Some of us might have ignored the Mazda CX-60 announcement because it’s not coming to the United States, but the Mazda CX-90 is.

Why should you care about the new Mazda SUVs? The early news is that the new CX-60 arrives in other markets with three new powertrains. This SUV is the first to use a new plug-in hybrid setup using a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter gas engine and an electric motor. Of course, this isn’t what we really want to talk about when it comes to this new SUV lineup.

The New CX-60 Meets Foreign Regulations

The new plug-in hybrid setup of the CX-60 delivers 323 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. Along with this new hybrid system, this SUV brings a new diesel powertrain. The diesel is absolutely never going to see time in North America, but it uses a 3.3-liter straight-six that makes 251 horsepower and 404 lb-ft of torque. In Australia, the Mazda CX-60 will receive both of these engines along with a new powertrain that will arrive in the United States. This third powertrain is the system that we are most interested in talking about today.

What is the New Mazda Powertrain Heading to the United States?

The third version of the Australian Mazda CX-60 uses a 3.3-liter straight-six plus a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. This configuration might not deliver the most impressive power level for the CX-60, but it does offer more power than what we’ve seen in Mazda SUVs in the United States. This powertrain offers 280 horsepower and 331 lb-ft of torque. This is the new powertrain heading to the North American version of the Mazda CX-90, which will be part of the 2023 model year offerings from Mazda.

Why Should We Enjoy a Six-Cylinder Engine from Mazda?

What makes the Mazda engines interesting and exactly what we want to enjoy? Although this new inline-six isn’t using the SkyActiv engine technology, we’ve found in previous Mazda vehicles, the characteristics that make this Mazda engine impressive are still present. The maximum horsepower is reached between 5,000 and 6,000 rpm, but the torque is the more interesting part of the story. Torque is required for excellent acceleration, and the sooner you reach maximum torque levels, the faster you can go from a stop. For this new Mazda engine, the maximum torque is reached between 2,000 and 3,5000 rpm.

Does the New Mazda Engine Hold a Candle to Luxury Performance?

If you were trying to compare this new inline-six-cylinder engine with the base engine offered in the Mercedes-AMG C63, you’d see the Mazda falls sort of power numbers by quite a bit. The smaller 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the Mercedes-AMG model delivers an impressive 476 horsepower and 402 lb-ft of torque. This is certainly an argument for adding turbocharging to the new Mazda engine. Could we see a future Mazda CX-90 with an incredibly powerful engine under the hood? The time for that might be quickly running out.

Why Does the New Mazda Engine Hold Back?

Considering the new 3.3-liter six-cylinder engine only makes 280 horsepower, which is only 30 more than the outgoing 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder model, we think this new engine is holding something back. The increased size should have put this engine over the 300-horsepower mark, but it didn’t. This could be directly related to the fact that it’s not turbocharged, but more likely, another explanation is required. This additional explanation is that this new engine is detuned for reliability and fuel mileage numbers as it becomes the engine used for the Mazda CX-90, which will be followed by the CX-70.

Is This Larger Engine the Right Move for Mazda?

In a world where all other automakers are downsizing their engines while producing more power and efficiency through hybrid models, added turbocharging, and advanced electrification, Mazda chose to go bigger. Not only did they go bigger, but they also went old-school with a naturally aspirated engine. The only advanced aspect of this new powertrain is the 48-volt mild-hybrid system. This system is typically only useful in offering a slight bump in fuel mileage and off-the-line acceleration in other vehicles.

Unfortunately, to date, Mazda hasn’t figured out how to build an EV that we can admire and use every day. The New Mazda MX-30 has an EV powertrain, but it’s only good for 100 miles of driving range on a full battery. This might be a small new crossover with an EV powertrain, but it feels like it’s taking things backward a decade to when EVs were more of a novelty than the future. Mazda needs to either step up it’s game in a hurry or turn to a partner that could help them develop EVs with appropriate levels of driving.

What are the Plans for the Mazda CX-90?

The new Mazda CX-90 hits the market as part of the 2023 model year, using this new inline-six for the desired power. Eventually, this new model will be offered as a plug-in hybrid vehicle that should have an electric driving range of up to 35 miles. Currently, any speculation about the future of this new flagship SUV is just that. We don’t know what the plans are to make this new SUV more powerful, and efficient, or offer the movement toward electrification. We also don’t know if the CX-90 will be an EV when it’s time for the new Mazda EVs.

Three New Mazda EVs are In the Works

Currently, the plans are for Mazda to bring three new electric vehicles to the market by 2025, giving us three new models that will ride on electric-only platforms. Hopefully, these new EVs won’t use the same heavily limited platform as the MX-30. If Mazda develops EVs that offer appropriate levels of driving range and impressive features, we’ll have future vehicles that fit into the new electrified automotive world.

The new Mazda CX-90 with the new inline-six is on the way. Could this new SUV offer more space in the rear than the CX-9 it replaces? Will the mild-hybrid system give us an impressive level of fuel mileage in a three-row midsize crossover SUV? We’ll know more soon.