Should you consider buying a 2024 Mazda CX-90?

1088 Views 14 Replies 6 Participants Last post by ford1953jim, 8 d ago

ASH8

Discussion Starter · 27 d ago

Well some of you may know me and most of you wont

, I have been a Mazda Owner a Mazda worker in Dealerships and Mazda Distribution (fixed operations for Mazda Parts and Service) for many many years.
I worked for Mitsubishi for awhile, just not the same as Mazda.

I started working at a Mazda Dealership @ 17 years of age and worked my way up so to speak.
I just love the brand and what they do, I own Rotaries and Miatas MX-5s, Mazda 626, 323, RX-3, 1300, RX-5, 929 B2600 and RX-8....Probably left off a few and then the countless of company car Mazda's.

Anyway I read many reviews but this guys CX-90s conclusion really got it, he understands what Mazda has been for the past 30 years, before that they were great cars but did not have the soul like they do today.
Real engineering, and if you actually love Driving...well Mazda always nails it.

I really thought it worthwhile posting and a link to his full article.
And no I don't get paid and I am retired from Mazda.

Should you consider buying a 2024 Mazda CX-90?

Mazda is an underdog. The automaker’s PR reps will tell you that themselves. The Japanese brand knows it can’t keep up with the likes of Toyota and Honda when it comes to raw sales or the rugged allure of options like the Kia Telluride and Jeep Grand Cherokee. So it pulled an audible, moving upstream with a charming six-cylinder engine, a rear-wheel-drive platform, and even more luxury in a package that’s way too enjoyable to drive for its own good. Whether the average consumer looks at all of the parts, especially the soulful inline-six engine, and sees a premium SUV worth the premium price tag remains to be seen.

For me, the answer is simple. If you enjoy driving and don’t want an SUV that looks like it will take you into the woods, the 2024 Mazda CX-90 is so freaking good. What Mazda did here is special. It deserves to sell in mass quantities because car people got together and made an SUV that’s for genuine car people. The inline-six-powered SUV will speak to the driver in you, while the PHEV is the more logical choice. Either way, the CX-90’s grand design, fabulous interior, and athletic handling are enough to put in a class above the rest.

Despite a straight-six engine, a new platform, and even more luxury, this is an SUV that’s meant for drivers

The 2024 Mazda CX-90 is a sweet, characterful SUV that nails Mazda’s first true attempt at going upstream.

www.themanual.com

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ASH8

Discussion Starter · #2 · 27 d ago

Also did a quick list of all Features available on the CX-90..
If I got any wrong please let me know ...

8 Way Power-adjustable and heated front seats, heated rear seats
2-position power driver's seat memory function
60/40 split fold-down and reclining 2nd-row seats with Easy tilt and slide 3rd-row access
60/40 split fold-down 3rd-row seats (3 seats)
Bose® Centerpoint® Surround Sound System with AudioPilot® and 12 speakers
SiriusXM® Satellite Radio with 3-month trial subscription
Ventilated front and Ventilated rear seats
Nappa Leather upholstery
Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen display
12.3-inch full digital instrument cluster
Wireless phone charging
Hands Free Power tailgate
Three-zone climate control
Kinematic Posture Control
19 to 21 inch alloy wheels
3.3L Turbo Inline 6 engine
M Hybrid Boost (Mild Hybrid)
All wheel drive Rear-biased (AWD)
Drive 8-speed automatic transmission with Manual-shift mode
Power sliding-glass panoramic moonroof with tilt feature
Rear retractable window sunshade
USB Input (Type C), 2 front, 2 2nd-row and 2 3rd-row
Rear privacy glass
Three-zone automatic climate control

