2025 Mazda CX-70

Mazda shook up the three-row crossover scene in a big way last year with their inline-six-powered CX-90. It is the kind of highly functional, surprisingly luxurious, and entertaining sporty utility that only Mazda could deliver for a reasonable price. But not everyone needs a third row, and that’s what this first-ever CX-70 is all about.

If you’re trying to spot the differences between this new 2025 Mazda CX-70 and its CX-90 stablemate, well, you have to look at the details. They share the same chassis, powertrains, and mostly the same interior, but with one less row of seating for the CX-70 for a maximum capacity of 5. But a keen eye can catch the differences outside, though fortunately not too much as the CX-90 is one very smooth looking utility. There is, however, unique black trim here on the CX-70, along with different wheels.

Both SUVs share the same 122.8-inch wheelbase, and a huge 39.4 inches of second row seat leg room. But on the 70, it’s the cargo area behind that seat that gets an “active lifestyle” overhaul, with a huge underfloor gear sub-trunk where the folded 3rd row seats used to be. Otherwise, there’s 39.6 cubic-feet of flat floor cargo space in the CX-70, with a nice expansion to 75.3 cubic-ft. with the 60/40 split rear seatbacks folded.

Style-wise, everything looks and feels nicely upscale and Audi-like inside the CX-70. Great materials, and dash and door panels have a highly sculpted vibe to them, perfect for the “stealth wealth” crowd who want to be pampered but not flaunt it. The very comfortable front seats are a big part of that pampering. Unlike just about every other new vehicle on the road today, Mazda’s infotainment screen is not a touchscreen; you have to use the console-mounted dial for inputs, but the dashtop-mounted screen itself is very clear.

All three CX-70 powertrain choices include electric assistance of some measure, with an eight-speed automatic, and all-wheel drive. The standard engine is a mild-hybrid inline-six turbo with 280 horsepower. You can add more from there by going with a 340-horsepower Turbo S or taking the top PHEV plug-in hybrid route.

We’ve spent time with all of them, but for this test our focus is the PHEV, which combines a 2.5-liter I4 engine with a 68-kW electric motor for a combined output of 323 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. It offers up to 26 miles of strictly-EV driving with multiple drive mode settings, and you can charge the battery on the go.

At the test track, there was a nice punch of power off the line, with the electric motor adding a noticeable amount of thrust. The CX-70 hit 60 in 6.1 seconds, 3/10ths quicker than we saw from an inline-six Turbo S CX-90. Now, this four-cylinder may not sound quite as good as the six, more high strung than powerful, but the whole PHEV package delivered smooth, seamless power the whole way down the track. We finished out the quarter in 14.7 seconds at 86 mph.

And, not surprising for a Mazda, the CX-70 handled our cone courses with ease. Suspension was tight, steering was light, there was very little body roll for a vehicle this size, and it seemed to be urging us to add more throttle as we were going through the cones. Though stability systems will step in if you get too aggressive with inputs. The brakes were not as sporty feeling, as the soft pedal had lots of travel. Still, results were quite good, stopping us from 60 in 112 feet with no fade.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 56 Combined for the MPGe and 25 Combined for gasoline only. Our loop yielded 24.7 mpg of Premium. With more plug-in time, some owners report 30 and above for typical commuting and around town duties.

Now you may think not having a third row would make the CX-70 cheaper. Not so, the base CX-70 starts at $41,900. That’s $2,600 higher than the three-row base CX-90. The reason? The base CX-70’s higher trim level is better equipped. PHEV pricing starts at $55,855.

And we think that’s one reason Mazda has given different versions of the same vehicle different names. That losing a row of seats in the CX-70 doesn’t mean losing the rest of the premium attributes of the CX-90. That includes adhering to the sporting spirit of their own MX-5 Miata. Indeed, the 2025 Mazda CX-70 is more than just another two-row crossover designed for “active lifestyles.” It’s a premium utility where the driver remains a top priority. We loved driving the CX-70 just as much as we did the CX-90. So, depending on your lifestyle, we highly recommend both.