Mazda have always been very consistent with their vehicles. Year after year we have tested all of their models, from hatchbacks to SUVs and from sports cars to utes. And to be fair to Mazda, they always do very well across the board, especially with their SUVs and sports cars.

We now have a new generation of SUVs hitting our shores, and with this Mazda has launched the CX-60 range, featuring Petrol or Plug-in Hybrid models.

We got lucky with the time of year, Mazda New Zealand gave us the new CX-60 SP Hybrid as a long-term review over the Christmas break, Thanks Mazda. It’s always great to get more time behind the wheel, a week is a good time to get to know the car, but multiple weeks really puts a car through its paces.

The CX-60 we drove looked amazing, in the updated Soul Red Crystal Metallic. It really stands out and makes other bright colourful cars look dull. It also comes packed full of goodies, even in the base model, the SP Hybrid. 

What We Like and Dislike About The 2025 Mazda CX-60 SP Hybrid

What we likeWhat we don’t like
Styling
Soul Red Crystal paint
Spec level
Boot Size
Driving experience
Efficient engine
Gear shift lever
Cruise control on curved roads
Pairing Bluetooth
Air-conditioning

What’s In The 2025 Mazda CX-60 SP Hybrid Range?

The CX-60 range is available in New Zealand in 5 variant levels, starting with the petrol SP Hybrid ($69,990), moving to the first PHEV, the Touring PHEV ($78,990), then the top-spec petrol model, the Homura Hybrid ($81,990) and the last two PHEV models, the Homura PHEV ($87,990) and the top-spec Takami PHEV ($90,990).

To try and simplify it, there are two drive trains, the Petrol and PHEV variants. The petrol e-SKYACTIV G 3.3 M Hybrid Boost straight-6 motor delivers 209 kW of power and 450 Nm of torque, which is impressive and great in a big SUV. Its advertised combined fuel consumption is 7.9 litres per 100km, something we are keen to see the result of after our long-term review.

The PHEV variants have a smaller engine, the e-SKYACTIV PHEV in-line 4-cylinder engine with an electric motor. This delivers 241 kW of power and 500Nm of torque, leaving it with a bit more power than the petrol-only model, however the PHEV variants will be a bit heavier due to the batteries they carry onboard. 

2025 Mazda CX-60 SP Hybrid Colour Range

Mazda has a good range of colours, personally I would like to see more bright colours, but It’s hard to beat the new Soul Red Crystal Metallic even if there is a bit of an extra charge for it.

  • Soul Red Crystal Metallic (+$700)
  • Machine Grey Metallic (+$700) 
  • Rhodium White Metallic (+$700)
  • Jet Black Mica
  • Deep Crystal Blue Mica
  • Sonic Silver Metallic
  • Platinum Quartz Metallic

Our Review Vehicle’s Optional Equipment

  • Soul Red Crystal Metallic (+$700)

Including the optional equipment, our review car’s retail price is $70,690.

For a full list of specs and options available for the 2025 Mazda CX-60 SP Hybrid, head on over to Mazda New Zealand’s website.

How Does The 2025 Mazda CX-60 SP Hybrid Compare To Its Competition?

I have always said the mid-sized SUV market is the middle of the mosh pit: so many brands fighting for the top spot. While the brands battle it out, this means that the consumer has a lot of options and choices when it comes to picking the right vehicle for their lives.

Make/ ModelEnginePower/
Torque
kW/Nm
SeatsFuel
L/100km
Boot
Space
litres
Price
Mitsubishi Outlander VRX PHEV2.4-litre, 4-cylinder petrol/plugin hybrid185 / 45071.6750 / 1,600472$75,990
GWM Tank 500 Lux Hybrid2.0L 4-cylinder turbocharged hybrid-petrol255 / 64878.5750 / 3,00098 / 795 / 1,459$74,990
Mazda CX-60 SP Hybrid3.3 iL6 Turbo inline 6-cylinder petrol209 / 45057.9750 / 2,500570 / 1,726$69,990
Jeep/ Renegade 4xe PHEV1.3L T4 Turbo Plug-in Hybrid pewtrol176 / 27055.7600 / 1,150330 / 1,277$69,990
BYD Sealion Hybrid Premium1.5Ti Hybrid turbocharged petrol238 / 55051.4750 / 1,300425 / 1,440$64,990
BYD Sealion Hybrid Dynamic1.5Ti 4-cylinder-hybrid turbocharged petrol160 / 30051.1750 / 1,300425 / 1,440$57,990
GWM Tank 300 Lux Hybrid2.0L 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol-Hybrid255 / 64858.4750 / 2,500400 / 1,635$56,990

Please note that DriveLife does its best to ensure the information above is correct at the time of publication, however, prices, specifications and models can change over time. Please bear that in mind when comparing models in the comparison table.

First Impressions Of The 2025 Mazda CX-60 SP Hybrid

I sort of knew what to expect from Mazda as we have reviewed so many of their models over the years. But I must say I was taken aback when I saw the new Mazda CX-60, not by the overall design or style, but by the new Soul Red Crystal Metallic. It gave the vehicle another level of depth, making the cars around it feel grey and boring. Such a beautiful colour. 

