Mazda CX-90

Lovely looking car with lovely interiors. Nice and punchy inline 6 engine. Thats about it. If someone who is like me and is sensitive to noise, please stay away from this car. There is a dashboard rattle for which I have made multiple trips to the dealership and it still rattles. Also the transmission is very noisy and makes weird noises during idle. Never driven a car in my entire life that makes these noises. Mazda says this transmission noise is "normal".

Steering feels very heavy at times which is good during high speeds. But during three point turns your arms get a good workout.

Suspension is not the most comfortable.

Glad this car is on novated lease. I'm sure I wont pay the residual amount to own such a poor quality car unless they fix these issues. Looks like quality control is non existent in mazda as all the loan cars that I got from dealership had rattles with less that 500km on the odo. For a 90k car we expect the best. And this is the worst!

Tried contacting Mazda Australia several times and all they do is respond with a pre made email that advise me to contact dealer. Is the dealer who designed the transmission or is it Mazda? I'm confused!!

A near perfect large and luxurious SUV – The CX-90 is the most powerful production Mazda ever created. Sorry RX-7 owners, but a large SUV holds that title. Although when you have a large inline-six turbocharged motor hauling a family SUV, a RX-7 is still capable of out performing it on the street. But the CX-90 won't be far behind, as Mazda has worked to make this large SUV not just good to look at, but also great to drive.

It boasts a rear-drive bias, meaning power is ideally sent to the rear more often than to the front in this AWD set-up.

There's a sea of space in the second row, and a bigger than average third row too.

The front seats benefit from a mix physical and digital interactions, making it an easy cabin to master only after a few minutes of driving. There's nothing confusing about operating the CX-90.

It's exciting to see 'Inline-Six' badged on the side of this SUV too. It's a fully in-house developed engine, paired to a mild-hybrid system and a unique automatic gearbox.

The CX-90 isn't lightning quick, but it does pack pace when you demand power using that floor-mounted accelerator pedal.

Cornering is a delight too. The CX-90 moves like a powerlifter in casual attire. You might think it's a large and lumpy SUV in the corners, but instead it hides handling talent under its grand exterior.

The lack of a torque converter in place of a mild-hybrid system can allow for some choppy gear changes at low speeds, which can cheapen the luxury appeal of the CX-90. And those larger wheels and dynamic suspension set-up can result in a harsh ride over some ruts and ridges in the road.

What the CX-90 does best is combine the reality of owning a large SUV with the aspiration of owning a car that's actually enjoyable to drive.

The CX-90 is no Porsche Cayenne rival, but it offers a blend between the uber-luxury class of SUVs and practical family 'school buses' at a relatively affordable price. Even if it's Mazda's most expensive vehicle...ever.

*Disclaimer - I work for ProductReview as their independent car and motorbike expert. I borrow new cars and motorbikes from manufacturers and owners to review. I am not paid or incentivised by these brands to post reviews. I write and create content to provide insight and information about any new or used vehicle I can get my hands on.