Perhaps best-known for the MX-5, Mazda is eager to convince the world that, despite being a three-row SUV, its upcoming North American specification CX-90 will get a sports car-like drivetrain layout and performance. Powered by an inline-six-cylinder engine at the front that is its most powerful gas unit to date, the company points to all of the work it did to ensure that the SUV could handle well.
Jay Chen, the company’s manager of
powertrain performance, says in a 4:00 minute teaser video released today, that
Mazda committed to a “front-rear longitudinal layout.” That means, he says,
that the while the front wheels do the steering, the rears can do the driving. In
addition to giving the SUV “sports car suspension,” it has given it technology
first developed for the MX-5 Miata. Indeed, Chen says that the 2024 CX-90 will
benefit from Kinematic Posture Control.
In addition to these handling advantages,
the CX-90 will get a significant amount of power, too. In a recent teaser, the
automaker revealed that the 3.3-liter e-Skyactic turbocharged inline-six will
make 340 hp and 500 Nm of torque, which should move
the SUV along nicely. It will also be available with a plug-in hybrid
drivetrain, though details on that score remain secret.
Along with showing off its performance,
the upcoming SUV was also handed over to TV presenter Ant Anstead. The choice
of the British mechanic was interesting, as he is no stranger to seeing
disassembled Mazdas, and the business that he co-owns, Radford, is also on the
lookout for chassis partners.
Mazda will fully unveil the 2024 CX-90 on
Tuesday, January 31.
