2025 Mazda CX-70 PHEV vs. 2024 Honda Prologue: What’s the Better Way to Plug In?

Automakers are approaching the shift to electric vehicles in various ways. Some leaped into the deep end like Kia and Hyundai did with the EV6 and Ioniq 5. Others—especially those that have spent their existences mastering the art of small, powerful, and efficient engines—have been slower to embrace entirely new powertrain tech. Enter the 2025 Mazda CX-70 PHEV and the 2024 Honda Prologue, two midsize SUVs representing their respective automaker’s cautious next step into the realm of electrification.

Both electrified SUVs suffer from what you might call identity challenges. The 2025 Mazda CX-70 PHEV is little more than a two-row version of the three-row CX-90, while the Honda Prologue is a Chevrolet Blazer EV reskinned and retuned as a Honda. Both models in this comparison test carry starting prices just shy of $60,000 and are priced within a mere $60 of one another. So is it better to buy Mazda’s plug-in hybrid or Honda’s all-electric SUV?

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Powertrains and Performance

Mazda outfits the 2025 CX-70 PHEV with a naturally aspirated I-4 engine developing 189 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque paired with an electric motor developing 173 hp and 199 lb-ft. Total combined output is 323 hp and 369 lb-ft. Working with an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive, the CX-70 PHEV accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 6.0 seconds, which is respectable for its class. Whether you slap the gas pedal to the floor or brake-torque it for a launch, the CX-70 feels brisk and its engine sounds throaty and sporty. If you don’t have any juice in the battery, however, the Mazda’s acceleration feels sluggish, which can be frustrating when merging with freeway traffic.

Honda equips the 2024 Prologue AWD Elite with dual-motor all-wheel drive, developing 241 hp and 225 lb-ft up front, 90 hp and 121 lb-ft in the rear, and a total combined 288 hp and 333 lb-ft. Less powerful than the CX-70 PHEV, the Honda Prologue uses its all-electric torque to accelerate to 60 mph in 6.0 seconds, same as the Mazda. The drivetrain is tuned for ultimate smoothness instead of neck-snapping acceleration, so even though the Honda is as quick as the Mazda, it reaches cruising speeds with little drama.

As for range, the Mazda can travel 490 miles with gas and electric power sources combined, fueled by an 18.5-gallon tank and a 17.8-kWh battery. All-electric range is 25 miles. When we plugged into a Level 2 charger, topping off the battery from empty to full took 2 hours, 20 minutes. Using Sport mode keeps the gas engine running and helps preserve the battery’s charge if you want to save all-electric range for around-town driving later in the journey. It doesn’t make the car’s throttle mapping or steering too stiff for daily driving, either.

The 2024 Honda Prologue, on the other hand, has an official rating of 273 miles of range. Its 85-kWh battery charges from 5 percent to 80 percent in 46 minutes at a peak of 152 kW when plugged into a Level 3 public charging station. In our 70-mph road-trip range test, the Honda Prologue traveled 230 miles on a charge, which is 16 percent shy of its EPA rating. These stats meet the bare minimum for what we expect from a modern EV, but it’s impossible to get excited by these results when the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Kia EV6 exist.

Driving this Mazda is a joyful exercise. Its precise, direct steering feels like a hydraulically assisted system and allows you to accurately place the tires on a back road. Sharp turn-in and excellent body control enable superior driver confidence to what we’ve experienced in the Honda. Get too enthusiastic, and the 2025 CX-70 PHEV understeers, which is to be expected in this class, but the stability control steps in and gets things back in line. Around town or on the highway, the CX-70 PHEV is settled, composed, and quiet. Some harshness enters the cabin, but the Mazda’s sound deadening prevents most audible chatter from reaching your ears.

Over in the Honda, the drive is a bit blander. Its handling balance is well sorted in day-to-day driving, but even a Pilot offers more driving excitement than the 2024 Prologue. The steering feels vaguer than what’s typical for products developed fully in-house at Honda, which diminishes driving confidence on a winding road. If the front tires get hot, the electric SUV has a propensity to understeer dramatically and audibly. Suffering from a lack of nimbleness, the Prologue doesn’t share that innate sportiness that’s common among its stablemates. Fortunately, the Honda rides smoothly and with good compliance on the highway, though some tire and wind noise penetrate the interior.

As far as braking goes, we’re impressed with the 2025 Mazda CX-70 PHEV’s stopping power, consistency, and smooth brake modulation. It hauled down from 60 to 0 mph in 124 feet, about what we expect from an SUV in this segment. The story isn’t quite as positive for the 2024 Honda Prologue. The heavy electric SUV can’t hide its weight as it comes to a halt. It needed 129 feet to come to a stop from 60. We also noticed a notification pops up on the screen if ABS is engaged, which we presume has something to do with the GM-sourced software. One GM feature we’re happy to see appear here is the regenerative braking paddle, which allows the driver to pull a tab on the left side of the steering wheel to slow the Prologue and put some charge back in the battery.

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Comparing Design and Features

The Mazda’s glittering Melting Copper Metallic paint catches your eye, and as you savor its shine, you notice the smooth surfacing that runs down the SUV’s sides. The bodywork is the same as the CX-90 three-row SUV’s, but we think this is one of the better-looking models competing in the midsize SUV class. The 2025 Mazda CX-70 differentiates itself with gloss black trim and a honeycomb grille, matching its sporty character. Although it is better suited for the street than it is for off-roading, its black cladding gives it a slightly rugged look to its otherwise sleek silhouette.

