Mazda CX-80 review

What was Mazda thinking? At a time when manufacturers are falling over themselves to launch electric seven-seaters, the Japanese brand decided that its three-row SUV flagship – this Mazda CX-80 – should have a great big six-cylinder diesel engine.

Still, as we’ve seen, Mazda has a long history of flying in the face of convention, and anyway there’s also a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) CX-80 to give you the option of some electric-only driving. The PHEV can officially take you 38 miles on a full charge, and its 12% BIK tax rating will win it favour among company car users with big families.

The diesel, too, is slightly electrified (with mild-hybrid tech) but can’t officially go any distance on electric power alone. Instead, a small electric motor lends a hand to save fuel when accelerating or cruising on a motorway.

The CX-80 is Mazda’s biggest, poshest model – it’s about the same length as a Land Rover Discovery but a lot cheaper. Seven-seat rivals at a similar price include the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento and Mercedes GLB, while the Peugeot 5008 and Skoda Kodiaq can carry seven for less, but are less spacious.

So is the Mazda CX-80 a good choice worthy of a place among the best seven-seat SUVs or are you better off looking elsewhere? Read on to find out...

It’s no coincidence that the CX-80 resembles the smaller, five-seat Mazda CX-60 – which is itself no minnow. The two cars are closely related, with the same diesel and PHEV power options (a petrol regular hybrid is expected to join the line-up later on). Four-wheel drive is standard, as is an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Who in their right mind chooses a big diesel engine for their seven-seat SUV these days? Well, Mazda reckons it still has a role to play in the CX-80.

It’s certainly lusty enough. With 251bhp, this 3.3-litre, six-cylinder engine ought to acquit itself well when towing heavy trailers. Officially, 0-62mph takes 8.4 seconds – not a record-breaking figure, but rapid enough to feel like you’re making good progress.

The PHEV is considerably quicker though. Made up of a 2.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine working with an electric motor and a 17.8kWh battery, it offers 323bhp in total, of which 173bhp comes from the electric motor and is on tap from the second you put your foot down from a standstill. The result is a 0-62mph time of 6.8 seconds – and it certainly feels swift on the road.

Having only four cylinders to the diesel’s six and delivering its peak power at higher revs causes the PHEV to sound rather more uncouth when you put your foot down.

The diesel’s muted (and rather pleasant) growl seems more in keeping with the CX-80’s upmarket demeanour. In fact, we'd go so far as to say that it's a smooth as the BMW X7 and smoother than an Audi Q7 or Mercedes GLS – which is impressive, given that those seven-seat SUV rivals are vastly more expensive.

The diesel is also more responsive than the PHEV. While the transition between electric and petrol power is usually seamless when you’re driving gently, there’s a pause when you ask for a sudden burst of speed, such as when overtaking.

Both versions have Mazda’s MI-Drive system of driving modes. Sport sharpens up the accelerator response, Towing mode manages power to cope with an increased overall weight when car and trailer are combined, and Off-road mode manages wheelspin on tricky terrain and on greasy roads.

The PHEV also has an EV mode, which locks the petrol engine out so the electric motor does all the heavy lifting until the battery runs flat.

Like most family SUVs and seven-seaters, the CX-80 is happier on straight roads than wiggly ones. While body lean is surprisingly modest in corners, and grip levels are more than adequate, the steering doesn’t pipe up with much information from the front tyres, and the first few degrees of movement feel rather vague until weight gradually builds. Still, it’s not as though rivals are much better, and the CX-80 is tidier than most.

When we drove the CX-80 on smooth German roads, we found its ride to be generally comfy, marred only by fussiness on road imperfections and sharp impacts from potholes. The big 20in alloy wheels you get on all but entry-level Exclusive-Line trim (which has 18in wheels) are likely to be responsible for the fidget. We've yet to try the ride on smaller wheels, but our experience with other models suggests it will be smoother.

Smaller wheels might also lead to a quieter travelling environment. Noise kicked up by the tyres is the most intrusive sound at motorway speeds. That said, it’s only so noticeable because the other hubbub is quite subdued. Wind noise sounds fairly distant – perhaps kicked up around the wheel arches rather than generated by the door mirrors or the wind rushing over the windscreen.

