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The much-anticipated Mazda CX-60 was revealed on Tuesday with a rear-drive platform and a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Both are a first for the Japanese automaker in an SUV.
The European reveal of the crossover was the first time the exterior was made public. Visually, the all new SUV is quite similar to the CX-50 with the same sculpted front end and eye-shaped taillights. Mazda is making a conscious move upscale, which started with the most recent iteration of the three-row CX-9.
Buyers have a few power options. The plug-in hybrid version of the two-row, midsize SUV combines Mazda's Skyactiv-G 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, which is also found in every other model the company sells in the U.S., with a 17.8-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery pack.
The e-Skyactiv plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) has a total output of 323 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque. That makes it the most powerful Mazda the company has ever rolled off the company assembly line.
While the CX-60's platform is rear-wheel-drive based, the plug-in hybrid model is all-wheel-drive-only, with the front wheels engaged via a multi-plate clutch. There are multiple drive modes including Normal, Sport, Off-Road, Towing, and, for the PHEV version, an EV mode.
Its towing capacity is also just over 5,500 pounds.
Mazda will begin production of the CX-60 at Hofu Plant No. 2 in Yamaguchi prefecture on March 11, 2022. And Mazda dealerships in Europe started accepting pre-orders for the model on March 8.
Sales there are due to begin in summer 2022. The Japanese specification CX-60 is due to be introduced in early April. U.S. buyers can expect to see the SUV on their shores in 2023.
When it arrives, the SUV will compete against the Chevrolet Blazer, Ford Explorer and Toyota Venza.
Mazda plans to introduce four models from its large product group to the high-demand global SUV market by the end of 2023. It's too early for official pricing, but the smaller Mazda CX-50 starts at about $28,000, so it will be more expensive than that.
