Our Long-Term 2025 Mazda CX-70 Took Us Across the Country in Comfort and Style (For the Most Part)
While we have some complaints, our quick road trip was nice overall.
Long-term vehicles offer us a golden opportunity to delve into a car’s intricacies as we spend a year behind the wheel. We, like owners, get the chance to scrutinize every detail—from exhilarating performance to plush comfort, and the little conveniences that make daily drives delightful. However, nothing beats the immersive experience of a 20-hour road trip like the one we recently took in our new 2025 Mazda CX-70 to truly uncover and appreciate the car's amenities.
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Our yearlong review Mazda CX-70 3.3 Turbo S Premium, though only a couple of months into our journey together, recently became my trusted companion on an epic Los Angeles–Houston–Los Angeles Road trip. Despite the brief stay in Houston, the extensive drive allowed me to bond with the CX-70 in a profound way, revealing its advanced safety features, luxurious comfort, and performance. This journey transformed my understanding of the CX-70, highlighting its capabilities and making every mile a memorable adventure.
Comfort Plus
On my way to Houston, I decided to take the longer, more scenic route, choosing I-40 over I-10. The drive is a lot more interesting, with the desert landscape constantly changing from pale yellow to deep orange and red. Every so often, tall green pines break up the scenery, adding a nice contrast to the open plains and distant mountains. About an hour east of Flagstaff, Arizona, a major accident shut down the freeway, so I took the smaller highways running alongside it. That detour led me through the Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation, where the views were even more stunning. As the sun set, the sky lit up in incredible colors, making the whole drive feel even more special.
The first thing about our Mazda that stood out to me on this road trip was how quiet the cabin is. The CX-70 feels noticeably more refined than what you’d expect from a non-premium brand. Even on rougher roads like U.S. 180 and New Mexico’s 53, tire noise was surprisingly subdued compared to other SUVs in its class.
In recent years, Mazda has been working hard to position itself as a premium brand, and stepping into the CX-70 makes it clear this shift is gaining momentum. Our well-equipped model featured luxurious leather wrapping the dashboard and door panels, instantly elevating the cabin’s feel. The design is just as impressive, with clean, flowing lines that give the interior a refined, cohesive look. Even the few plastic elements are thoughtfully finished, reinforcing the sense of quality and attention to detail.
I stopped for the night in Grants, New Mexico, which gave me the perfect opportunity for an early morning hike at El Malpais National Monument’s Sandstone Bluffs. The stunning cliffs, overlooking a green valley set against the desert’s red rock, made for an incredible start to the day. With temperatures dipping to 30 degrees, the CX-70’s heated seats and steering wheel kept me warm and comfortable as I drove through the monument, taking in the beautiful scenery.
As I headed east and the scenery went from scenic to monotonous, I found myself relying more on the CX-70’s advanced driver assistance system. A few years ago, Mazda’s lane keeping assist had a reputation for being too relaxed, only intervening when the car was nearly on the lane markers. Thankfully, Mazda has refined the system, and it now keeps the CX-70 centered with much more confidence. It’s not the best system in the industry, but it does allow for brief hands-free moments—perfect for opening a bag of chips or uncapping a water bottle on a long drive. That said, we wish it allowed for longer hands-free periods; those are noticeably shorter than what Hyundai and Kia offer.
Taking the time to hike and explore off the interstate meant another overnight stop, this time in Odessa, Texas. While the scenery wasn’t as striking as before, the winding roads through Texas Hill Country gave the CX-70 a chance to showcase its sporty nature. The steering feels heavier than most SUVs, but that’s typical for Mazda, and the 3.3-liter turbocharged inline-six had no trouble climbing hills or delivering quick bursts of power to pass slower traffic.
For the return trip, I opted for the faster but less interesting route back to Los Angeles, stopping in Lordsburg, New Mexico, before making it home. My biggest gripe over the long drive? The constant distracted driver and break-time alerts, which became so annoying that I ended up turning them off for the ride back.
After nearly 4,000 miles in less than 10 days, our long-term CX-70 proved to be a solid road-trip companion. It wasn’t perfect—we’ll dive deeper into its flaws later—but overall, it’s a comfortable, quiet, and premium-feeling SUV that handled the journey with ease.
We have another 10 months or so with our 2025 Mazda CX-70, so stay tuned to see how it performs the rest of the year. Will it be better than the 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV long-term we had?
More on our 2025 Mazda CX-70 Long-Termer:
Miguel Cortina is Mexico Editor at MotorTrend, covering the auto industry in the U.S. and south of the border. He joined MotorTrend in January 2015 and is an avid automotive enthusiast who enjoys playing golf, surfing, and running in his free time.
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