“I think the rorty six-cylinder diesel engine makes the CX-80 feel like a much more expensive and sophisticated car than when it’s fitted with the plug-in hybrid.” – Chris Haining, Sub-editor

At first acquaintance, the Mazda CX-80's interior seems a bit like going back in time to an era before technology ran riot. After a moment, though, you realise there’s actually lots of it on offer.

It starts off with a crisp, clear 12.3in digital driver’s display, which is laid out slightly differently depending on the driving mode engaged. Behind that is a 12.3in head-up display, which shows vehicle speed, cruise control settings, navigation directions and other info.

Getting comfy behind the wheel is made easier with the Homura trim level and above because it adds electric adjustment for the front seats, including for lumbar support (worth having for greater comfort on long journeys). Exclusive-line trim goes without it, but the front seats otherwise adjust manually in all the same ways. We’ve tried only the electrically adjustable seats so far, and they made it easy for our six-foot-five reviewer to find a natural posture.

The CX-80 provides the raised driving position many enjoy in an SUV, although it's not as elevated as in a Land Rover Discovery. While you're afforded a good view of the road directly ahead, the windscreen pillars are slightly obstructive, and you may have to look around them at T-junctions. The door mirrors, though, provide a good field of view.

Every CX-80 gives you LED headlamps, front and rear parking sensors, and a rear-view camera. Homura Plus and Takumi Plus bring an upgrade to adaptive LED headlamps and a 360-degree camera. The camera is very impressive, with almost seamless coverage around the car.

Infotainment is on a 12.3in central screen, which is navigated by a handy rotary controller between the front seats. That's a very welcome feature, and makes it much less distracting to select functions than prodding a touchscreen.

In the same vein, the screen does work as a touchscreen, but not if the CX-80 is moving. While the screen isn’t as big as those of some seven-seaters, it does offer good screen resolution and crisp graphics, and the menus are tidily laid out.

Hurrah, too, for the existence of a panel of real, physical buttons to control the air conditioning and heated seats with a single stab, rather than having to bring up a menu in a touchscreen, as you must in many new cars these days.

A DAB radio, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration, Google Maps and Google Play Music apps are all standard, as is Google Assistant voice control and Amazon Alexa. A Bose sound system with 12 speakers is standard on Homura trim and above. Homura Plus and Takumi Plus add a wireless phone-charging pad.

When it comes to presentation and materials, it’s literally bit of a game of two halves. A metallic trim piece runs horizontally across the CX-80's dashboard, and the material above it are all pleasingly soft to the touch. While the materials below that trim look equally attractive, they feel hard and hollow to the touch.

And while some of the decorative surfaces are very smart (the pale wood and lace-effect trim of Takumi Plus spec has particular visual interest), the panel around the gear selector feels rather more mundane than it looks.

“The CX-80's interior looks plush and feels that way in prominent places but, for me, the surfaces lower down don’t live up to the positive first impression.” – Chris Haining, Sub-editor

You’d need to be very generously proportioned to find the front seats of the Mazda CX-80 cramped. There’s loads of leg room, reasonable head room and a good distance between the driver and front-seat passenger.

Some rivals offer more interior storage options (there are more cunning cubby holes in the Hyundai Santa Fe for example), but the CX-80 has a pair of substantial cup holders, door bins that can hold 500ml water bottles with room to spare, and a sizeable glove box.

The second row of seats is made up of a three-seat bench with a folding centre armrest incorporating a pair of cup holders. There’s a pair of USB-C charging ports to keep devices topped up on the move.

Homura and Homura Plus trims offer the option of swapping the three-seat middle row for a pair of larger individual "captain’s chairs" that are adjustable and heated, with a gap between them to allows children access to the third row. On Takumi Plus trim, the two captain's chairs are heated and ventilated, and split by a centre console with additional storage and cupholders.

Whether you have your CX-80 as a six or seven-seater, the second-row seats can be slid forwards and backwards or reclined (independently on the six-seater). Head room in the back is more generous than leg room, and tall adults will want their seats most or all the way back.

