Motorists spoilt for choice today with Mazda’s range of SUVs

There appears to be a little unnecessary cleverness to Mazda’s line-up of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) these days.

The Mazda range of SUVs was once pretty simple: the CX-9 and CX-7 were  big brothers to the CX-5 and the  compact CX-3.

Today, there’s seven of them – CX-3, CX-30, CX-5, CX-60, CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90 – with some overlap here and there.

The five-seat CX-70 and seven-seat CX-90 are the same size, for instance.

And the CX-60, while sporting a narrower body, is not much smaller.

So, plenty of variety – especially when there’s also a choice between power plants. And from big to small, all CX models carry a fair degree of premium style.

For now, it’s off to a petrol-engined, mild-hybrid CX-70, with Inline 6 badge on the front guards.

Straight six-cylinder engines are a  little rare in 2025 and this one, with  some help from a 48-volt electrical system, pushes out a handy 254kW of power and 500Nm of torque to all four wheels through an eight-speed transmission.

This is a largish, five metre-long  vehicle for a five-seater. That means comfortable space for front and rear seat passengers, plus decent cargo area (though that rear floor is perhaps a tad high with a space-saver tyre and lithium battery tucked below).

An upmarket cabin is well finished with premium materials, good instrumentation and a centre console controller for the 12.3-inch touchscreen (though that takes a day for familiarisation). The steering wheel is cluttered with a myriad buttons for a number of controls.

Visibility to the front and sides is good, with excellent camera work and sensors helping in tight car parks.

The Mazda CX-70 rides on 21-inch rims, filling out the wheel arches and adding subtle muscle to the wagon’s profile.

Yet, while that wheel-tyre  combination and the Mazda chassis tune brings firm and positive steering, plus  good road manners, there’s a trade-off in ride quality with some jitters on rough patches of road – bitumen or otherwise.

Low-profile rubber isn’t always family friendly on indifferent surfaces.

This firmish suspension handles big lumps and bumps with ease and adds some sport to Mazda’s SUV, though it’s hard to disguise the CX-70’s bulk (5.1m long by 1.89m wide by 1.74m high by two tonne) when pushing on down a country road.  Or under brakes.

For the most part, it is a reasonably engaging machine for a large SUV.

The transmission works quietly and efficiently, plus there are paddle shifters for manual changes.

And while the petrol six-cylinder and electric helper may not have the Mazda leaping away from the lights, once rolling, the wagon accelerates with some promise.

Fuel consumption around town can close on 10 litres per 100km. Highway economy is more like 9 litres per 100km, the trip computer says.

Pricing for the Mazda CX-70 starts  in the high $70,000s – a fair ask for a five-seat family wagon, especially when a seven-seat CX-90 can be had for around the same money.

Yet there’s a premium quality to this vehicle and some will shop it against the likes of similar machines from Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

In fact, tweaking the brakes, steering and performance could turn the seven-seat version of these Mazdas into a value rival to Audi’s sweet SQ7.