The large premium SUV segment has had illustrious representatives for decades, such as the large BMW X family (X5 and Volvo XC90, to name just a few examples. However, for some time now, other more general brand players have been joining in and have pushed their respective ranges towards the high end of the market with more sophisticated proposals to achieve better brand positioning.
Manufacturers such as Toyota, with the Highlander or the new Land Cruiser VX, Ford, with the Explorer, KIA, with the EV9, or Hyundai, with the future Santa Fe 2024, have also recently explored the most sophisticated and exclusive end of versatile representation. , with large SUVs focused on family use to also boost its image as a brand and improve customer perception.
Most of these vehicles tend to serve as technological showcases and often implement the most advanced technologies of each manufacturer in terms of sustainability and efficiency, taking advantage of their greater space, which allows various propulsion systems to be made compatible without compromising habitability, capacity or comfort.
Mazda is now joining this trend with its latest launch, next fall, of the brand new CX-80, which follows in the wake of the CX-60 and is the second model of the large platform group aimed at the European market. This new SUV of generous proportions is the most spacious vehicle in the Japanese firm’s range destined for the Old Continent and is set to be Mazda’s new reference model in Europe.
It shares a platform, development and mechanics with the CX-60, but its presence is noticeably more imposing since its body is considerably larger: up to 25 cm longer. Thus, it reaches 4.99 m long by almost 1.90 m wide and 1.70 m high with a wheelbase of 3.12 meters. These mammoth dimensions allow it to have a cabin with three rows of seats and up to three possible interior configurations for the second row, being able to configure it with 6 or even 7 seats.
One of the alternatives consists of a second row with two independent seats separated by a center console or by a passage area to the third row, while another configuration option is a second row of seats with capacity for three people. For their part, the two seats in the third row, in addition to allowing a good cargo area behind them, can be folded down to form a flat surface.
As a result, the declared capacity of the trunk will vary depending on the rows used and their position, since the second has longitudinal adjustment, as well as a variable angle of inclination of the backrests. In its most favorable cargo layout, the CX-80 will reach 687 liters while in the option with the highest passenger occupancy it remains at 258 liters.
From a stylistic point of view, the designers of the Hiroshima firm have applied the latest evolution of Mazda’s well-known Kodo design approach and language, focusing on the elegance and purity of a minimalist Japanese aesthetic, eliminating everything unnecessary. The objective of the creative team and the brand’s master craftsmen has been to create a car as can only be made in Japan, with deeply manual work in the most literal and practical sense of the term until reaching the maxim of “Crafted in Japan”.
As far as the technologies of the new CX-80 are concerned, it lives up to what is expected from the brand’s reference model in Europe and presents three new features: a new voice control through Alexa, a new navigation system hybrid with the benefits of online and offline services, and the new trailer hitch view, which uses the central display and advanced graphics to help position the vehicle in relation to a trailer. Its towing capacity is estimated at 2,500 kg.
On a mechanical level, the CX-80 will be launched with two e-Skyactiv engines. The first of them is a plug-in hybrid with a four-cylinder gasoline engine and an electric motor that translate into attractive performance and excellent environmental performance. The second is a highly efficient inline six-cylinder e-Skyactiv D diesel engine. This second engine is complemented by Mazda’s 48V M Hybrid Boost light hybrid system, which contributes to very favorable consumption and emissions figures within its category.
The e-Skyactiv PHEV version develops a total power of 241 kW (equivalent to 327 HP), with a torque delivery of 500 Nm. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds, reaches a maximum speed of 195 km/h and has a range of 60 km in fully electric mode. Its environmental credentials are optimal, with an average WLTP fuel consumption of 1.6 l/100 km and CO2 emissions of just 36 g/km.
For its part, the e-Skyactiv D block generates 254 HP (187 kW), accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.4 seconds and its maximum speed is 219 km/h. Its average WLTP fuel consumption is 5.7-5.8 l/100 km and it emits 148-151 g/km of CO2. The two engines are complemented by an 8-speed automatic transmission and Mazda’s i-Activ AWD all-wheel drive system. In addition, it incorporates the Mazda Intelligent Drive (Mi-Drive) selector that was already introduced with the CX-60 and that allows you to choose between four driving modes (plus EV mode in the PHEV version).
The CX-80 platform uses a double wishbone front suspension and multi-link rear suspension. This configuration offers appreciable ride comfort in any situation, stable vehicle handling and fluid body control. And in order not to lose the traditional dynamic touch with which Mazda has historically managed to distinguish its models, the company’s flagship features a permanent all-wheel drive system with a greater distribution of torque to the rear wheels. This solution provides the stability and traction typical of an AWD system, but also the fluidity in cornering characteristic of rear-wheel drive.
