Mazda is seriously hyping up its CX-90 SUV, including this latest “Unboxed” video.
We’re still a couple weeks away from the reveal, but the automaker is seriously cranking out the teasers for its upcoming flagship SUV. There’s a ton of new going on with this car, and the CX-90’s striking at the heart of a ferociously competitive family hauler market. Today’s video (shown below) doesn’t quite give us a full look at the new model — they’re keen to keep that on the wraps until January 31 — but let’s take a moment to pore over what details we do have here.
Up until this point, I’ve used the European CX-60 as a reference point for the North American CX-90. Now that we’ve seen some front-end shots, particularly, that’s been pretty on point. This looks remarkably similar to what’s out in Europe now, just right-sized for our market’s demands. The front fascia is immediately recognizable as a Mazda (thanks in no small part to the oversized badge making it obvious), but there are a few key styling features like the headlights and chrome brightwork that make this model stand out from past-generation efforts like the CX-9.
Throughout the video, Mazda’s Senior Director of Design Yasutake Tsuchida, who also designed the current-generation Mazda3, speaks of the company’s ethos in creating its latest model.
More importantly for some, though, we get to see the CX-90’s beating heart. This isn’t just an under-the-hood shot, either — we actually see the 3.3-liter turbocharged inline-6 outside the car, as well as some of the front suspension. While we don’t necessarily see any unexpected bits, powertrain performance manager Jay Chen did mention they “took out the torque converter” for the CX-90’s transmission as a space-saving move. The 2024 Mazda CX-90 incorporates an electric motor into the setup, using a mild hybrid system.
That decision allowed more room to work on ideally placing the six-cylinder engine into a front-rear longitudinal layout. Unlike current conventional Mazdas, this car is riding on a rear-wheel drive-based platform. As we’ve seen on the Miata, the new CX-90 will also have “KPC”, or Kinematic Posture Control, to further improve handling.
Hopefully, that will ensure the CX-90 delivers even better handling dynamics than we’re used to. Beyond Ant Anstead’s take on the noise and handling, the video ends with a solid shot of the car’s front fascia (above).
Check out more below, and stay tuned for our coverage on the CX-90 at 12 PM Eastern on January 31!
