I guess that if Mazda had a greenback for each time somebody mentioned, “Wait, isn’t that simply the CX-90 with out the third row?” it may in all probability fund a Wankel comeback.
At a look
- A CX-90 however with out the additional seats
- Six-cylinder powertrain
- PHEV obtainable
- Massive cargo area
- Premium inside
The 2026 Mazda CX-70 is, in essentially the most literal sense, that: take the model’s flagship three-row, take away the again seats, shrink it only a tad, and name it a day. However typically, subtraction is addition. And in traditional Mazda style, the result’s way more attention-grabbing than it has any proper to be. The 2026 CX-70 exists as a result of not everybody needs to haul round additional seats they’ll by no means use. It’s a two-row midsize SUV constructed on the identical bones as its barely greater sibling, sharing a platform, fundamental dimensions, and powertrains practically wholesale.
That sounds lazy (and it form of is), but it surely additionally solves an actual downside. Three-row, mid-sized crossovers typically carry the burden of compromise: cramped rearmost seats, restricted cargo area, and ponderous dealing with. The CX-70 sidesteps all of that. The payoff is extra usable cargo area, a cleaner inside structure, and a automobile that feels purpose-built moderately than obligation-driven. Mazda didn’t reinvent something right here. Others have executed the identical. However the CX-70 will get Mazda’s Zoom-Zoom too. Not less than slightly bit.
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
Mazda’s massive second is actually with what’s below the hood. As an alternative of the standard turbo-four you’ll discover in rivals, the CX-70 affords a turbocharged 3.3-liter inline-six. Sure, an inline-six. In a Mazda. On this economic system. It’s genius.
Output ranges from 280 horsepower (206 kW) to a stout 340 hp (250 kW) in “S” trims, with a mild-hybrid system offering slightly additional shove and effectivity. There’s additionally a plug-in hybrid variant, which leans extra towards effectivity than pleasure, providing roughly 30 miles (48 km) of electric-only driving for 2026. On paper, it is a knockout setup. In follow? It’s largely nice.
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
The inline-six is clean, refined, and sounds prefer it belongs in one thing carrying a German badge. It delivers energy in a assured, linear method that makes merging really feel like a well mannered suggestion moderately than a determined plea. However (there’s at all times a “however”) the transmission often behaves prefer it’s nonetheless waking up from a nap. Low-speed shifts can really feel hesitant or awkward, a trait that retains popping up in Mazda’s newer rear-drive platform. It’s not a continuing neither is it a dying knell. It’s simply … properly … noticeable. Like that household photograph in your coworker’s desk the place no one seems like one another.
Then there’s the SUV’s dealing with traits. That is the place the CX-70 reminds you why Mazda exists. Regardless of its dimension, the CX-70 genuinely needs to be pushed. Steering is exact, physique management is tight, and there’s an underlying athleticism that the majority midsize crossovers deserted years in the past in favor of numb compliance. That is the partaking a part of Mazda’s “Zoom Zoom” philosophy.
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
On the within, the CX-70 does its greatest impression of a luxurious SUV, and it’s fairly convincing. Supplies are wonderful, with obtainable Nappa leather-based, clear design strains, and a normal sense of restraint that feels extra Teutonic than mainstream. The cabin is spacious, due to the lacking third row, and the cargo space is genuinely helpful moderately than theoretical. It is a automobile constructed for individuals who carry issues.
Tech-wise, Mazda continues its love-it-or-hate-it method. A 12.3-inch show is normal, however the infotainment interface can really feel overly difficult, often requiring extra clicks than mandatory. It’s useful. It’s simply not intuitive in the way in which your smartphone has spoiled you into anticipating. It does ultimately turn into simple to make use of, as soon as that studying curve is surmounted.
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
Pricing begins round US$43,780 (after vacation spot) and climbs to the high-$50,000 vary, relying on trim. That places the CX-70 in an attention-grabbing place: it’s priced like a premium mainstream SUV however delivers a near-luxury expertise. It competes with the whole lot from the Jeep Grand Cherokee to the Volvo XC60, and by some means manages to really feel prefer it belongs in each conversations.
That is as a result of the CX-70 does one thing most SUVs forgot do: it makes you’re feeling … in a “possibly I’ll take the good distance dwelling” form of method. And in at present’s crossover-saturated world, that’s about as near magic because it will get.
Product web page: 2026 Mazda CX-70