Anyone sitting in the third row of two seats will prefer it if the seats in front were slid forwards, of course, for a bit of extra leg room. Things are pretty tight back there, with less space than at the very back of a Hyundai Santa Fe or Kia Sorento. The rear-most passengers do each get a USB-C socket and a cupholder though.

With all six or seven seats in use, boot space in the CX-80 is limited to 258 litres – about the same as you'll find in a small car such as the Kia Picanto.

With the third row folded away (a cinch to do – just pull on a single tag for each seat), the boot grows to 687 litres. Flattening all the back seats gives you a van-like 1,971 litres. It’s worth mentioning that PHEV models get a 1,500W power socket in the boot – handy for charging an electric bike, for instance.

Both engines support a maximum towing capacity of 2,500kg; that means the CX-80 PHEV is a more impressive tow car than the Santa Fe and Sorento PHEVs, which are limited to 1,010kg.

“The rearmost row really is best suited to children, but with USB-C sockets for their devices, I think they’ll be content to sit there.” – Chris Haining, Sub-editor

The Mazda CX-80 PHEV is a little pricier than the equivalent Hyundai Santa Fe or Kia Sorento. The diesel CX-80, meanwhile, is a little more expensive but makes an entirely different case for itself.

It’s a much bigger, more powerful and more refined engine than the four-cylinder units of its direct rivals, being closer in character to that of the BMW X7 – which costs almost a third more to buy outright.

When it comes to the CX-80’s fuel efficiency, the PHEV theoretically wins hands down. Officially it can return 176.6mpg. To do so, though, would mean being very sparing with petrol power and fully charging the hybrid battery before every trip.

In reality, the economy you see will vary enormously depending on your daily routine. If your usual commute is shorter than the PHEV’s official electric-only range of 38 miles, though, you might well manage it without using any petrol, particularly if a lot of slow traffic is involved.

The plug-in hybrid’s low official emissions and electric-only range slot it into the 8% BIK tax bracket – the same as company car drivers pay for a PHEV Santa Fe or Sorento. You'll pay even less BIK tax with an electric seven-seater such as a Kia EV9 or Peugeot E-5008.

The diesel CX-80’s higher official CO2 emissions, meanwhile, place it towards the top end of the tax spectrum, at 34% and 35% depending on trim. Its official economy figure is more modest, too, at up to 49.6mpg in entry-level Exclusive-line trim. However, that’s not bad figure at all for such a big SUV.

There are five trim levels offered, and none are sparse when it comes to standard equipment. In fact, Exclusive-line should satisfy the needs of most buyers. On top of the infotainment tech, you get black leather interior trim, a heated and leather-trimmed steering wheel, three-zone climate control and 18in alloy wheels.

Homura trim is mainly about sporty looks, with gloss black and body-coloured exterior trim and black 20in alloy wheels, and an upgrade to soft Nappa leather inside, plus ambient interior lighting.

Homura Plus adds a panoramic roof and rear privacy glass, plus extra interior lighting (including in the door pockets and front centre storage compartment). 

Takumi trades Homura’s sporty style for a more luxurious theme, with soft white Nappa leather upholstery and white maple wood interior accents. As with Homura Plus, Takumi Plus adds a panoramic sunroof and rear privacy glass. 

PHEV versions offer the convenience of a smartphone app, through which you can monitor and control charging, as well as heating or cooling the interior before a journey, or to activate the heated front and rear screens before you get in.  

Every trim level comes with a decent suite of driver assistance and safety kit, including blind-spot monitoring, emergency lane-keep assistance and lane-departure warning, as well as traffic-sign recognition. Homura Plus and Takumi Plus add adaptive cruise control. Independent safety experts Euro NCAP have yet to test the CX-80, although the related Mazda CX-60 gets five stars out of five.

The CX-80 has not yet appeared in the What Car? Reliability Survey. As a brand, Mazda finished in 16th place out of 31 manufacturers ranked in the 2024 survey – so, right in the middle. Hyundai and Kia did better, in 10th and 11th. You get a three-year/60,000 miles warranty, which is nothing special.

“The CX-80 PHEVs are a bit pricier than its direct rivals, but you won’t find a better diesel engine in a seven-seat SUV unless you pay a lot more.” – Chris Haining, Sub-editor

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