2025 Mazda CX-60 review: Australian first drive

You could look at the updated Mazda CX-60 in two ways. One is to suggest that Mazda knew the criticisms aimed at the first model were accurate and it needed to act quickly to rectify them. Reacting to a vehicle's development that was compromised by COVID-19 shutdowns and challenges, and sent to market without the final cut and polish it needed to ensure it was as good as it could be.

The other is to accept Mazda's explanation at launch that it has listened to the feedback of buyers and motoring journalists around the world, accepted that the feedback was accurate, and taken it on board.

In many ways, the second scenario is what we'd all like automotive manufacturers to do. The buying public are the customers who purchase the vehicles at the end of the line after all, and listening to them is hardly a bad thing.

Mazda occupies an interesting place in this market, too, given the quality of its vehicles over the last two decades, their retained value on the second-hand market, the quality of the dealership experience, and thus the expectations of the customer. There's not much wriggle room for a misstep when your customers expect excellence from any new model.

Let's quickly look at the issues as we saw them from launch. At Drive, and to be fair also among our colleagues in the automotive media, we thought the CX-60 needed a sharpening of the pencil to bring the price down from the initial launch listing.

We also reported that we assessed the ride as too firm for a family-focused, luxury-aspiring SUV, and we noticed hesitation and jerkiness through the transmission – especially at low speed. The latter a significant factor for a brand renowned for the quality of its driving experience and aiming to be seen as a premium, luxury brand.

As you can see by reading our pricing and specification guide, Mazda has made the buying proposition more attractive with a revision of the pricing structure. There's as much as $10,000 shaved from the previous model's pricing depending on grade. Mazda tells us that the CX-60 was transacting at these lower prices in the main around the country, rather than at the RRP, and the new pricing thus reflects the position the buyers felt it should be in. Fair enough.

Mazda's engineers have also looked closely at the ride quality and the suspension system to deliver what it claims are material gains in comfort, bump absorption and ride quality that are much more in keeping with what it tells us is an aspirational luxury brand.

The latest tweaks to the CX-60's underpinnings include softer rear springs, the removal of the rear anti-roll bar, firmer shock absorber settings – with increased rear rebound damping and front compression damping – and recalibrated stability systems 'to improve overall handling and comfort balance'.

The occasional lack of refinement from the transmission was always much more noticeable in the PHEV model, especially at low speed, as it switched between petrol and electric power.

The way the transmission works – as opposed to a conventional torque-converter automatic – is effectively the reason for this behaviour at low speed, and it makes you wonder why a conventional automatic wouldn't be a more suitable solution. Especially in regard to refinement, which speaks to the luxury angle. However, Mazda claims to have tweaked clutch control for an improvement in the way it makes that transition.

Mazda's attention to detail, trim quality and sense of refinement remain a feature inside the cabin. Most people will close the door on the CX-60 and feel like they are seated in a premium SUV. It's the little touches, too, the switchgear, the screens, the seat comfort and the bright sense of airiness inside the cabin that all come together to deliver what you'd expect from Mazda.

Our pricing and specification guide breaks down the inclusions and standard equipment, and there are new model grades available. Pricing starts from $50,240 for the entry point to the CX-60 range and runs right up to $81,490, both before on-road costs. It's a cramped showroom when you consider we are one of very few – if not the only market – to offer CX-60, CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90.

Our launch drive is brief, but there's a lot to be experienced driving the outgoing version and the updated version back-to-back on Holden's old ride and handling assessment loop. Coarse chip bitumen, ruts, train tracks, mid-corner bumps, dips and repeated lumpy sections that really get the suspension working – you name it, the Lang Lang proving ground has it on offer for testing vehicles to Aussie conditions. No longer owned by Holden, the test track has just as much value for assessment as it always did.

And, the good news is, the updated CX-60 is a significantly more composed, comfortable, insulated and better behaved SUV than it was previously. The way the front end responds means the steering feels different, there's less tendency to understeer at speed, and some of the CX-60's heft is seemingly hidden.

The fact that Mazda has removed the sports-focused firmness from the way the springs and dampers work means there's a big difference in the way the revised CX-60 tackles a poorly surfaced country road surface. There's no doubt this new CX-60 is a significantly more comfortable family road-trip proposition.

The ride still leans on the firm side, more like a European SUV, for example, but it's no longer harsh, crashy, and too firm. There is still some tyre noise that enters the cabin at 100km/h, and the transmission isn't as smooth as the smoothest Mazda has on offer. In other words, you can feel the transmission working, with the occasional sound or reverberation inside the cabin. But, if we're to judge the revised CX-60 on whether it's better than the model it replaces, it's unquestionably a superior car.

The inline six-cylinder engine is good for all the reasons we've previously detailed, that make an inline six so impressive. You do hear it when you ask it to work, and in one way that might be at odds with the sense of luxury Mazda is aiming for, but for mine, I like the soundtrack coming alive when you nail the accelerator pedal to get up to speed. Around town, at low speed, the engine is barely noticeable.

The pricing for the P50e GT PHEV we've detailed below reflects a starting price of $77,290 before on-road costs, a price reduction of $6560 from the previous model.

There's little doubt that the Mazda CX-60 is an attractive, stylish, and elegant SUV in a class that often lacks such panache. There's also little doubt that the softening of the suspension system and the work that Mazda has done has made for much better behaviour on patchy surfaces at any speed.

The revised CX-60 is still firm, but it's no longer jarring. And, a sharper price is no bad thing either. It's not perfect, but no vehicle is, and the fact that it's better for the update is worthy of note.

Trent Nikolic has been road testing and writing about cars for almost 20 years. He’s been at CarAdvice/Drive since 2014 and has been a motoring editor at the NRMA, Overlander 4WD Magazine, Hot4s and Auto Salon Magazine.

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