The Japanese brand's new premium push has aced it for build quality, but somehow fallen short of delivering a premium ride/handling blend in its new flagship SUVs.
The CX-80 appears ready to change that - starting with a suspension tune intended to complement the comfort and class of its superb interior. Designed for Japan and Europe, but also destined for Australia, the CX-80 effectively lengthens a CX-60 by 250mm to create a proper 6/7-seater - much like the previous CX-8 did to a CX-5. Only this time, the CX-80 is a far more grown up and polished SUV, with a range of powertrains including a pair of straight sixes and a 'PHEV' plug-in hybrid.
Chasing Cars' Daniel Gardner spent some time behind the wheel of a CX-80 PHEV in Germany, and came to the conclusion that Mazda's promising new-generation SUVs seem to be finally reaching maturity.
Timecodes:
0:00 - Intro
1:16 - Interior and front seats
2:00 - Quality
2:57 - Dashboard controls
3:15 - Multimedia
4:38 - Storage
5:09 - 2nd row 'captain's chairs'
6:54 - Third row and boot
8:13 - Powertrains
9:13 - Performance
10:11 - Refinement and efficiency
10:43 - Dynamics
11:32 - Suspension changes
12:31 - Safety tech
13:51 - Verdict
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