Mazda CX-60 2023 review

To get started, we need to explain where the CX-60 is positioned in Mazda’s line-up. Despite looking quite large in pictures and in the metal, the CX-60 is still a mid-size SUV, and only marginally larger than the CX-5.

If you were hoping for a seven-seat offering, you’ll need to wait a little longer to hop into the incoming and even larger CX-80 and CX-90, but Mazda says the CX-60 is for buyers who are ready for something a little bigger and nicer feeling than the CX-5, but don’t need the extra seats.

This car also debuts a new large car rear-biased platform, a first for Mazda, with bigger engines and an overall more premium feel, one which the brand has been flirting with for some time.

The CX-60 is a mid-size SUV, only marginally larger than the CX-5. (Image: Tom White)

Prices are decidedly premium to match. With a start price just shy of $60,000 for the base version, to nearly $90,000 for the top-grade, the CX-60 rivals only the most high-spec versions of rivals like the Mitsubishi Outlander, Toyota Kluger, and Hyundai Santa Fe, whilst dipping into the territory of luxury-badged rivals, like the Lexus NX, Genesis GV70, and even Audi Q5.

Thankfully, there’s a straightforward range of variants, which hasn’t always been the case for Mazda in the past.

The CX-60 is offered in three grades: The base Evolve, the mid-spec GT, and the top-spec Azami. Any of which can be chosen with one of three engine choices: The G40e inline-six turbo petrol, D50e inline-six turbo diesel, or P50e 2.5-litre four-cylinder plug-in hybrid.

The top-grade Azami wears a price tag of nearly $90,000. (Image: Tom White)

With a luxury pricing structure comes a more or less premium set of standard equipment.

The base Evolve for example scores black synthetic ‘Maztex’ interior trim, 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, a 10.25-inch multimedia screen and 7.0-inch digital dash both of which are upgradable to the dual 12.3-inch system on higher grades.

There’s also wireless phone mirroring, a wireless phone charger, built-in navigation, a 360-degree parking camera, dual-zone climate control, eight-way power seat adjust for the driver, and keyless entry with push-start ignition.

The SP package adds tan leather interior trim with suede highlights to the Azami grade. (Image: Tom White)

That’s right, no cloth seats or plastic steering wheels here, the CX-60 does stretch into premium territory, even on the base Evolve.

Next up, the GT grade nets you 20-inch alloy wheels, body coloured highlights, a driver monitoring system with facial recognition tech for automatic seat settings, a power tailgate, heated real leather seats front and rear with a heated steering wheel, electric adjust for the steering column, additional LED lighting for the interior, a panoramic sunroof and a premium audio system.

Finally, the top-spec Azami grade adds 20-inch wheels in an alternate design, adaptive LED headlights, Nappa leather interior trim, an even higher-grade adaptive cruise system, ventilated front seats, real leather door trim, additional lighting features, and more functions for the personalisation system.

Option packs include the Vision Tech package ($2000) which adds larger screens, premium cruise and driver monitoring systems, as well as a higher-grade 360-degree camera suite to the Evolve and GT grades, the Luxury package ($4000), which adds heated seats, real leather seat trim, and power seats with memory adjust to the base Evolve only.

Meanwhile, the top-spec Azami is offered with the choice of either the Takumi package ($2000), which adds white leather seat trim, bright interior inlays, and a cloth dash with maple wood highlights or the SP package ($2000) which includes tan leather interior trim with suede highlights, black 20-inch wheels in an alternate design, black exterior highlights, and a two-tone steering wheel.

No complaints for seating position, which is not only comfortable, but highly adjustable too, and visibility out of the cabin is great, despite the long bonnet and high beltline. The electric steering column on high grades is a nice touch.

The digital dash looks super slick, but isn’t very customisable, with only a side menu to flick through some basic information displays. It’s odd because it’s such a large screen with such little flexibility.

At least the theme is distinct for each drive mode, and it is quite useful in the plug-in hybrid, as it shows different power gagues depending on whether you’re in full EV, hybrid, or running in primarily combustion mode.

Similarly, the large multimedia screen looks good and has simple software which is nice and easy to control via the central dial on the console, although it’s not the best for operating phone mirroring software which is designed with touch interfaces in mind. It’s just clumsy having to flick through several pages of home screen to get to one particular app using a dial in Apple CarPlay, for example.

I am very glad Mazda continues to persist with a physical dial for volume control, shortcut buttons on the centre console, as well as buttons for the climate control, with toggles for temperature. Much easier to use compared to a touch system while driving.

For storage, front passengers get two large bottle holders in the door pockets, a further two in the centre console with a flip-away cover, a wireless phone charging bay under the climate unit, and a padded split-opening centre console box to go with the glove compartment.

