2025 Mazda CX-70 SUVOTY Review: Sore Thumb Sleight of Hand
Mazda’s CX-70 is literally the CX-90 minus a row. Will it matter to buyers?
Pros
- Handsome outside
- Upscale inside
- Mazda-like I-6 version
Cons
- Possibly the worst shifter ever
- Lazy badge engineering
- Un Mazda-like plug-in hybrid version
When discussing the 2025 Mazda CX-70, the marque’s latest SUV, we collectively could not get past the fact that the CX-70 is simply the CX-90 with the third row removed and a new badge glued on. Like, literally. Like, all the sheetmetal between the two SUVs is the same. This strikes us as hugely lazy. Like, Mazda didn’t even remove the third-row cupholders. Talk about badge engineering. But could this be indicative of something else?
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Before we drive the contenders at any Of The Year event, we introduce the vehicles to all our judges via notes we call “Walkarounds.” When explaining the CX-70, we pointed out that Mazda feels the CX-70 competes with the BMW X5, Lexus RX, and Jeep Grand Cherokee. But when all three of those supposed competitors become three-row SUVs, they get new metal. The X5 becomes the X7, the RX becomes the TX, and the Jeep becomes the Grand Cherokee L. All three seven-seaters are physically larger than their five-passenger brethren. Mazda took the easy way out, or so it seems.
The CX-70 being a CX-90 minus one row of seats was a sore thumb sticking out to us. However, we’re also aware of Mazda’s continued troubles with market share here in America. Obviously the CX-70 badge job is because Mazda doesn’t have the R&D dollars needed to do what the competition does. Perhaps potential customers don’t care? Thing is, even if consumers aren’t bothered by Mazda’s sleight of hand, the CX-70 has some real problems of its own.
The physical shifter drew much disdain from our judges. “Silly gear shifter,” buyer’s guide director Zach Gale called it. “I’m not opposed to most design-first shift stalks, just this one.” What’s so wrong with it? It’s more a guessing game than anything else. Is reverse down or to the right? Who knows? Also, the second chapter of Ralph Nader’s infamous book Unsafe at Any Speed is titled “Disaster Deferred” and discusses the dangers inherent to abnormal shift patterns. With the CX-70, you can put the car in reverse and turn off the ignition, and the light on the shifter indicating that the vehicle’s in park illuminates. Yes, the transmission is in park, but the shifter is physically in reverse. It needs a rethink.
The judges mostly agreed the CX-70 with the turbo I-6 was a dynamically fun SUV to blast around a proving ground. The plug-in hybrid, not so much. Something is off about how the transmission works with the hybrid powertrain. “This transmission is revealing itself to be lumpier in the way it shifts than the industry standard,” technical director Frank Markus said. The sportiness we enjoyed in the gas-only version was betrayed by the PHEV CX-70. Remember, Mazdas are supposed to drive great. This one does not. We ultimately judged the Mazda CX-70 to be lacking against two of our key criteria, engineering excellence and performance of intended function. Therefore, the CX-70 didn’t make the finalist cut.
This review was conducted as part of our 2025 SUV of the Year (SUVOTY) testing, where each vehicle is evaluated on our six key criteria: efficiency, design, safety, engineering excellence, value, and performance of intended function. Eligible vehicles must be all-new or significantly revised.
