Designing a car that’s pretty much like the others in its class is a pointless endeavor. Yet, it’s what most automakers seem to do most of the time. Mazda hasn’t done it with the 2025 CX-70.
This 2-row SUV is genuinely unique. It may not be the one you’re expecting if you’re a longtime Mazda fan. It has different pros and cons than most cars in its class, which is great news for car shoppers.
In some ways, the CX-70 works brilliantly. In others, it has room for improvement. However, in a week of driving it, I never once thought it was a typical midsize SUV. Its odd mix of traits will make it ideal for some buyers.
My tester was the most well-equipped, expensive version Mazda makes, a 3.3 Turbo S Premium Plus model. The only added-cost option was Soul Red Crystal Metallic paint, which adds $595 and is one of the prettiest, most jewel-like automotive reds available in 2024. The car’s total price was $58,000, including a $1,455 delivery fee.
Mazda’s Unique Vibe
The automotive press likes to sort cars into two categories: mainstream (or affordable) and luxury. Mazda likes to try to straddle both. We’re sometimes left wondering whether we need a third category somewhere between the two to describe cars that are a little more upscale than your average Ford or Toyota but not pricey enough to compete with BMW and Lexus.
Mazda is the reason we have these discussions.
Mazda vehicles are priced almost like mainstream cars. However, they tend to be just a little sportier, and their interiors just a bit more upscale.
The CX-70 hits some parts of that formula perfectly. On others, it’s not what Mazda fans expect.
The Most Mazda Mazda
In some ways, the CX-70 is the perfect Mazda vehicle — a near-luxury option for those who want some sport and creature comforts but don’t want to spend Mercedes money.
On paper, a description of the CX-70 reads a lot like a description of the $65,000-plus BMW X5.
For instance, most affordable 5-seat SUVs use a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, while many luxury models use an inline 6-cylinder mill. So-called “straight six” engines are common in luxury brands but rare among affordable automakers. They’re famed for their smoothness. BMW will sell you an I6; Honda will not.
The CX-70 has an inline-6.
At 340 horsepower, it’s more muscular than anything found in a Honda Passport or Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport.
The CX-70 also uses an all-wheel drive (AWD) system biased toward the rear, a feature common to luxury SUVs that prioritizes a sporty feel. Most competition at this price point offers all-wheel drive, but not the sporty kind.
Even inside, the CX-70 reads a little like a European luxury SUV. My tester had quilted Nappa leather seats with heating and ventilation and 3-zone climate control. Designers brought real artistry to the cabin. The faux-suede dashboard featured stitching inspired by traditional Japanese bookbinding techniques.
All this, with a price tag under $60,000? That’s what Mazda fans know and love.
The Least Mazda Mazda
In other ways, the CX-70 misses what Mazda usually tries to do.
The most obvious example is a quirky transmission. It’s an 8-speed automatic, and it’s fine in daily use. But it behaves oddly at low speeds, sometimes hunting for gears.
The frequent shifts aren’t harsh, but they’re noticeable. Pull away from a stoplight quickly, and the transmission shifts decisively. But accelerate at a relaxed pace, and you’ll feel a mild bump every time as the thing searches for the right gear.
Is it a reason not to buy the car? No. Plenty of buyers won’t notice it, but from the “zoom-zoom” company, it’s weird. If you’re moving up from a CX-5, the CX-70 will feel slightly less sporty than you expect.
It still handles quite well for something this large.
Then there’s the matter of the touchscreen. It’s only sometimes a touchscreen. When it’s connected to your phone and running Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, it operates like a normal touchscreen. When it isn’t, you operate it with a rotating puck controller. Why Mazda can produce a touchscreen and doesn’t let you just touch the screen I don’t understand.
The CX-70 is full of mildly compromised luxuries like that. Compare it to a Toyota product, and you’ll be impressed with the long list of features. Compare it to a Lexus, and it will illustrate why we have the term “near-luxury.”
A 3-Row SUV With Two Rows
Finally, there’s the simple matter of size.
Most automakers build a 2-row midsize SUV and a larger 3-row midsize SUV. Think Chevrolet Blazer and Traverse, for instance. They’re clearly part of the same family. But you couldn’t confuse one for the other. They’re wildly different sizes.
That’s not true at Mazda. Last year, Mazda introduced an all-new 3-row SUV, the CX-90. They then converted it into the CX-70 by removing the rear seats. Park them side-by-side, and the only obvious difference is in the nameplate. The CX-70 even has armrests and cupholders molded into the walls of the cargo area — there to support a third row that doesn’t exist.
That gives it one of the largest cargo areas in its class.
Unusual Is Good
The Mazda CX-70 doesn’t quite have the zoom-zoom character Mazda lovers enjoy. But it’s extremely well-equipped for its price and undeniably good-looking inside and out. It treats interior design as a craft and offers more cargo space than most rivals. That will make it the clear choice for some. In a field of mostly similar SUVs, it’s a welcome oddball.
