Text by Tom Appel
2025 Mazda CX-90 PHEV Premium Plus
Specs
Class: Compact Car
Color: Platinum Quartz
Seating Capacity: 5
Miles driven: 148
| CG Report Card | |
|---|---|
| Room and Comfort | B+ |
| Power and Performance | C |
| Fit and Finish | A |
| Fuel Economy | B+ |
| Value | C+ |
| Report-card grades are derived from a consensus of test-driver evaluations. All grades are versus other vehicles in the same class. Value grade is for specific trim level evaluated, and may not reflect Consumer Guide’s impressions of the entire model lineup. | |
| Big & Tall Comfort | |
| Big Guy | A |
| Tall Guy | B+ |
| Big & Tall comfort ratings are for front seats only. “Big” rating based on male tester weighing approximately 350 pounds, “Tall” rating based on 6’6″-tall male tester. | |
| Drivetrain | |
| Engine Specs | 323-horsepower 2.5-liter |
| Engine Type | 4-cylinder turbocharged plug-in hybrid |
| Transmission | 8-speed automatic |
| Drive Wheels | AWD |
Real-world fuel economy: 24.5 mpg
Driving mix: 65% city, 35% highway
EPA-estimated fuel economy: 56 MPGe/25 mpg (city/highway combined)
EPA-estimated battery range: 26 miles
Fuel type: Premium-grade gasoline
Base price: $57,950 (not including $1455 destination charge)
Options: None
Price as tested: $59,405
Pros and Cons
The great: Modern and upscale cabin, European drive experience
The good: Plenty of passenger space, decent fuel economy
The not so good: Crude PHEV drivetrain disappoints
Review
I love it when a plan comes together. I’m also generally pretty happy when a plan comes reasonably close to coming together, as is the case with the 2025 Mazda CX-90 PHEV. New for 2024, the 3-row CX-90 debuted with a turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine. The all-new engine, offered with two power output levels, has proven both smooth and strong, though not especially easy on the gas.
Answering the call for improved fuel efficiency, Mazda added a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain to the CX-90 roster for 2025. The system swaps the 6-cylinder engine for a version of Mazda’s ubiquitous 2.5-liter four, pairing it with a 68 kW (91 horsepower) electric motor and standard AWD. Total system output is 323 horsepower, slotting the PHEV CX-90 in engine output between the standard CX-90’s 6-cylinder engine (280 horsepower) and the high-output variant (340). Note that all CX-90 PHEVs are fitted with standard AWD.
But in terms of fuel economy, the PHEV scores a singular victory, with an EPA-estimated combined MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) of 56, versus 25 mpg for the non-hybrid CX-90s. Interestingly, and rather disappointingly, the PHEV’s standard fuel economy—use when not benefitting from plug-in charge) is the same 25 mpg as conventional CX-90s.
All CX-90 PHEVs come equipped with a 15-kWh battery which, when fully charged, provides an EPA-estimated 26 miles of electric range. Once the battery is depleted, the CX-90 PHEV operates as would any conventional hybrid vehicle.
For 2025, the non-hybrid lineup is comprised of six trim levels, ranging in price from $39,300 to $57,905. The PHEV lineup is comprised of just three trim levels, including the base Preferred ($51,400), midlevel Preferred Sport ($56,355), and topline Premium Plus $59,405.
The 3-row CX-90 is joined in the Mazda lineup by the surprisingly similar CX-70, which differs from the ’90 primarily in offering seating for just 5, versus the ‘90s 3-row arrangement. In PHEV guise, the latter is offered only in two trim levels: Preferred Sport and Premium Plus. Otherwise, the two crossovers are very much alike.
Consumer Guide recently spent a week behind the wheel of a fully decked-out 2025 CX-90 PHEV (Mazda alternately refers to these vehicles as PHEV and Hybrid. We prefer the former as it more accurately describes the powertrain.)
Our Premium Plus example, seen here in flattering Platinum Quartz, came to $59,465 including destination charge.
Having recently spent time with the conventionally powered CX-90—and subsequently naming in a Consumer Guide Best Buy—our expectations for the PHEV were high. And, by almost measure, the PHEV lived up to our previous experience, save for the drivetrain.
We concluded about the conventional CX-90, “While $60,000 feels like a lot of money for a Mazda, this big crossover certainly delivers the premium-experience goods. And, though Mazda is intent on moving the brand upmarket, plenty of its mainstream competitors offering midsize crossovers that price out over $50,000. Though we have to sample a less well-equipped CX-90, we suspect that even a base $41,000 3.3 Turbo Select feels pretty special. Mazda has built something pretty special in the CX-90, and we’re completely comfortable calling it a luxury vehicle.”
Sadly, the CX-90 PHEV drivetrain feels underdeveloped. At low speed the system is given to awkward and often obtrusive hand offs between the gas engine and electric motor. Additionally, acceleration from a stop can include sudden moments of reduced throttle response followed by a surprising return of power. Additionally, our observed fuel economy was nothing special, either. Over about 150 miles of mostly city driving, have charged the battery fully just once, we averaged just 24.5 mpg, only slightly better than we observed in a 6-cylinder CX-90. That said, in pure electric mode, the CX-90 is a honey of a commuter vehicle, serving up a refined ride, quiet cabin, and excellent handling.
It’s important to remember, too, that the CX-90 PHEV gives up the silky new 6-cylinder engine for less refined 4-cylinder unit, giving up more of the refinement we appreciate in the CX-90.
If you plan to spend most of your time in your next car driving withing the 26-mile battery range of the CX-90 PHEV—and thus not have to deal with the crude hybrid system—test driving the PHEV might make sense. We can’t endorse the model however, and continue to endorse the standard 6-cylinder models which are benchmarks of midsize-crossover comfort and refinement. Also, if you don’t need all the space the CX-90 provides, consider the excellent CX-50 Hybrid, which is not a plug-in hybrid, but is especially refined. All that said, we’ll call the CX-90 PHEV a plan that came together—but only reasonably well.
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2025 Mazda CX-90 PHEV Premium Plus Pictures
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