Safety

Ten airbags
Dual front air bags with seat belt-use, passenger-weight sensors
Front side-impact air bags and side-impact air curtains with rollover protection
Driver and front passenger knee air bags
Front + Rear seat belt pretensioners with force limiters, all 3 point harness belts
Rear seat belt alert
Secondary Collision Reduction System
Smart Brake Support-Reverse
Auto Emergency Braking (AEB)
360-degree camera
Engine-immobilizer anti-theft system
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Blind spot monitoring with Blind Spot Assist
Driver monitoring and attention alert
Front and rear cross-traffic alert and Brake
Front and rear parking sensors
Hill Descent Control
Active Driving Display
Rear door courtesy illumination
LED overhead accent and front and rear door pocket lighting
LED headlights with auto on/off
LED combination taillights
LED daytime running lights
Lane Departure Warning
Emergency Lane Keeping Assist
Vehicle Exit Warning
Mazda Radar Cruise Control with Stop & Go*+ automatic speed limit adjustment
Traffic Sign Recognition
Hands-free Rear Power Liftgate
150-volt accessory Outlet
Ambient footwell lighting
Reverse Camera (High Def)
Windshield wiper de-icer
Rain-sensing windshield wipers
Intermittent rear wiper/washer
Automatic power-folding side mirrors
Heated power side mirrors with LED turn signals
Auto dimming driver's side mirror
Frameless auto-dimming rearview mirror with HomeLink®
Hybrid navigation system with off-road navigation
Body-colored rear roof spoiler
Mazda Advanced Keyless Entry System
Multifunction Commander control
Infotainment system voice command
Radio Broadcast Data System program information
Pandora® internet radio integration
HD Radio
SMS text message audio delivery and reply
Automatic emergency notification
Bluetooth®12 hands-free phone and audio streaming capability
Mazda Connected Services
Power windows with one-touch down/up feature
Power door locks with speed-sensing auto locking
Paddle Gear change shifters
Push Button Start/Stop
Front and rear door bottle holders with storage pockets/bins
Overhead console with sunglasses holder
Full Carpet Floormats
Cargo area with storage boxes and under floor storage
Steering wheel-mounted audio, phone and cruise controls
LATCH 2nd-row and 3rd-row seat child safety seat anchors & upper tether anchors
Child safety rear door locks
Perimeter Key Fobs

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SC300Es

· #3 · 27 d ago

This is a great summary.

We have a 2008. It's been long overdue for replacement. When we looked at the last generation the second & third row seats felt too cramped. Otherwise, loved everything about it.

Fast forward to now I like everything about the CX-90 but can't get my wife to sign off on the captains chairs. I like to get the loaded models since we keep them for so long and it's really a miss for Mazda and other makes to not offer bench on top trims.

It's going to come down to whether I can sell her on the Mazda or the other option, the MDX with the bench seat on every trim.

I also think they should have offered remote start on the key fob. Don't know why that is so hard to do.

Reactions: 1

ASH8

Discussion Starter · #4 · 27 d ago

Remote Start is available on the free MyMazda App (you must VIN register App) and does a lot more things, there are some very good reasons not to include it on the Key-Fob.

So you take your phone and start your car with Phone (with your proximity key fob on your person) you just auto open the locked door and you are ready to go as car is already running.

Summer you can select AC to run and Heater (s) to run in Winter.

ASH8

Discussion Starter · #5 · 27 d ago

Like Mazda always does you might find in about a year they change the model mix and features, Mazda are generally good at listening and may include a model with full bench 2nd row seats, but would depend on the demand for it.

All car brands over time get to see what sells and what does not with and for their competition and usually follow one way or the other if the numbers add up.
Usually for Mazda the demand quantity is 200 (minimum) of a set model feature per month, so would or could they sell 200 CX-90's with a 2nd row luxury bench seats per month?

InlineSix

· #6 · 27 d ago

ASH8 said:
Well some of you may know me and most of you wont , I have been a Mazda Owner a Mazda worker in Dealerships and Mazda Distribution (fixed operations for Mazda Parts and Service) for many many years.
I worked for Mitsubishi for awhile, just not the same as Mazda.

I started working at a Mazda Dealership @ 17 years of age and worked my way up so to speak.
I just love the brand and what they do, I own Rotaries and Miatas MX-5s, Mazda 626, 323, RX-3, 1300, RX-5, 929 B2600 and RX-8....Probably left off a few and then the countless of company car Mazda's.

Anyway I read many reviews but this guys CX-90s conclusion really got it, he understands what Mazda has been for the past 30 years, before that they were great cars but did not have the soul like they do today.
Real engineering, and if you actually love Driving...well Mazda always nails it.

I really thought it worthwhile posting and a link to his full article.
And no I don't get paid and I am retired from Mazda.

Should you consider buying a 2024 Mazda CX-90?

Mazda is an underdog. The automaker’s PR reps will tell you that themselves. The Japanese brand knows it can’t keep up with the likes of Toyota and Honda when it comes to raw sales or the rugged allure of options like the Kia Telluride and Jeep Grand Cherokee. So it pulled an audible, moving upstream with a charming six-cylinder engine, a rear-wheel-drive platform, and even more luxury in a package that’s way too enjoyable to drive for its own good. Whether the average consumer looks at all of the parts, especially the soulful inline-six engine, and sees a premium SUV worth the premium price tag remains to be seen.

For me, the answer is simple. If you enjoy driving and don’t want an SUV that looks like it will take you into the woods, the 2024 Mazda CX-90 is so freaking good. What Mazda did here is special. It deserves to sell in mass quantities because car people got together and made an SUV that’s for genuine car people. The inline-six-powered SUV will speak to the driver in you, while the PHEV is the more logical choice. Either way, the CX-90’s grand design, fabulous interior, and athletic handling are enough to put in a class above the rest.

