Mazda CX-80 review

This is Mazda’s new seven-seater flagship SUV, the CX-80. It’s essentially a long-wheelbase (by 250mm) version of the CX-60 five-seater SUV. That extra length goes to passenger space.

Now we say flagship, that’s just in Europe: over here it’s quite big, but in America it’s marketed as a ‘mid-sized crossover’, a little runabout for popping to the shops in. There’s a larger version, the CX-90, aimed at that market: it has a 50mm wider body to account for the, er, wider bodies.

Looks a bit posh?

It does look quite fancy, doesn’t it? The styling is neat, not too showy, so it’s got that going for it. Mazda thinks that this is a car to challenge the premium end of the market, where there are already a plethora of obnoxiously sized SUVs to choose from. It's tens of thousands cheaper than the premium large seven-seat rivals, stereotypically the Volvo XC90 and Audi Q7 and Land Rover Discovery.

Realistically it'll poach buyers from lower down the market, but Mazda seems to have nestled into the spot previously taken up by Saab; a slightly wilful alternative choice.

The Hyundai Santa Fe is excellent but doesn't have a diesel option. If you want a seven-seater, you can't have the Q7 or Skoda Kodiaq as PHEVs, because their batteries are where the rearmost bums would be. Same with the Discovery Sport, which is smaller anyway.

If you are OK with five seats, Mazda does the shorter but otherwise identical CX-60, which is about £4k cheaper spec for spec.

Does anything stand out about the CX-80?

The CX-80 makes a decent job of being good at most things. It drives solidly, it offers a good amount of versatile space, equipment levels are pretty good too. And the straight-six diesel is smooth, even if it doesn't have the mountainous torque of the six-cylinder German diesels we loved a decade ago before diesel got that reputation.

The CX-80 isn't soft-sprung, but it mostly rides smoothly and there's little road noise. The big 20in wheels that come as standard on all but the entry trim make for a curiously gritty effect on some surfaces though. In fact, the sweet spot is probably at the bottom of the range.

Wait, are those buttons?

There are indeed a useful slug of buttons on the dashboard, controlling the aircon. That big 12.3in screen in the middle of the car isn’t touch operated, either, relying on a good old-fashioned rotary controller. It’s a bit strange at first, needing you to take your eyes off the road to work out what’s what, but it soon becomes second nature. Besides, if you don't feel silly talking to the car, it has a form of Alexa.

What about engines and that?

The CX-80 comes with the same engine line-up as its five-seat brother the CX-60, except that in all CX-80s it's AWD. The PHEV has a 2.5-litre petrol engine and electric motor, producing 323bhp/369lb ft between them for a 0–62mph run of 6.8 seconds. It also comes with a 17.8kWh battery that’s good for an official 38 miles of range (less in practice, figure on low-30s) and around 30/35mpg once you’ve run out of juice.

If we’re nitpicking – which we're paid to do – the plug-in hybrid powertrain feels a little rough around the edges. The e-motor handles things quite adequately for the most part, but if you really hoof the accelerator things get very noisy as the engine spools into life. To be fair, it settles quickly, but the braking can feel a little unrefined too as it balances regen and disc brakes.

The 3.3-litre inline six-cylinder diesel has 251bhp/406lb ft, good for an 8.4-second 0–62mph run, and is officially rated at 48.7mpg. The diesel is the smoother, more flexible engine for everyday use, but has tax costs and company car incentives stacked against it. Both engines are rated at 2,500kg for towing and higher spec cars come with fancy tech to make your towing run more smoothly.

The CX-80 does a solid job of being a Mazda. And if you’re looking for a Mazda with seven seats, there’s really nothing else on the market, so job done. Mazda's tactile control layout is quick to learn and its dynamics are easy to get along with. We'd say stick with the lower trims, but actually you can step up the range and acquire extra toys for surprisingly modest outlay.

At first sight it might lack obvious USPs, but it covers all the bases pretty well, and the interior is versatile, thanks to a sliding second row, or even the option of captain's chairs.

Maybe for company car drivers the PHEV powertrain is a bit meh, but at least you can have it with the full seven seats. For a private buyer who tows big trailers, the diesel would be satisfying.