Mazda is about to make its CX-60 mid-size SUV even more accessible by introducing a new entry-level grade powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.
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Mazda Australia will roll out a new, more affordable point-of-entry to its CX-60 family SUV range just months after adjusting RRPs and lowering the price of entry by $10,500.
However, the new variant will forgo the mild-hybrid 3.3-litre turbocharged inline six-cylinder engines, available in petrol and diesel across the 2025 CX-60’s five-trim line-up, in favour of a four-cylinder, non-electrified powertrain.
The non-turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine will be familiar to Mazda 6, Mazda 3, and CX-30 fans, while it is also used in conjunction with a 17.8kWh battery and electric motor in the CX-60 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).
In international markets, the engine makes 138kW/250Nm, but in Australia, the 2.5-litre makes 141kW/261Nm under the bonnet of the CX-60 PHEV, combining with the electric motor for 241kW/500Nm in total.
In local showrooms, under the bonnet of the smaller CX-5, the same engine is tuned to 140kW/252Nm, while the Mazda 3 and CX-30 share 139kW/252Nm outputs.
It remains unclear exactly which version of the engine Mazda Australia will go with, but if the international version mirrors the PHEV outputs, a safe bet would be 141kW/261Nm, which would make it punchier than the smaller CX-5.
Crucially, the next-generation CX-5 due in late 2026 also features the same 2.5-litre petrol engine, but is detuned to 132kW/242Nm to meet Euro 6 emissions regulations.
Overseas, the four-cylinder CX-60 is available in rear- and all-wheel-drive forms, but approval documents on the Australian government’s Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts indicate local cars will be exclusively rear-axle driven.
Aside from the engine, it remains to be seen what grades the 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine will be made available, but given it is designed to make the CX-60 more accessible, it will likely be offered in entry-level Pure form.
Expect to see features like 18-inch wheels, a 10.25-inch infotainment screen, a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, keyless entry and start, black-plastic body cladding, and dual-zone climate control.
The final piece of the puzzle for the four-cylinder CX-60 will be pricing, and while Mazda Australia boss Vinesh Bhindi told Drive it would be the most affordable version of the car yet.
The recently refreshed CX-60 line-up currently kicks off at $50,240 before on-road costs for the G40e Pure, meaning the 2.5-litre version will be a sub-$50,000 model with overlap across some CX-5 grades.
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Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
