The Mazda CX-70 SUV is big. Big length at nearly 17 feet. Big weight of 4,863 pounds.
Big 21-inch wheels. Big panoramic roof. Big as sibling CX-90 because CX-70 just means it has two rows compared with the 90's three.
Yet CX-70 still thinks it's a wee Miata sportscar. Braking into a cloverleaf turn, the 2 1⁄2-tonner rotated with minimal body roll. The big, leather-wrapped wheel in my hands felt rooted to the ground — encouraging me to feed more throttle until the tires began to squeal in protest.
On exit, the silky, inline-6 engine roared with delight as I merged into traffic. Yup, it's a Mazda. Size and value Mazda's latest ute has big ambitions to go with its big proportions.
From its roots as a "zoom zoom" sportscar and sedan company, Mazda has transitioned to a premium SUV maker with offerings in the compact and midsize segments . A nd the CX-70 (as well as the three-row CX-90) offers one of the industry's best values. Along with that Miata DNA in the handling department, the CX-70 comes loaded with standard features starting at $41,700: forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, front and rear parking sensors, and adaptive cruise control .
Jump up to my tester's Premium trim, and you'll get 21-inch wheels, a pa-no-roof and a head-up display. Yet, the Premium CX-70 is still an impressive $47,335 — $24,000 less than a comparably equipped BMW X5 XDrive 40i. A few downsides I've raved about Mazda's smooth six-speed automatic trannies in the compact CX-5 and CX-50 SUV models at a time when other automakers have adopted complicated eight-and 10-speed boxes for their EPA-focused gas-mileage benefits.
For CX-70/CX-90, Mazda has chosen an eight-speed, and the SUVs feel hesitant — like a fawn trying out its new legs. Floor the pedal off that highway cloverleaf, and CX-70 felt uncertain, hunting for the right gear. Once engaged, the inline-6 clears its throat with an authoritative BLAAAT! (especially in Sport mode), but the transmission is a mismatch for the I-6's smooth power.
So is the clunky shifter. Its trendy monostable design is clumsy to operate with a two-step jig to get out of park and into reverse-neutral-drive modes. BMW and Audi pioneered the remote rotary controller, and Mazda covets that luxury vibe.
But Audi has abandoned the rotary to appeal to the smartphone, touchscreen generation, and BMW, while maintaining its i-Drive controller, has complemented it with redundant touchscreen capability. Not Mazda. It has stubbornly stuck with its wonky rotary.
Plenty of upside It's hard to be mad, though, when all this hardware is wrapped in Mazda's elegant red-leather interior. This lush cabin style is one of my favorites in the industry. Mazda offers other colors, but I find rouge leather to be irr-red-sistible.
I'm not used to a Mazda having such big back seats ; I could sit behind myself in the CX-70 with kneeroom to spare. Cargo capacity is a healthy 39.6 cubic feet with the back seat raised and a palatial 75.
3 with the seats down. The CX-70 complements that with sub-cargo storage where the third row would otherwise be in the CX-90. CX-70's sub-storage is accessed via a clever, folding cargo mat and is the right size for, say, kids' muddy soccer shoes.
But it's still a stretch to reach from the back bumper and may go unused over the lifetime of the vehicle. My favorite detail? A driver personalization system that measures height (I'm 6 foot 5 ; Mrs. Payne is 5-foot-5) and then automatically adopts that setting depending on which of us is in the driver's seat.
Oh, now that's big. 2025 Mazda CX-70 Vehicle type: Front engine, all-wheel-drive, five-passenger SUV Price: $41,700, including $1,375 destination ($47,335 Turbo S Premium as tested) Powerplant: Turbocharged 3.3-liter, inline-6 cylinder; 2.
5-liter inline-4 cylinder mated to 17.8 kWh lithium ion battery and rear electric motor Power: 280 horsepower, 332 pound-feet of torque (turbo-6); 340 horsepower, 369 pound-feet of torque (turbo-6 S); 323 horsepower, 369 pound-feet of torque (plug-in) Transmission: Eight-speed automatic Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.5 seconds (Turbo-6 S, mfr.
); towing, 5,000 pounds (I-6), 3,500 pounds (plug-in) Weight: 4,863 pounds (Turbo-6 S as tested) Fuel economy: EPA 23 mpg city/ 28 highway/ 25 combined (as tested) Report card: ■ Highs: Big, =family-size proportions; loaded with value, standard goodies ■ Lows: Quirky shifter, rotary controller ■ Overall: ★★★★.
