Mazda CX-60 Review 2026

The new Mazda CX-60 is a bit of a curious car at first glance. You see it's Mazda's largest SUV in Europe, sitting above the slightly more compact CX-5. Given the CX-5 competes closely with cars such as the Hyundai Tucson and VW Tiguan, you might well expect the CX-60 to offer seven seats, like Hyundai's Santa Fe and VW's Tiguan Allspace. But it doesn't. 

Just like the CX-5, the CX-60 offers space for four large adults, and five at a push. What it is instead is Mazda's first plug-in hybrid (PHEV), something which is vital if the Japanese brand wants to compete with the huge fleet volumes that rivals are churning out.

But if that's all the CX-60 is for, why would Mazda go to all the trouble of building an entirely new model when it could have electrified the CX-5 - an already popular and well-established SUV? Well, there's more to it. 

The CX-60's very different proportions are the first clue to its intent. With a long, thrusting bonnet and rearward-biased passenger compartment, it has more in common visually with premium SUVs like the BMW X3. 

And that's because the CX-60 sits on an all-new, natively rear-wheel drive platform. Unlike the CX-5 and most other mainstream family SUVs, which in base forms are front-wheel drive, the CX-60's base has much more in common with the X3, as well as Jaguar's F-Pace, Mercedes-Benz's GLC and Alfa Romeo's Stelvio. 

The CX-60 is actually Mazda's most ambitious attempt yet to push upmarket, not just by cramming the car full of luxury equipment but by building it as a premium car front the ground-up. And while it'll first debut in the UK with the PHEV system, within a year you'll be able to order the CX-60 with mild-hybrid straight-six petrol and diesel engines. Fancy. 

With a healthy 327PS, the plug-in Mazda CX-60 has its sights firmly set on cars such as the X3 30e, GLC 300e, the Volvo XC60 T6 and, of course, the latest Lexus NX (another Japanese brand's first plug-in hybrid). 

To further bolster that premium appeal, the CX-60 gets an all-new multi-clutch eight-speed automatic gearbox, along with a raft of driver assist and convenience technology you won't find in lesser Mazdas. With prices starting at just under £44,000 for the hybrid, it neatly bridges the gap between mainstream and premium offerings. 

Our first experience of the CX-60 is with a short drive of a pre-production hybrid example, with Mazda claiming there is still tweaking and fine-tuning to be done. We'll update this review later in the year when we drive the finished product.

Our initial driving impressions of the Mazda CX-60 have to be taken with a pinch of salt. First of all, it was a short stint at the wheel of a left-hand drive model on European roads. Secondly, the car we drove was a pre-production model, with Mazda set to fine-tune various components and software ahead of a full production launch later this year. 

However, the signs are positive when it comes to handling. Mazda has always positioned its models at the sportier end of the market, and the CX-60's positive, precise steering and tight body control reflect that again. It's less wallowy than a Volvo XC60 and better controlled than a Mercedes GLC, leaning more closely towards the BMW X3 in the way it feels on a twisty road. 

That does appear to demand some trade-off, however. The ride does feel on the firm side, managing to deal with big potholes and speed humps pretty well (suggesting a high-end suspension setup) but feeling rather more fidgety over pockmarked roads than we'd expected.

Having said that, our cars were riding on the biggest 20-inch wheels, and lower-spec 18-inch items may improve that. The firmness also reduces the faster you go, and on the motorway and faster roads it feels nicely controlled and damped. 

Mazda is whetting our appetite for the straight-six petrol and diesel CX-60 models, which will arrive in late 2022 or early 2023. They'll used the brand's clever compression ignition tech for improved economy, along with a mild-hybrid system - although details beyond that remain thin on the ground. 

For now, we've only tried the plug-in hybrid system. That mates a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine to a 136PS electric motor and a 17.8kWh battery. Total system output is 327PS, with 500Nm of torque.

It'll pootle around town in electric mode pretty nicely, and if you're gentle with the throttle it'll just about get you to motorway speeds before the engine fires up. But this pre-production example made some strange whirring and whooshing noises in EV mode under acceleration - we'd expect those to be quietened down when it's finished. 

Extend the throttle pedal travel and eventually the engine will fire into life. You'll notice it doing so, as the naturally aspirated engine is definitely noisier than many turbocharged rivals. It's not intrusive, though there's a touch more vibration through the firewall than we'd like. 

The new automatic gearbox does a good job of slurring ratios and keeping things smooth in most circumstances. It's certainly better than Mazda's old torque converter auto in the CX-5. But as is often the case with plug-in hybrids, go from cruising to asking for full power and it takes an age to juggle the power sources - we were expecting better, and engineers tell us there's more work to be done. 

Give it the beans and the hybrid CX-60 is surprisingly brisk. 0-62mph is taken care of in 5.8 seconds, which feels like plenty to us. It rears up and gets a real lick on under full throttle, with a throaty (and only slightly intrusive) growl. 

The Mazda CX-60 is yet to be tested by Euro NCAP, but we reckon it's likely it'll achieve the full five-star rating as with the CX-5. 

Standard safety kit includes autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition, rear-cross traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring. It's a shame that adaptive cruise control with intelligent speed limit assist is part of an option pack, but it's a reasonable £1,100 and comes with other kit including adaptive LED headlights. 

