Mazda CX-90: Full model range prices coming soon, PHEV to arrive in 2024

UPDATE, August 2023: CX-90 Australian launch review

The big Mazda CX-90 is now on sale in Australia. See our full review at the link below.

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Following the unveiling of the all-new CX-90 premium large SUV, Mazda Australia says it will reveal the variant line-up, full specifications and pricing within the next two months.

The announcement will cover both turbo-petrol and turbo-diesel six-cylinder models, with a four-cylinder CX-90 plug-in hybrid likely to join the range in 2024.

Following in the footsteps of the CX-60 premium medium SUV (which shares its bonnet, grille shape, grille surround, platform and mechanicals with the CX-90, but is otherwise a unique design), Mazda’s imposing new six- or seven-seat large SUV is expected to be offered here in three model grades – with the top specification priced around $90,000 and offering individual ‘captain’s chairs’ in the second row, and the CX-90 entry point likely to start around $70-75K.

As per the CX-60, which is marketed using G40 (petrol), D50 (diesel) or P50 (plug-in hybrid) to differentiate between drivetrains, the CX-90 will mirror that naming policy – though potentially using either G50 or G60 for turbo-petrol models to signify the significant lift in power and torque.

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While both of Mazda’s new petrol-engined SUVs share a 3.3-litre turbocharged mild-hybrid six-cylinder, the CX-90 packs 254kW and 500Nm, whereas its CX-60 equivalent lists lower 209kW/450Nm figures – perhaps because it’s tuned to run on 91RON regular unleaded.

The 3.3-litre turbo-diesel six-cylinder carries over unchanged from the CX-60, meaning outputs of 187kW and 550Nm rather than the boosted numbers sported by the CX-90 petrol.

Given that North America will account for more than 90 percent of global CX-90 volume and isn’t taking the diesel version, any investment in boosting its performance would not have been financially viable.

And according to Mazda Australia marketing director Alistair Doak, “the diesel performance is fantastic – obviously it’s about torque and it’s already got 550 Newton metres, which is pretty good.

"We don’t really think it needs much more than that. It’s a very strong engine.”

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The plug-in hybrid also carries over unchanged from CX-60, meaning a 2.5-litre four-cylinder combined with an electric motor, a 17.8kWh battery and producing a muscular 241kW and 500Nm. This drivetrain will be available from launch in North America but won’t be part of the initial Australian CX-90 line-up.

According to Mazda Australia managing director Vinesh Bhindi, “we will add [the plug-in hybrid] to the powertrain [line-up] probably in 2024, or beyond. It won’t be at launch. We will start with two powertrains [for CX-90] and then look at editing.”

Mirroring the existing relationship between the seven-seat CX-8 and larger seven-seat CX-9, Mazda Australia expects the “wider, longer and more aggressive” CX-90 premium large SUV to complement the ongoing CX-9’s sales volume – despite identifying the CX-90’s target audience as very much 'inside the Mazda family'.

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Speaking to Wheels at the CX-90’s global online unveiling in Melbourne, Mazda Australia marketing director Alistair Doak said he felt comfortable with the CX-90’s positioning and any potential overlap with the seven-year-old CX-9 large SUV, which will carry on unchanged for at least the remainder of 2023.

“We need to be comfortable that there’s a clear story behind each one [of Mazda’s larger SUVs], and it’s not them all sitting on top of each other,” said Mr Doak.

“With CX-8 and CX-9, we’re the only large market in the world that sells both. And we have not impacted CX-9 sales with CX-8 at all. In fact, we actually grew sales [collectively]. We were doing 8000-9000 [annual sales with CX-9] at its peak, something like that. And then we brought in CX-8, and CX-9 stayed at a similar level, yet we basically sold over 5000 CX-8s on top of that,” he said.

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While the current variant split for the CX-9 in Australia favours the one-up-from-base Touring (35%), the flagship Azami and Azami LE still account for a sizeable proportion (27%), though the six-seat LE makes up just four percent of that number.

The entry-level CX-9 Sport still accounts for 15%, but where do satisfied CX-9 Azami customers head if they want to further upgrade their large SUV? Mazda Australia is hoping it’s to the premium new CX-90.