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2025 Mazda CX-70 Turbo S Premium Plus Review

Updated on Jan 28, 2025

The 2025 Mazda CX-70 Turbo S Premium Plus is Mazda’s two-row interpretation of the brand-new CX-90 platform. The CX-70 benefits from Mazda’s completely new rear-wheel-drive platform along with a buttery smooth inline-6 to create a compelling package that’s both well-engineered and beautiful to look at. The new three-row Mazda CX-90 SUV was a welcomed addition to its growing SUV line-up, however, it’s a bit curious that Mazda released the CX-70 as a separate model when it shares everything with the CX-90 minus the third row of seats.

The CX-70 has a big hill to climb to justify its existence. The CX-70 benefits from a different front and rear facia and removes the CX-90's third row of seats to offer a cavernous trunk. It’s hard to look at the CX-70 and not simply buy a CX-90 and fold down the third row, which I suspect most customers do daily. It’s even more confusing when you consider that the pricing of both the CX-70 and CX-90 are within a few hundred dollars when matched trim for trim. This begs the question, who hates the flexibility of fold-down third rows so much they need to buy a completely different SUV. More importantly, the CX-70 could’ve been an option package on the CX-90. It’s the meeting that should’ve been an email.

Philosophical existence aside, the CX-70 is a fantastic SUV for the engineering enthusiast. Mazda has delivered the rear-drive platform and turbocharged inline-6 worthy of a luxury brand to the masses and that’s worth celebrating. Mazda, the smallest mass-market independent automaker, went above and beyond to develop a captivating SUV with a spec sheet that reads like a BMW twice its price. Three rows or not, the CX-70 deserves your attention if you never intend to carry more than five people in your Mazda SUV.

Drive Train

The Mazda CX-70 is powered by a turbocharged 3.3-liter inline-6 engine mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. This entire system is supported by a 48-volt mild-hybrid setup, called M-Boost, which is meant to reduce turbo lag and help the CX-70 smoothly accelerate from a stop while also reducing fuel consumption. The all-aluminum turbocharged 3.3-liter inline-6 was completely developed in-house by Mazda. This more premium configuration was chosen since inline-6s are one of the few naturally balanced engines leading to a more luxurious driving experience.

Mazda’s e-Skyactiv-G 3.3-liter comes in two flavors. There’s the base engine found in the Turbo models that produces a respectable 280 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque. This less powerful engine is built to run exclusively on regular 87-octane fuel and is meant for the more budget-conscious customer. Move up to the Turbo S trim and the e-Skyactiv-G 3.3-liter turns to a diet of premium fuel to produce 340 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. Regardless of trim, all inline-6 CX-70s use the same M-boost 11 kW mild hybrid electric motor sandwiched between the engine and transmission.

Top-Selling Mazda CX-70 Accessories

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The CX-70 delivers impressive fuel economy with a rating of 24 city and 28 highway for a combined rating of 25 miles-per-gallon, not bad for a 4,800lb SUV. Power is sent through an all-new Mazda-developed e-SKYACTIV-Drive 8-speed automatic transmission. This transmission is an evolution of Mazda’s proven 6-speed design that’s been modernized and enhanced for this new platform.

In practice, our 2025 Mazda CX-70 Turbo S’s engine was the star of the show. The straight-6 is smooth and strong and does its best BMW impression for a fraction of the cost. It’s also infinitely more exciting than the engines of rivals that rely on V6s and turbocharged inline-4s. This engine feels like it has a soul and was incredibly fun to rev out in this family-focused SUV. We couldn’t help but wonder how good it would feel in a sports sedan or Miata. When it comes to the drivetrain, it’s difficult to beat the CX-70 in this segment.

Rear Drive Platform

When Mazda released its new rear-wheel drive luxury vehicle platform it completely took the automotive world by surprise. Mazda is the smallest independent mass-market car manufacturer in the world, so for them to take this challenge on and deliver is a monumental achievement.

The all-new platform leverages some of the best suspension tech using a dual-wishbone front suspension and multi-link rear suspension. A dual wishbone front suspension is more expensive to manufacture but leads to a sportier driving experience since camber increases as the suspension is compressed leading to increased grip levels during hard cornering. Although the CX-70 lacks an adaptive suspension, we found the ride to strike an agreeable middle ground between compliance and comfort.

Since the platform is rear-wheel-drive focused it also leads to a more luxurious driving experience and the inline-6 pushes you along rather than pulling you forward. This platform elevates the 2025 Mazda CX-70 Turbo S above its competitors thanks to the refinement and superior driving experience.

Interior and Technology

Beyond the exciting mechanical engineering that underpins the CX-70, the interior space continues Mazda’s remarkable luxury product. High-quality materials like leather, metal, and soft-touch plastics adorn the interior of the CX-70 delivering a luxury feel of a product far greater than the CX-70’s price tag.

Although the CX-70’s interior is a beautiful space, there are some drawbacks to all that style. For starters, storage space is generally lacking, which is quite surprising for a family-focused SUV. The center stack has minimal storage and is put to shame by many of its competitors. This could be due to the rear-drive layout which requires the use of a drive shaft to power the rear wheels.

One major benefit of the CX-70 is the massive cargo area. Since the CX-70 simply ditches the CX-90’s third row with no exterior dimension changes you can fit virtually anything in the rear hatch. In fact, the space is almost too big for normal storage purposes. If an object moves while driving towards the second-row seats you need to climb into the back of the Mazda to retrieve it unless you have extendable arms like Go-Go Gadget. We highly recommend a set of cargo dividers, or even Husky Liners’ Cargo Logic system, to help break up the massive cargo space on the CX-70. For golfers, you can probably fit enough golf bags to support half the PGA tour in the CX-70.

Technology in the CX-70 is minimal. This may seem a little disappointing for customers looking for the biggest touch screens, however, we appreciate Mazda’s approach. Drivers are able to complete all normal tasks with ease thanks to the simple menu layout and the use of buttons and knobs for key controls. This lack of complexity is welcomed for useability, but we wouldn’t blame any customers for feeling disappointed at the lack of features. It’s refreshing to see a luxury SUV that doesn’t have technology as its party piece.

The interior of the CX-70 will impress you with its quality and attention to detail. The usable cabin space may not deliver the pinnacle of in-car technology but everything is easy to use and frustration-free. This approach is a welcomed change and is sure to make the CX-70 a timeless interior space.

Conclusion

The Mazda CX-70 is a separate model that could’ve been a CX-90 trim level. That being said, the CX-70’s CX-90 roots serve it well as all of the benefits of Mazda’s impressive SUV effort remain. The exterior styling of the CX-70 also looks far better to this author; however, beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. For customers who love driving and impressive engineering, the Mazda CX-70 is hard to beat for the price. If you can forgive some lacking interior storage and minimal tech it’s an SUV worth test driving.

It’s hard to fault Mazda for working to amortize its development effort across numerous vehicles, and hopefully, the added revenue will support the development of a rear-drive sedan or sports car with that same 3.3-liter inline-6.