Plug-in hybrids usually suffer when it comes to towing because their permitted weight limit is lower. However, the CX-60 has a pretty impressive limit of 2,500kg, which matches up with many larger diesel SUVs. 

The Mazda CX-60's exterior dimensions make it around 190mm longer, 50mm wider and a similar height to the CX-5. That puts it roughly on a par with the BMW X3. 

There shouldn't be too much to complain about regarding space up front. The CX-60's extra width mostly goes into the centre console and transmission tunnel, so it doesn't really feel any roomier than the CX-5, but it still offers plenty of room for larger adults to get comfortable. 

Of course mid-spec models get electric seats, while this is the first Mazda to get an electrically adjustable steering wheel. But the headline feature on mid-spec Homura trim and above is the new 'Driver Personalisation System'. Tell the CX-60 your height and it'll scan your eye position and adjust the seats, the wheel, the door mirrors and even the head-up display to suit. You can then save multiple profiles and it'll scan your face on entry and set it up to suit. It wasn't faultless on this early car, but it's a neat feature nonetheless. 

Moving into the rear, and wide opening doors allow decent entry and space to fit child seats (of course there are also Isofix points back there). You also get 40/20/40 seat folding with handy levers in the boot, and reclining seats. But there are some issues.

For starters, Mazda has mounted the hybrid's batteries under the cabin floor, rather than under the boot like many other plug-in SUVs. That means the floor sits fairly high, limiting your ability to slide your feet under the seat in front and meaning headroom isn't exactly generous for six-footers with the panoramic sunroof fitted.

Legroom is fine, but not as generous as you might expect, and the seats don't slide to improve things. At least the wider cabin means the middle seat is quite useable, and there's a fairly flat floor. 

The positive of moving the batteries under the boot floor is that the boot isn't compromised. With 570-litres it's bigger than almost every plug-in rival, with a nice square shape, a large opening and underfloor storage, plus an electric tailgate on most models. 

Mazda's recent interiors have looked and felt a cut above the mainstream - for example, we reckon the Mazda 3 is actually a bit nicer inside than the latest VW Golf. The same applies to the CX-60, but we're not totally convinced that this pre-production car is quite at the standards set by premium SUV rivals as some areas of the cabin feel cheaper than others.

We'll be able to be more definitive when we try the finished model. 

Every Mazda CX-60 - regardless of trim - gets the same roster of infotainment tech, including a 12.3-inch central screen, as 12.3-inch digital dial display and a head-up display.

The base model gets sat-nav along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, meaning it's easy to load Google Maps or Waze through the system. However, unlike pretty much every rival, it isn't a touchscreen system. Instead, Mazda uses a more traditional rotary dial control down by the gearlever, flanked by physical shortcut buttons. 

Touchscreens are the norm nowadays, so this might take some getting used to. Spend some time getting accustomed to it, though, and you'll soon realise it's actually a doddle to use. You can pick up muscle memory for certain features, meaning you'll spend less time looking away from the road. It's also a very responsive system, bar some lag in certain areas.

All models get connected services, DAB and USB-C inputs, plus five years of free European mapping updates for the navigation. 

Prices for the Mazda CX-60 PHEV start at just under £44,000 for entry-level Exclusive-line trim, rising to a touch over £48,000 for the flagship Takumi model. 

While that does make it dearer than something like a Toyota RAV4 hybrid, remember that Mazda is going after the premium brands with this car. With that in mind, it's usefully cheaper than plug-in versions of the X3, NX, XC60 and GLC - all of which start at near or over £50,000. 

Even the base cars are pretty well-equipped, with the aforementioned infotainment suite, heated seats and steering wheel, neat LED headlights and the full roster of active safety kit.

Mid-spec Homura trim looks like it’ll be the most popular with the desired bigger wheels and kit such as electric seats with ventilation, an electrically adjustable wheel, ambient lighting and a Bose surround sound system. We do really like the classier white interior of top-spec Takumi trim, though, which looks like something you'd see in a 1980s Lamborghini. 

Mazda has rolled out the plug-in CX-60 in the UK first, expecting it to account for the majority of sales. Fleet buyers will certainly go for its low Benefit-in Kind rate, while private buyers will welcome its official ability to do up to 188mpg. 

As always with plug-in hybrids, that figure is simply for comparison. You won't do anything like that unless you spend most of your time in electric mode, but with a decent 39 miles of EV range (that may increase in final homologation) it should be able to cover most commutes without burning a drop of fuel.

Drive the CX-60 on longer journeys with a depleted battery and it won't be all that impressive. CO2 emissions of 33g/km mean low road tax costs, though.  

Standard kit on the entry-level Mazda CX-60 Exclusive Line includes 18-inch alloys, auto lights and wipers, LED headlights with auto high beam, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera , leather upholstery with heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, a head-up display, plus the large infotainment screen and digital dials. 

Step up to the Mazda CX-60 Homura and you'll get 20-inch black alloys, a gloss black grille and wing mirrors, ambient lighting, electric front seats and an electric steering wheel, the Driver Personalisation system, ventilated front seats, heated outer rear seats and a 12-speaker Bose surround sound system.

Top-spec Takumi trim brings chrome window surrounds, machined alloy wheels, body coloured mirrors, a 'decoration panel' with detailed cloth stitching on the dashboard, white maple wood trim on the centre console and white Nappa leather upholstery.  

Options include wireless phone charging, a 360-degree camera system, adaptive cruise control, AC power sockets and a panoramic sunroof.