The new Mazda CX60, a midsize SUV available as a diesel or plug-in hybrid that aims to make its mark in the premium segment. How does it compare with rivals like the BMW X3 and Mercedes GLC? REV puts it to the test.
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00:00As you might be able to tell by the rain on the window, the weather is once again not
00:14in my favor, that's why I'm greeting you from inside the car today.
00:21Our test car is Mazda's new CX-60, a mid-size SUV that aims to jump into the premium segment.
00:31Does that work?
00:32We'll find out right now.
00:33Welcome to REV.
00:37As you would expect from its size, Mazda sees this car as a long-distance trip vehicle.
00:44And you can also tell by the choice of engines they are offering.
00:48You can have it as a plug-in hybrid or, as we're testing right now, a diesel version.
00:53So both of these are very well suited for long-distance trips.
00:58However, the diesel is better than the hybrid, but we'll come to that in a second.
01:06The plug-in hybrid has a power output of 327 horsepower, making it the strongest available
01:14Mazda model.
01:15And our diesel here has a 3.3-liter engine, delivering 254 horsepower, which is also quite
01:23good.
01:24It makes the dash from 0 to 100 kilometers an hour in under 8 seconds and has a top speed
01:29of 219 kilometers an hour, which is absolutely okay for such a big car.
01:37The average consumption for the diesel version is around 5.5 liters, which is a very good
01:43figure considering the size and weight of the car.
01:51The plug-in hybrid is officially rated at some 1.5, 1.7 liters per 100 kilometers, combined
02:02with the electric energy.
02:05And once the battery is empty, and that is what I mentioned in the beginning, the consumption
02:14will go up to 7.5, maybe 8 liters.
02:19And that is, of course, not what you like to see when you plan to go on a long-distance
02:23trip.
02:24In 2024, Mazda sold more than 45,000 cars in Germany alone, with 45 percent of them
02:32bought by private individuals.
02:34Giving the Japanese carmaker a market share of 1.6 percent.
02:41Since it's raining, I cannot put the camera outside, which is why I had to improvise,
02:46adapt.
02:48And I added this little helper camera, which will show you a view of the interior.
02:54Talking about that, it looks very good.
02:57Everything is high quality, I mentioned it, and is soft to the touch.
03:02No matter what you touch, it feels very good, it looks very good, and there is basically
03:08nothing to complain about.
03:11However, there are things that are unusual.
03:15The first thing is the infotainment system.
03:21Usually nowadays you have a touchscreen, always.
03:26And Mazda still has their display that looks quite good.
03:32But it's not touch-operated.
03:33Instead, it uses this button down here where you will rotate or press, and the knobs right
03:40around that for the different functions, so navigation, media, or the home button.
03:51It works good, don't get me wrong, but if you'd want to use that system, for example
03:57for navigation, and you don't want to use voice recognition, because the car has that
04:02and that works quite good as well, but if you don't want to use that, then setting a
04:06destination with the turning knob is quite time-consuming.
04:16What's good, on the other hand, is the Mazda CX-60 still has physical buttons for climate
04:24control and also for seat and steering wheel heating.
04:27The seats can also be ventilated, so everything you would expect in a premium segment SUV.
04:36A very cool feature the car has is the driver personalization system.
04:44You can get that via the settings menu, and you will simply open it, and you can then
04:50add a new driver, then you just enter your height, so let's do it for me, 1.80m, and
04:58then you press start.
05:01And as you can tell, the car will adjust the seating position to what seems to be the ideal
05:08one for driving this car.
05:14However, I feel like I'm sitting a little too low, so I can still adjust that, like
05:23put it up or put it back, adjust the steering wheel, adjust the mirrors, whatever I like,
05:29and then I can simply press save, and that will be then set to my driver profile.
05:35How does the car do that?
05:37It will recognize your face, so once I get in the car, everything will be adjusted to
05:43my liking, and once someone else gets into the car, it will also be adjusted to their
05:49liking, so no need to choose some driver profile or anything.
05:53The car will do all of that automatically, which is a very nice and clever feature.
05:59The back row is very spacious with decent headroom.
06:02USB-C sockets for smartphones and a regular power socket offer plenty of charging possibilities,
06:08and the outer rear seats can be heated.
06:14You can tell Mazda wants to place this car in a premium environment, because they put
06:20a lot of effort into soundproofing the interior.
06:24It is super silent in here, even with the rough asphalt we have right here, you can
06:30tell Mazda did a very good job on this one.
06:33So, as I mentioned in the beginning, the plug-in hybrid is good if you also use the
06:44car for everyday driving to go to work, because then you can move it purely electric, but
06:50if you go on long-distance trips on a regular basis, then the diesel is the better choice.
06:55Being in the mid-size premium SUV segment, the CX-60 competes with the BMW X3 and Mercedes
07:10GLC.
07:11It is a few centimeters longer than both of these, but it's only three to five centimeters,
07:19so not really that much bigger.
07:26However, both of these are way more expensive than the Mazda.
07:31A Mercedes GLC will cost you around 58,500 Euros in Germany, which is 9,500 Euros more
07:41than the Mazda, and the BMW is around 66,000 Euros, which means around 17,000 Euros more
07:51than the CX-60.
07:56Considering that everything in here is high-quality to the touch, to the look, I see no reason,
08:04except maybe the personal taste of design, why you would choose a Mercedes or a BMW.
08:14One thing is clear, this is a rather big car, 4.75 meters in length.
08:19You sit rather high, so you have a very good overview of the road.
08:23However, you cannot exactly tell where the car ends at the front.
08:31To be fair, though, that is not really a problem, because the car has all sorts of assistance
08:37systems that will warn you if you get too close to any obstacle.
08:42The seats in the CX-60 are very comfortable.
08:47Just as a general driving impression, there is nothing to complain about in this car.
08:58Just as usual, there are all the driver assistance systems, which you can already hear beeping
09:04in the background.
09:06However, Mazda has a quite nice solution to the constant beeping if you drive two kilometers
09:12an hour too fast.
09:14There is a button right next to the steering wheel.
09:17You simply press it and all the warning sounds will be disabled.
09:21The systems, however, are still on, so you don't need to worry about your car not assisting
09:27you anymore.
09:28It will just not inform you with sound.
09:36It once again started raining, just as during the rest of the day, and despite of the weather
09:49being so annoying, I really enjoyed driving the car.
09:53It is very comfortable, quite luxurious, and considering the entry-level price of under
10:0050,000 euros, you get a very high-quality car for your money, which can easily compete
10:07with others in the premium segment.
10:10So, if you're looking for a premium midsize SUV, then the Mazda CX-60 might be worth to
10:17take a look at.
10:19All in all, the Mazda CX-60 offers plenty of standard equipment, like a rear-view camera,
10:25full LED headlights, and various safety and assistance systems.
10:29The soundproofing of the interior is excellent, and the ride comfort cannot be faulted.
10:35On the downside, the navigation system lacks touchscreen operation, and the plug-in hybrid
10:41consumes a lot of fuel once the battery is empty.