The new seven-seat range-topper will be Mazda’s most practical SUV
Mazda is expanding its CX-badged SUV lineup with an all-new model, which will be called the Mazda CX-80. We’ve caught it testing on the road, suggesting a full reveal may take place towards the end of this year.
The CX-80 will sit above the newly-launched CX-60 as the largest Mazda SUV you can buy, but it should borrow plenty from its sibling, not least in Mazda’s overarching Kodo design. Rivals for the CX-80 will range from the Nissan X-Trail, Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe in the large SUV segment.
Despite the camouflage we can clearly see the front will retain a similar grille and headlight arrangement as the CX-60. The headlight is connected to the grille, shrouded slightly by the bonnet line for an aggressive look. The overall outline of the grille apes that of the CX-60 and to the side we can see air intakes on the bumper.
The wheelbase looks extremely long from the side. The CX-80 will sit on a stretched version of Mazda’s Large Product Group platform – seen on the CX-60. This extra length will enable seven-seat capacity inside – something the CX-60 doesn’t offer. With the rear seats up we expect the CX-80 to have less than the CX-60’s 570-litre boot space. The rear also copies some elements from the CX-60 such as the roof spoiler, rear light cluster and curved rear pillar.
Mazda says the Large Product Group platform can accommodate mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid, four-cylinder and straight-six petrol and straight-six diesel engines too.
We expect plenty of crossover in terms of powertrains from the CX-60 here with a 2.5-litre plug-in hybrid petrol, a 3.3-litre turbocharged straight-six diesel and a 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine.
Inside we expect to find a brace of 12.3-inch screens lifted from the CX-60 with Mazda’s handy rotary knob on the centre console taking care of the central screen’s infotainment functions.
The CX-80 should go on sale in the UK in early 2024. With the current CX-60 starting from £42,745, the larger CX-80 should sit nearer to £50,000.
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Keyword: Mazda CX-80 seen for the first time