Before you go into shock after reading my headline—hear me out. Mazda has quietly been creeping upmarket since 2022. It started with the CX-50 and carried on in earnest with the three-row CX-90.
The company hopes it can become a genuine BMW competitor in the next few years, and while some of its products are still a ways off, the CX-70 is proof that Mazda is heading in the right direction. Yes, I know, the CX-70 is literally a CX-90 with one fewer row. That means you get the same design, the same powertrain options, and the same interior.
And for some reason, it costs more; The CX-70 starts at $41,900 while the CX-90 costs $39,300. But if you ignore the utterly confusing packaging issues, when taken at face value, the CX-70 is sublime. And in many respects, may be a better buy than a comparable BMW X5.
Off the bat, you won't find a BMW SUV that looks this damn good. Mazda's design language translates perfectly to the large-ish SUV. Slim headlights with LED accents bleed into the five-sided grille and a horizontal tail light treatment gives the CX-70 a wide posture out back.
This tester even has a Zircon Sand paint job, one of my favorite Mazda hues. The interior isn't any less pretty. A big swath of luscious suede stretches across the dash and onto the door panels.
Tan Nappa leather, stitched black leather, and aluminum accents on this Premium Plus model dot the rest of the cabin. Everything just feels..
. nice. You won't find some of these materials on any mainstream BMW, l.
