Thinking of buying a luxury SUV? Buy this Mazda

I’ve long bemoaned the lack of grunt from Mazda engines which makes scratching their beautiful, timeless designs off my list of prospective vehicles to buy a heartbreaking shame.

Mazda make some of the most drool-inspiring cars around — there’s hardly a hatchback anywhere in the world to compete with the gorgeous Mazda 3, the CX-30 is one of the most attractive and sleek crossovers, the CX-5 could easily have had a Jaguar badge on the grille, and the MX-5 is the top-selling roadster of all time.

Mazda’s interiors are also a place of beauty and understated elegance, with flowing lines and practical functionality taking precedence over gimmicky fads.

But the go in recent years has not really matched the show, until now.

I recently took the exceptional Mazda CX-60 Takumi on a road trip to the Southern Cape — an over 1,000km round trip that included twisty mountain passes, long stretches of open national road, quaint village drive-throughs, and hundreds of kilometres through rough gravel and shallow (paved) stream crossings along the R327.

And boy, was I impressed.

I’d recently reviewed the CX-60 2.5l petrol model and was disappointed that to get the best out of the engine, I needed to keep the revs high; not ideal for a family SUV best suited to cruising.

@lancethewit10 I tested the Mazda CX-60 for you. Honestly, there are better, quicker options in this price range, but you’ve got the peace of mind of Mazda’s build quality and reliability, and it’s packed with standard features, without many of the loud, distracting nanny warnings most of the Chinese options have. It’s hella comfortable, built for cruising, not speed, and will eat up kilometres… until you need to refill the small fuel tank (only 58 litres) to keep the 2.5l engine happy. I averaged a touch under 10l/100km. Honestly, great car, but I wouldn’t buy it - it does feel smaller than its size, especially when parking, but was a little too grown up and sensible for me. #Mazda #CX60 #carsoftiktok #car #review @IOLNEWS ♬ original sound - Lance Witten450

But the Takumi model’s inline-6 3.3l mild-hybrid diesel is an absolute dream. Mated to an eight-speed auto gearbox, this motor is at its happiest on the long road.

With 187kW and 550Nm on tap, the 3.3l turbodiesel mill puts out a throaty growl and manages to eat up the kilometres rather frugally — we averaged 6.8l/100km, but on some stretches got as low as 4.1.

Overtaking on the long road was a cinch, with the grunt available down low and nary a complaint from the engine when the revs approached the red line, the willing motor still raring to give more.

With nearly 500l of boot space below the tonneau cover, the CX-60 easily swallowed up our luggage, the rear doors that open to just about 90° made fitting the ISOFIX rear-facing car seat a breeze, the massive panoramic sunroof gave the already cavernous cabin an even more airy and spacious feel, even with the black roof lining, the broad, comfortable and ergonomic centre armrest and console gave me the perfect “captain’s chair” feel, and the wireless Apple Carplay connected effortlessly and seamlessly every time.

I’ve been in luxury SUVs priced far higher than this that offer less connectivity and a far more finicky infotainment system.

Switching between off-road mode (the Takumi comes standard with AWD), normal, and sport mode via the Mi-Drive rocker switch is simple and straightforward, and the matching graphics on the digital instrument cluster are of the clearest definition I’ve seen.

Again, there are cars that cost a million of your finest Randelas more than this, with poorer definition on their instrument clusters.

Speaking of pricing, Mazda’s range-topping CX-60 retails for R1,074,400 (pricing correct as at October 3, 2024), and for what you’re getting, it’s a bargain.

Consider that an equivalent BMW X3, Volvo XC60, or Mercedes-Benz GLC all start at around the same price, but the entry level models come with far fewer features.

I’m talking adaptive matrix headlights; heads-up display that also gives you all the passive safety feature information like cross-traffic alerts and blindspot monitoring; full leather interior with ventilated front seats; autonomous emergency braking; automatic climate control, headlights and rain-sensing wipers; a BOSE sound system with a sub-woofer inside the spare wheel; automatic tailgate; and space enough inside to swing a cat in (if you’re into that sort of thing).

Add to that the fact that most of the luxury vehicle manufacturers are shipping their vehicles with small-capacity engines fitted with massive turbos, so most of the engine sounds you’re getting in the cabin are likely the work of innovative audio fakery, while Mazda’s CX-60 Takumi has that great hulking 3.3l six cylinder powermill, it’s a no-brainer.

There are very few downsides to this particular car — the 20-inch machined alloys ship with commensurate lower profile rubber, which makes gravel and rutted-road driving a little harsher than you’d expect for an SUV.

But this is a soft-roader, not an off-roader. The lower profile tyres also mean there’s a bit more road noise than I would expect for a car this price — I feel far more cosseted and cut off from the outside world in say, a Volvo XC60 — although there’s little else in the way of NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) I have to complain about in the Mazda.

In spite of its size and stature, wind noise was minimal at highway speeds, and the windows did a pretty good job of shielding you from any other external aural intrusions.

Another point on the vehicle’s size is its uncanny manouevrability — the turning circle is tight, and you don’t really feel its proportions while driving; even when potting around tight bends and narrow dorpie streets, or nervously crossing shallow streams out in the sticks, or parking in tight bays.

If a large, luxury SUV with some vocal throaty punch is what you’re after, don’t drop two bar on the German or Swedish marques — look east and go for the awesome Mazda CX-60 3.3l turbodiesel Takumi instead.

IOL