2026 Mazda CX-6e review: Spacious and feature-rich medium SUV shines where it counts

Welcome to the Department of Tough Gigs. This Month: The pure-electric mid-sized SUV.

Homogenisation is the – unfortunate – name of the game here. SUV packaging, combined with current aero-faux, has forced the butternut-pumpkin-on-its-side profile upon us. The now-default skateboard architecture has played its part, and the relentless march of the Chinese brands has done the rest.

Enter the Mazda CX-6e. It’s no secret that the CX-6e is not only made in China, but shares its platform with the Deepal SO7 as part of a joint venture. Which raises the spectre of whether the shared product of a ubiquitous concept can ever be as Mazda as Mazda fans would demand.

And the `tough gig’ thing is actually selling the reality short: A successful modern EV SUV needs to be brilliantly specified (connectivity is a gimme, comrade) capable of anxiety-beating range and, just lately, served up at a price that renders the notion of front-loading your EV running costs, yesterday’s thinking. And yet, despite that mission-impossible brief, that same modern car-maker can’t afford to be without such a thing in its showrooms.

Which is how Mazda arrived – some would say, belatedly – at the CX-6e, the brand’s first all-EV SUV.

But despite all that talk of homogenisation, the Mazda really does manage to stick its neck out stylistically, starting with the sheer size of the thing. Frankly, it looks like it should be a seven-seater rather than the five-seater it is, but maybe that’s the cost of staying with Mazda’s Kodo design language that insists upon a long nose and a (relatively) rear-set cabin. But look again, and the CX-6e continues to stand out from the pack. There’s some angularity to it, a few swooshes, some wild looking wind-tunnels in the flanks and a rump that, in profile, is rather fetching. From dead-behind? Er, not so much and this is clearly the Mazda’s least flattering angle.

That size thing is reinforced once you step inside, too. There’s a lot of space on offer and not just in the front seats. The rear pew loses points for its centre position being like sitting astride a speed hump, but the outside spots are comfy and exceptionally spacious. Head, knee and legroom? Oodles. And there are climate controls, too.

Back up front, there’s wireless charging, a head-up display, large central bin with a split lid and plenty of charge ports. The frunk is not especially huge, but the cargo area is about right even if the underfloor storage area is a bit fake news.

But that same interior seems a bit try-hard in other respects. The h-u-g-e central screen is not central at all but, in fact, extends farther to the passenger’s side. That gives the tormentor in the jump seat the opportunity to fiddle with a second map and generally fuss about with menus, while just being just within the driver’s peripheral vision for maximum distraction.

The upmarket version of the CX-6e also features digital (read: camera) interior and exterior mirrors and these are as annoying as any other car-maker’s attempt at the same tech. The interior mirror requires those who use reading glasses to don them for maximum clarity (not terribly convenient for also watching the road ahead) and the usual depth-of-field shallowness is also apparent. And the exterior mirrors (sorry, cameras) on stalks convey their image capture to a screen in the corner of each front door to electronically answer the question nobody ever asked. Happily, the entry-level model misses out on these trappings of executive life.

I’m also going to call Mazda out for the lack of physical switches on show. More accurately, for the otherwise simple functions that have been rendered complex and frustrating through the use of menus and touch-screens.

Let’s start with adjusting those mirrors (regardless of model and level of mirror complexity). First you need to mine the screen for the right menu, select mirror adjustment and then take a shot at which of the arrows on the steering wheel will achieve the angle you desire.

And what about the panoramic sunroof’s blind? Is there a switch located conveniently and logically next to the sunroof? Is there bollocks. Instead, it’s back to drilling though menus until you reveal the blind control on the screen and hit the touch-button to open or close it. No kidding.

The caveat? All these functions are also operable via the voice-command system. Which is fine if you don’t mind talking to inanimate objects.

Even externally, there’s evidence that the CX-6e, built in China as a joint venture with Changan Automotive, has maybe started to adopt a few Chinese-car protocols. The hatchback release button is a great example. Is it anywhere you’re likely to look for it? In fact, it’s opened by a small, black on black push-button that’s actually part of the rear wiper mount assembly. Or you can open it via your phone and the Mazda app (yeah, right).

And here we go again; learning how to operate a car all over again. Not to mention that the ADAS systems are calibrated according to Chinese protocols, making the driver-distraction monitor (in particular) its own distraction. The resentment is real.

The CX-6e range kicks off with the GT variant at $53,990 (or $56,990 drive-away as a launch special) which gets you dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and start (again from your smart-phone should you so desire) heated front chairs, ambient lighting, panoramic sunroof, wireless phone charging and even vehicle-to-load capability.

Pony up for the Azami at $56,990 plus on-roads, and you gain the 21-inch alloys and stickier tyres, and those digital mirrors. Which is another way of saying buy the GT.

Mechanically and electronically, the pair are identical with a 78kWh battery giving a claimed range of up to 484km (WLPT) and the ability to absorb charge at a rate of 194kW for a 30 to 80 per cent charge in about 15 minutes.

The driving experience tends to justify the means. While the overall set-up for Australian-delivered cars borrows largely from the European tune, our cars have been further revised with Aussie tweaks to the software, damper tune, power steering and torque delivery.

And, we have to say, it all kind of works. The suspension feels about right (and is marginally better on the 19-inch wheels) and the steering is natural, neutral and nicely accurate if a tad light. There’s not an over-abundance of regenerative braking on show, but that’s matched by the mild, 190kW/290Nm driveline that, while not making any big promises on paper, feels absolutely just right for this type of vehicle.

There’s enough urge for anything you’ll throw at it, along with the silence and smoothness an EV promises, without the mind-bending thrust (and subsequent spare-bedroom threats) dished up by some of the twin-motor competitors. Yet it still climbs hills with authority and there’s just enough urge to be able to rotate the chassis on throttle alone at the critical point in a corner. Enough to remind you why rear-drive is most drivers’ natural preference, anyway.

So, it’s big inside, drives convincingly and is priced pretty well, too. You could damn with faint praise by saying the CX-6e is a great first effort at an EV SUV by Mazda. But it’s actually better than that. Suggesting that even if the Chinese joint-venture status has imposed its limitations (a lack of real buttons, for instance) the Mazda-ness has managed to shine through where it counts.

Specs: 2026 Mazda CX-6e