Despite a straight-six engine, a new platform, and even more luxury, this is an SUV that’s meant for drivers

The 2024 Mazda CX-90 is a sweet, characterful SUV that nails Mazda’s first true attempt at going upstream.

www.themanual.com

Nice review. For some reason I feel the urge to purchase an electric golf cart

InlineSix

· #7 · 27 d ago

ASH8 said:
Remote Start is available on the free MyMazda App (you must VIN register App) and does a lot more things, there are some very good reasons not to include it on the Key-Fob.

So you take your phone and start your car with Phone (with your proximity key fob on your person) you just auto open the locked door and you are ready to go as car is already running.

Summer you can select AC to run and Heater (s) to run in Winter.

I can’t think of one good reason not to have remote start on the key fob

InlineSix

· #8 · 27 d ago

ASH8 said:
Like Mazda always does you might find in about a year they change the model mix and features, Mazda are generally good at listening and may include a model with full bench 2nd row seats, but would depend on the demand for it.

All car brands over time get to see what sells and what does not with and for their competition and usually follow one way or the other if the numbers add up.
Usually for Mazda the demand quantity is 200 (minimum) of a set model feature per month, so would or could they sell 200 CX-90's with a 2nd row luxury bench seats per month?

Since you say you are older and retired, I am sure you know it is not really a “bench seat” in the classic sense. In the old days you had to climb over the fixed bench seat to get into the back of the SUV/station wagon, which probably didn’t even have a third row! I am pretty sure the “bench seat” in the CX-90 is actually a 1/3 - 2/3 split, in which both seatbacks fold and slide on rails for easy access to the the third row, and it also includes a very handy fold down armrest/cup holder. Second row captain’s chairs are really only good for toddlers who want to easily run back to the third row. Think about it, if you are an adult, what is easier, going all the way inside the cabin and hunching down to get back into the third row, or simply pulling the lever on the second row seatback and getting inside? Car manufacturers are in love with captain’s chairs because they make SUVs look like luxury airliners. But really, as far as getting into the third row they are impractical for anyone except very young children, because the roof of the vehicle is always too low

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ASH8

Discussion Starter · #9 · 27 d ago (Edited)

So you want a fob that only starts your car, how basic. What is the point really.

I would rather have App Control, you leave proximity fob concealed on you and never need to touch it and use your App to start, lock, unlock, activate your climate control system, activate the panic alarm and find your parked Mazda virtually anywhere. New update will permit ventilated seats on, steering wheel heater on, seat heater on.

Reactions: 1

Cambone

· #10 · 27 d ago

Thanks for all the info! Considering your experience in the service department I am trying to track down a service/shop manual for these cars. Someone online posted the 8,000 page manual for my Q7 and it was awesome to have all the proper procedures for anything really. I talked to my local shop and got the line that its all on a Mazda specific computer and there was no way to have a PDF copy. Can you or anyone on here with access get the shop manual for the CX-90?

Thanks again!

InlineSix

· #11 · 26 d ago

ASH8 said:
So you want a fob that only starts your car, how basic. What is the point really.

I would rather have App Control, you leave proximity fob concealed on you and never need to touch it and use your App to start, lock, unlock, activate your climate control system, activate the panic alarm and find your parked Mazda virtually anywhere. New update will permit ventilated seats on, steering wheel heater on, seat heater on.

It is definitely nice to have all those options, but nothing beats the convenience of pressing a couple buttons on my remote to immediately start the car. Also, it is free. Eventually you will have to pay a monthly fee to access the app. Am I right about that ?

Reactions: 1

ASH8

Discussion Starter · #12 · 24 d ago (Edited)

Cambone said:
Thanks for all the info! Considering your experience in the service department I am trying to track down a service/shop manual for these cars. Someone online posted the 8,000 page manual for my Q7 and it was awesome to have all the proper procedures for anything really. I talked to my local shop and got the line that its all on a Mazda specific computer and there was no way to have a PDF copy. Can you or anyone on here with access get the shop manual for the CX-90?

Thanks again!

Hi,
Sorry for late response.
So far I have not seen nor heard of any Full Workshop Manual for the CX-90.

Almost all of the Technical information for Mazda USA (North America) is pay to view which gives you web access to information which you search for.
Around 10 years ago you could access WM in a .Pdf format, you could pay Mazda Dealer ($180USD) to obtain and get an excellent hardcopy print of on A4 paper and around a foot thick (about 4 reams).

Right now there is a web page for the Digital Owners manuals and an option to DM in a .Pdf downloadable file, which is about 715 pages.

https://www.mazdausa.com/static/manuals/2024/cx-90/quick.html

See View as .Pdf on the left.