The CX-60's back seat has sufficient headroom, and all of the lovely padded trims from the front continue into the rear. (Azami variant with Takumi package shown)

Interestingly the centre console box is quite shallow, leaving you minimal additional storage space, although it is nice the USB-C connectivity is located there, so you can hide your cables away and declutter the cabin.

In the back seat it was a surprise to find my knees so close to the back of the front seat set to my own driving position, given this car’s long wheelbase. At 182cm tall though, I had sufficient headroom, and all of the lovely padded trims from the front continue into the rear.

The centre position is actually useful for an adult, too, because the bump in the centre needed for the drive shaft is very low profile, giving centre occupants somewhere to put their feet.

Storage is a similar story to the front, with big bottle holders in the doors, with two more in a drop down armrest, and pockets on the backs of the front seats. Amenities are impressive, with higher-grade cars getting heated outboard seats, although all cars get dual adjustable air vents and USB-C outlets. It is also good to see Mazda making the most of this car’s strong 48-volt electrical system by providing a full-size household power outlet on the back of the centre-console too. Usually this bit of kit is reserved for fully electric cars.

The cargo area is a bit larger than this car's CX-5 sibling, landing at 477 litres measured to the VDA standard. This is true regardless of variant, although the plug-in hybrid loses the space-saver spare wheel in favour of a repair kit, and its fuel tank drops from 58 to 50 litres.

Interestingly, braked towing maxes out at 2500kg for the petrol and plug-in hybrid variants, while the diesel is knocked down to 2000kg. The official towing accessory kit will also set you back a smidge over $2000.

As previously mentioned, you can choose any of the three new powertrains on any of the three variants.

These consist of two 3.3-litre straight-six turbocharged engines with 48-volt mild hybrid assistance. The G40e petrol produces 209kW/450Nm, the D50e diesel produces 187kW/550Nm.

The plug-in hybrid mates a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a 100kW motor located in the same housing as the clutch, which produces a combined 241kW/500Nm.

On the topic of the transmission, the CX-60 uses a traditional automatic eight-speed orbital gearset (that is, not a CVT or a dual-clutch), but instead of the usual hydraulic coupling, there’s a computer controlled clutch plate, making it feel a little like a dual-clutch might drive.

The plug-in hybrid has a battery capacity of 17.8kWh allowing it a purely electric driving range of 76km on the WLTP cycle. It charges up using a standard Type 2 AC port, at a maximum rate of 7.2kW.

This means a charge time of around 90 minutes from 20 - 80 per cent, much better than the 2.7 or 3.2kW systems employed by some of its rivals, which make for very slow charging periods. With the ability to pull 7.2kW, it makes it worth plugging in your Mazda at a public AC charging station at the shops, for example.

The CX-60 plug-in hybrid has a battery capacity of 17.8kWh.

If you were wondering why Mazda would take a risk and dump the traditional transmission set-up which it is well known for, it’s in the name of efficiency.

According to the brand, it needed to dump the smooth hydraulic coupling for two reasons. Firstly, it needed the space to fit the electric motor here, and secondly, according to the brand, a clutch plate has much less drag, and is therefore much more efficient at delivering torque compared to a traditional hydraulic automatic.

We’ll talk about what this does from a driving perspective shortly, but when it comes to efficiency, it seems the brand was right.

The diesel CX-60 has a very impressive consumption figure of 4.9L/100km.

Despite nearly double the outputs of their four-cylinder equivalents, the pair of big inline six engines deliver the same or less fuel consumption.

In the case of the 3.3-litre turbo petrol, this means an official consumption of 7.4L/100km, for the diesel it’s a very impressive number of 4.9L/100km, and for the plug-in hybrid, there’s a claim of 2.1L/100km, although this assumes you’ll charge the car up and drive it in ‘Normal’ mode.

We were swapping in and out of different cars during the launch, and therefore won’t be able to give you a real-world number this time around. However, I can say each vehicle reported close to the claim, despite being driven reasonably hard. Even the PHEV didn’t seem to be too far off its 76km range claim. Further investigation will be required on a longer follow-up review, but for now we’re impressed.

The CX-60 PHEV has an official consumption figure of 2.1L/100km.

Mazda continues its legacy of maintaining a high level of safety even in base cars, although there are a few more advanced items that are reserved for higher grades.

Standard active equipment includes auto emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, rear auto braking, driver attention alert, and adaptive cruise control.

The CX-60 scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

The mid-spec GT gains a more advanced driver monitoring system, while the top-spec Azami adds adaptive headlights, cruise and traffic support features, and front cross traffic alert.

There are eight airbags, as well as Mazda’s signature vectoring control, alongside the usual rear outboard ISOFIX child seat mounting points and standard brake, traction, and stability systems.

The CX-60 was just awarded a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating.

A 360-degree parking camera comes standard in the CX-60. (Azami variant with Takumi pack shown)