2025 Mazda CX-70 (inc. 0-100 & braking) review: The ultimate family SUV?

Mazda has upended its SUV range in Australia and introduced a stack of new six-cylinder models. Confused about all the new names they've made? Yep, so are we! Paul Maric gets behind the wheel of the five seat Mazda CX-70 Azami to see if it's any good.

Skip Ahead:
Intro: 00:00
Exterior: 01:17
Interior: 04:03
Infotainment: 05:30
Safety Tech: 07:11
Practicality: 07:44
On the Road: 11:05
Driving aids: 17:31
Performance: 18:29
Verdict: 20:15

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CarExpert:

Paul Maric:

#mazda #cx70 #review

[justjamie]

I’ve owned 2 different Mazdas for the last 5 years and I’ve said it a million times….I DO NOT GET the whole “pity it’s not a touch screen” argument. It’s so easy to use, and you don’t get filthy fingerprints all over the screen. I’ve never had a touch screen car but I imagine it’s a bit dangerous leaning forward to concentrate on it, instead of concentrating on the road. The dial is an absolutely cinch to use and manoeuvre through the options. I love it. I’m tired of journalists whinging about it as well.

[Codee]

I purchased this car, Turbo S Premium Plus trim and it absolutely love it!! It’s an amazing car and unlike anything out there right now. I upgraded from a Cx5 and won’t ever look back!!

[davidrome]

The dial is so easy to use as I’ve lived with the current 3 for 5yrs. I’m glad it’s not a touchscreen

[zaamuro]

Sick and tired of journalists complaining about the idrive like button control systems and preferring touch screens. Had a rental cx8 last year and it was so much more intuitive than any other modern system I've used and easier to use on the go. Buttons and dials please

[TheHayabusa]

Went for a test drive in the new CX-70 and found it, overall, very impressive. Until that is, I walked next door into the KIA dealership and test drove the EV5..OMG!! I was blown away by the design, concept and the incredible performance on offer. Felt like the CX-70 was 30 years behind. 45 minutes later, put down my deposit for the GT-Line EV5.

[aygeeninty]

CX60 petrol owner since first batch. Transmission patch did fix it for me although mine was never that bad - no complaints now. I think the sport mode left (in auto) is tuned so well when flogging it (in terms of shift logic). I suspect the journalist are not getting the long term owner experience as when I got the car I noticed transmission learning and then again after the patch for a few hundred km's. It's actually a pretty quick car on the roll. Really enjoyed it up the Jamberoo Mountain Rd over the weekend with the handling and grunt coming up the hills. I'm a happy owner but as my weekend car only I needed to get a trickle charger due to low voltage the next weekend. And not so much limited to Mazda but like ever new car the stupid driver aids you want to disable each time but need to go through menu. I think the driver aids are better than my other work vehicle a 2024 Hyundai, being less intrusive.

[blackrc]

6:06 fly lands. 👂
6:08 fly takes off. 👂
8:28 it's back!
8:35 there it is! Fly by.
9:18 now it's taking the piss.

Needless to say, I was listening through heaphones, and Nature's Botanical is not looking good 😂

[DW-]

I love that we live in a world where a 245kw and 500m turbo 6 in a family SUV is "not too slow", "you'll be able to confidently The benchmark for "this is quite quick" seems to be quite high these days.
Remember the "fire breathing" 180kw v8 Falcons and Commodores or 200kw STI Imprezas which all had Nm metrics beginning with a

[TomWilding]

Such an amazing shape for a car, especially side on

[josericardotrevino]

So in Australia you have the CX-60, the CX-70 and the CX-80 aaaand the CX-90, that's crazy 🤯

[Mexxx]

HNY Paul!! Looking forward to CarExpert's car review videos in 2025!!

[KingArthurCars]

That's a nice new SUV from Mazda. The top spec is really loaded with features. Nice design tho.

[charleyzhang]

I own a 2024 cx 90 phev and got the software update recently and the transmission is a lot smoother. Not perfect as it can still be clunky at low speed but much improved.

[Kuriatz]

To me the interior looks pretty nice, everything looks right where it should be and it looks premium! I see many car interiors full of cheap plastics, glossy blacks and loads of big screen, I hate that new trend. Kudos to Mazda for keeping it simple and looking this nice.

[StellarJones]

They should bring back the wood trim for the interior considering how they jacked up the prices.

[gummiesrule]

Interesting review. The reviewer seemed to to begin with a fairly negative impression that improved when he pushed the car a bit. That engine, which isn't B58 or even N55 good, is still quite impressive for a ground-up new engine build. I was concerned about tranny feel from earlier reviews of the CX-90, but I'm just fine with whatever fixes they implemented into the CX-70. I think the interior feels more upscale with the tan/caramel trim you get in the States at the top trim level. And with CarPlay or Android Auto, touchscreen fans can get what they want. It's a bit of a reach to the screen, but the wheel works fine otherwise, so most of the time I use that. Driving dynamics with the rear-wheel bias are familiar and welcome for advocates of rear-wheel drive cars. Overall, in my view the price, at least in the US, is a positive more than a negative, given what you get for what you pay, compared to competitors. Stll too many 4 cylinder, overboosted, over-priced cars out there in this segment. The X5 is a little better, but you are paying quite a bit more for that car.

[simonstegel]

Hello from EU. I have bought a Mazda CX60 3.3 diesel in november 2024. Regarding transmission: I came from a Mercedes C220d with AMG package and a 9 speed automatic. I don't know how bad or good was the pre-update version of Mazda's transmission. From my experience (exactly 2 months from the purchase to the day I am writing this post) I can say that the Mercedes had a better transmission overall. The Mazda's transmission is very very good when driving decisively (my grade would be a 9 out of 10). It is when you drive more economically the indecisions arise. I get annoyed when it tries to run on battery only (mild hybrid) and then switches on the engine again - the transition is perceivable if you just try to accelerate in that moment and not in a good way (my grade when driving economically is 6 out of 10). If I switch off the I-stop feature the latter grade goes to 8. So overall I would say a 8 out of 10. Every automatic has its things and the Mercedes' could be also confused sometimes. Before the Merc I had a 2013 BMW 3 (F30) and although the transmission was maybe better than the one in the Merc, I would rate it lower as I had a technical issue with the gearbox and had to repair it - fortunately I didn't have to change the transmission. So that is that in my opinion. Switch off the I-stop and you get a marvellous car with excellent engine noise and a smooth ride. The other thing maybe to mention is lack of lateral support from the seats which comes to light when you pull out from a highway for example. It is noticable but not to a point it would bother you. Otherwise a great car.
And by the way. I was in ZAR back in October 2024 - Enjoyed it! Love the country, the people and good food! :)

[michaeldarcy]

I have a cx60 and the transmission update has been done and it is actually getting worse with more km on the car. Still big clunks at slow speeds. The gear box just doesn’t know what gear to choose

[travelmates]

That inline-6 sounds beautiful at high revs!

[yutomi]

Love that colour. Also love the cheeky promi