Have you asked your Mazda Dealer about a full CX-90 Workshop Manual availability and what was their response, I would be asking the Service Manager or his #1 Service Advisor.
Don't ask the car salesman as they know next to nothing.

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Cambone

· #13 · 24 d ago

I spoke to the guy in the parts department. Your right I need to go too the SM.

Reactions: 1

KD6AR

· #14 · 19 d ago

ASH8 said:
Hi,
Sorry for late response.
So far I have not seen nor heard of any Full Workshop Manual for the CX-90.

Almost all of the Technical information for Mazda USA (North America) is pay to view which gives you web access to information which you search for.
Around 10 years ago you could access WM in a .Pdf format, you could pay Mazda Dealer ($180USD) to obtain and get an excellent hardcopy print of on A4 paper and around a foot thick (about 4 reams).

Right now there is a web page for the Digital Owners manuals and an option to DM in a .Pdf downloadable file, which is about 715 pages.

https://www.mazdausa.com/static/manuals/2024/cx-90/quick.html
See View as .Pdf on the left.

Have you asked your Mazda Dealer about a full CX-90 Workshop Manual availability and what was their response, I would be asking the Service Manager or his #1 Service Advisor.
Don't ask the car salesman as they know next to nothing.

Appreciate the manual link.

ford1953jim

· #15 · 8 d ago (Edited)

ASH8 said:
Well some of you may know me and most of you wont , I have been a Mazda Owner a Mazda worker in Dealerships and Mazda Distribution (fixed operations for Mazda Parts and Service) for many many years.
I worked for Mitsubishi for awhile, just not the same as Mazda.

I started working at a Mazda Dealership @ 17 years of age and worked my way up so to speak.
I just love the brand and what they do, I own Rotaries and Miatas MX-5s, Mazda 626, 323, RX-3, 1300, RX-5, 929 B2600 and RX-8....Probably left off a few and then the countless of company car Mazda's.

Anyway I read many reviews but this guys CX-90s conclusion really got it, he understands what Mazda has been for the past 30 years, before that they were great cars but did not have the soul like they do today.
Real engineering, and if you actually love Driving...well Mazda always nails it.

I really thought it worthwhile posting and a link to his full article.
And no I don't get paid and I am retired from Mazda.

Should you consider buying a 2024 Mazda CX-90?

Mazda is an underdog. The automaker’s PR reps will tell you that themselves. The Japanese brand knows it can’t keep up with the likes of Toyota and Honda when it comes to raw sales or the rugged allure of options like the Kia Telluride and Jeep Grand Cherokee. So it pulled an audible, moving upstream with a charming six-cylinder engine, a rear-wheel-drive platform, and even more luxury in a package that’s way too enjoyable to drive for its own good. Whether the average consumer looks at all of the parts, especially the soulful inline-six engine, and sees a premium SUV worth the premium price tag remains to be seen.

For me, the answer is simple. If you enjoy driving and don’t want an SUV that looks like it will take you into the woods, the 2024 Mazda CX-90 is so freaking good. What Mazda did here is special. It deserves to sell in mass quantities because car people got together and made an SUV that’s for genuine car people. The inline-six-powered SUV will speak to the driver in you, while the PHEV is the more logical choice. Either way, the CX-90’s grand design, fabulous interior, and athletic handling are enough to put in a class above the rest.

###### I saw the cx-90 at my local Mazda dealers a week ago. Can't believe how much larger it is than the cx-9. IMO the cx-9 is much better looking on the outside, but the cx-90 is nicer on the inside. Dealer had 7 cx-90s sitting out in front, and 23 more in transit.
Was shocked to see a Mazda for $60,000, and the one tested in above article was just under $62,000.
I really like how Mazdas drive. Have a 2009 Miata. Had a 2011 Mazda 2, and a 2014 Mazda 6, with 6spd manual, until it got totalled. Replaced it with a 2021 Mazda 3 hatchback.
I hope Mazda can make a go of it with the cx-90, but, at those prices, would not bet on it. Too many people with that kind of money to spend, won't even look at Mazda. Look at the 2014 Mazda 6 when it first came out. All the car magazines raved over it, but the sales never did well. I felt mine was the best car I ever owned, much better than the Camry I had earlier.
If I was looking for a 3 row SUV, I would look at the cx-9. Dealer here advertising the base Touring for $1900 off MSRP, and that is before dealing directly with them. I feel there will be a lot of unsold cx-90s sitting on lots by year end. I hope I am wrong. unfurl="true"]Despite a straight-six engine, a new platform, and even more luxury, this is an SUV that’s meant for drivers[/URL]

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