Honda also takes a minimalistic approach to the 2024 Prologue, a departure from the Blazer EV’s aggressive exterior design. The electric SUV’s black faux grille connects the headlights, emphasizing its width and visually tying the Prologue into the rest of the Honda lineup. Like the Mazda, simple surfacing supported by black cladding and trim grants the design a “city first, outdoors second” character. We’re especially fond of Honda's flower-shaped wheel design, which we feel is the most authentically Honda aspect of this SUV. Part of a midsize SUV’s draw is premium styling over a smaller compact, and both the Mazda and Honda impress in this regard.

There’s greater differentiation between the two SUVs inside the cabin. The 2025 Mazda CX-70 PHEV makes use of soft materials throughout its interior, dressing up hard-touch surfaces with a premium-looking textured silver. The black Nappa leather seats look upscale with contrast stitching and tan inserts, helping to tie together the interior and exterior. Some might initially be annoyed by the funky shifter pattern that requires you to rock the lever left to right to get from park to reverse. Then you must pull the shifter down into drive to go forward. To play devil’s advocate, we found this layout to be handy when making a three-point turn, as you don’t have to think twice about where you’re positioning the lever switching between drive and reverse.

At first glance, the 2024 Honda Prologue Elite’s interior looks just as upscale. The black and brown leather trim has a handsome warmth, but the good vibes are diminished by the heavy use of hard plastics, familiar to anyone who has spent time in a GM product. We find the center console especially egregious, with its rough surfacing and rubber storage mat that invites you to throw down your keys but still scratches easily. Those who really care about Honda purism will be annoyed by the bountiful use of GM switchgear. Even the steering wheel is borrowed from the Blazer EV and rebadged with a Honda logo. Compared to other Honda products such as the Civic, Accord, or the CR-V, this interior feels like a step down.

Moving to the second row, the 2025 Mazda CX-70 PHEV offers lots of space for passengers to feel comfortable. Legroom measures 39.4 inches, and there are a pair of USB-C ports, vents, and A/C controls. Behind those seats, the cargo space is positively massive. With the second row in place, the CX-70 can hold 39.6 cubic feet of cargo, but flipping those chairs down opens 75.3 cubic feet. These are great figures for a PHEV, which typically sacrifices space to accommodate the battery and motor package.

Inside the Prologue, second-row legroom feels identical to the Mazda’s. Passengers in the back seats are surrounded by the same great combination of black and brown leather as those sitting up front. Like the Mazda, Honda’s SUV receives vents and two USB-C ports, but instead of the climate control panel, there’s a tiny bin for small items. Cargo volume pales in comparison, however, measuring 23.7 cubic feet with the rear seats up and 54.5 cubic feet with the second row folded flat. We give props to Honda for the underfloor storage, which can stash surplus groceries or gear you want to keep in the car full time without it rolling around.

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Which SUV Has Better Technology and Safety Equipment?

Mazda decks out the 2024 CX-70 Premium Plus with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and an infotainment touchscreen of the same size, complete with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Those who don’t want to get fingerprints all over the display can use Mazda’s signature controller knob. Both screens feature high-resolution graphics and clear fonts, all specific to Mazda. Amazon Alexa voice command is also equipped, a feature not offered on the CX-90. As an added luxury, Mazda outfits the Premium Plus model with a head-up display, a wireless charger, heated and ventilated seats, and a heated steering wheel. There’s also a 12-speaker Bose audio system with respectable sound quality.

Honda’s offerings are similar inside the Prologue, but we aren’t quite as impressed with the execution. A digital instrument cluster measuring 11.0 inches pairs up with an 11.3-inch touchscreen, with Honda’s fonts and GM’s software. Unlike the Blazer EV, the Prologue has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. We aren’t fans of the Prologue’s boxy user interface, and we especially detest the headlight controls being hidden in a tiny button at the top of the screen. As an upside, the Prologue has built-in Google software, which enables downloadable apps for convenience and entertainment. Like Mazda, Honda equips its SUV with heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a head-up display.

Mazda’s iActivsense safety package includes automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic monitoring, lane keeping, and adaptive cruise control. There’s also Mazda’s Unresponsive Driver Support, which applies emergency deceleration and stopping when the vehicle detects its driver has become incapacitated. On the freeway, the Mazda inspires confidence with its lane tracking and steering assistance, though the systems don’t handle sharp bends well. The CX-70 PHEV scores major points for crashworthiness thanks to being an IIHS Top Safety Pick.

Our 2024 Prologue Elite test car uses the Honda Sensing suite, equipped with standard automatic emergency braking, lane keeping, and adaptive cruise control. Rear cross-traffic braking, blind-zone steering assist, and rear pedestrian alert are also included as a Honda first. The lane keeping and automatic emergency braking inputs are aggressive for our tastes, and unlike the Mazda there’s no steering assistance driving mode. At the time of writing, the Honda Prologue is unrated by IIHS and NHTSA.

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CX-70 PHEV vs. Prologue Elite: Which One Wins?

Mazda and Honda’s midsize SUVs are closely matched, even given the differences in PHEV and EV drivetrain layouts. Unfortunately, Honda didn’t go far enough to take full advantage of what the GM Ultium platform offers, especially given the Prologue’s price tag of $59,295. The Prologue is a good vehicle, but it fails to advance the art as an EV or as a midsize SUV. Compared to the CX-70 PHEV Premium Plus, the Prologue AWD Elite’s performance, interior design, technology, and safety features all fall short. Given the choice of these two midsize SUVs for less than $60,000, the more spacious and upscale 2025 Mazda CX-70 PHEV is simply the better option.

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2nd Place: 2024 Honda Prologue E: AWD Elite

Verdict: Honda’s first EV for our market will get you where you need to go, but it doesn’t do anything special to delight the senses.

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1st Place: 2025 Mazda CX-70 PHEV Premium Plus

Verdict: Handsome and exciting to drive, the Mazda CX-70 PHEV is the right choice for those in search of an upscale electrified SUV with few compromises.

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