inch alloy wheels.
2023 Mazda CX-60 safety
A full suite of advanced driver-assistance technologies are available in the new Mazda CX-60 – joining a stiffer passive safety structure “targeting” a five-star safety rating.
New technologies debuting for Mazda Europe on the CX-60 include a ‘See-Through Vew’ 360-degree camera which can make the car’s body ‘invisible’ and show objects obscured by the bodywork, plus hill descent control, the integration of speed limits in the adaptive cruise control system, and safe exit warning.
Those join forward-facing autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian/cyclist detection and intersection support, low-speed rear AEB with pedestrian detection, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, and driver fatigue detection.
Passive vehicle safety has also seen attention, with stronger front, side and rear body structures, a new bonnet designed to protect pedestrians, high-voltage protection for the PHEV’s batteries, and the fitment of front centre airbags, and rear-side airbags (which sit below window ‘curtains’).
When will the 2023 Mazda CX-60 launch in Australia?
Mazda Australia has confirmed the 2023 Mazda CX-60 will arrive in local showrooms before the end of 2022 – with industry whispers suggesting local deliveries could kick off early in the second half of the year.
Orders for Europe are now open, with first deliveries due there in mid-2022. Production will commence in Japan on March 11 (this Friday), with full Japanese specs to be revealed in early April – likely including outputs for the inline-six engines.
Pricing is yet to be confirmed – though it’s fair to expect a notable premium over Mazda’s current mid-size SUV offering, the CX-5, which is priced from $32,190 to $53,680 before on-road costs.
“I’ll say above CX-5 [in terms of where the CX-60 will be positioned]. CX-5 will continue, we’re just about to do a very big update for that car … but yes, CX-60 will sit above it,” Mazda Australia marketing boss Alastair Doak told Drive last month.
“CX-30 sits above CX-3, but there’s also overlap – CX-5 and CX-60 will be similar. And CX-8 overlaps with CX-5, but they [attract] different buyers … So there’s loads of ways to slice and dice the marketplace. As we keep saying, it’s all about choice and giving people as much choice as possible.”
However, it’s unclear how close the CX-60 will come to full luxury medium SUVs such as the Lexus NX, Volvo XC60 and BMW X3, priced from $60,800, $69,490 and $73,471 before on-road costs respectively.
Keyword: 2023 Mazda CX-60 revealed with six-cylinder and hybrid power, due in Australia this year