Once I got past the colour, I have to admit the new CX-60 is not a bad-looking car. Mazda always have a good level of safe design, keeping it elegant whilst not being too extravagant. It’s good, as it keeps the brand relative to its consumers, focusing on what it can improve to give the consumer a better driving experience, rather than drastic design changes in every model they release.

I was also excited to find out more about the 48-volt Mild Hybrid System (M Hybrid Boost). This system combines a 3.3-litre turbocharged inline-six-cylinder e-Skyactiv G petrol engine with an electric motor. This not only gives it a boost of power in the areas where the engine might normally drop off, but also greater efficiency overall. 

What’s The Interior Like In The 2025 Mazda CX-60 SP Hybrid?

Inside the all-new CX-60, there is a lot of space, it’s well-appointed and has a clean modern design. Take the badge off the steering wheel, and it could be any high-end European brand. Mazda has really done well here, avoiding the cheaper-looking hard plastics, for soft touch and premium leather surfaces. 

The front seat is comfy and well-sculpted, with decent side supports. The adjustment is 10-way electric for the driver and 8-way electric for the front passenger. The driver’s seat has two memory function positions, lumbar support, and both front seats are also heated. I found the seats did a great job, even for a tall guy. 

The rear seats are similar in design to the front, but simplified. There are no rear-heated seats, but they are all reclining, have a centre fold-down armrest and are a 40/20/40 split. Room in the back is good, decent for a grown-up, even with a tall driver. My daughter’s booster seat went in nice and easy. In some cars, seat belt buckles are sunken into the seat, which can sometimes make the seat belts for children who want to do it themselves a bit difficult, but it was a breeze with the CX-60. 

The infotainment screen runs Mazda’s own UI, with a simple control dial in the centre console. From here you can access: Information, Entertainment, Communication, Navigation and Settings. If your phone supports it, you are also able to jump into the Apply CarPlay or Android Auto, both can be used wirelessly. 

I have a Google Pixel phone, so I ran Android Auto most of the time. I find the UI a bit cleaner, and it has a nice home screen where it splits the Map and Spotify at the same time. The only issue I had with the system was trying to pair my phone to it. It took a few attempts, which is unusual, but it appeared the car was trying to be too smart at times, handing over to the phone for final confirmation, and then the pin code would not accept. I finally got it, and then we were off to the races, as they say. 

At the top of the centre console under the dash, there is a Qi wireless charging pad, this works very well, and it is a great spot to put your phone so it’s out of sight. It’s also a nice place to put things like your wallet, something a lot of cars do not cater for. The wireless charger works very well on both iPhone and Android phone. My only note would be to add a helpful warning that the phone is charging when getting out of the vehicle, as I sometimes forgot it was there. 

One thing that did bug me, was the gear shifter. It’s short and stubby, and didn’t feel very sturdy. When I jumped into the car and started it up, there was a wait period before I could move the gear stick, like it had to run some checks before I could do it, to which I was not a fan of either. 

Visibility around the cabin is great, where you can’t see the sensors usually fill in the gaps. The view out the rear is good, too, giving the driver a lot of confidence while parking the old-fashioned way. However, it’s also nice to have the 360-degree camera and surround parking sensors to avoid any oversight. You do have to beware of the thickness of the A-pillars, as cars can hide behind these from time to time. 

The boot is a huge space, with all seats upright, It’s 570 litres which includes the under-floor storage, and this opens up to 1,726 litres when both rear seats are down. The boot opening is big and wide, and the door opens nice and high, which makes the CX-60 a very versatile vehicle. Small side note, the CX-60 does come with a space-saver spare wheel, which is nice to have over the risky gel packs. 

What’s The 2025 Mazda CX-60 SP Hybrid Like To Drive?

The Mazda range is not out to redefine the driving experience, apart from the Mazda MX5, which I am told (as I’m too tall to drive it). And by that I mean it’s a brand that constantly makes vehicles that everyone likes to drive, they are not complicated, not difficult and are focused on making the driving experience as natural as possible, which the CX-60 continues to do.

Naturally, people remember the bad things about vehicles, so when I look back I offset my thoughts around how well I can remember the vehicle. Most bad vehicles I remember well, and better vehicles not so much, which means they were good, if that makes any sense. The all-new CX-60 did this, well, apart from a few niggles with the cruise control, the driving experience is pretty flawless.

This CX-60 comes with a 3.3-litre turbocharged straight-6 e-Skyactive G Hybrid which in basic terms is a mild hybrid engine that has an electric motor to support it. This powers the vehicle through the i-Activ All-Wheel-Drive system, which delivers very seamless and very smooth power. You might think that a 3.3-litre engine is a bit over the top, not very efficient, when in actual fact it is probably around the sweet spot. Most 2.0-litre engines in SUVs are put under more use, to get the same use out of them, so to enable them to be efficient you have to drive like a saint. Fred has just returned from a 6,000 km road trip in Canada in the all new CX-70 which has the same motor, and he managed 7.8L per 100km, which is pretty impressive.

Canadian/American Road Trip, 2024/2025: Week 1

Canadian/American Road Trip, 2024/2025: Week 2

Canadian/American Road Trip, 2024/2025: Week 3

However, with this new hybrid engine, the CX-60 has a factory fuel consumption rating of 7.9 litres per 100km. Not bad, and when you consider that I spent a week behind the wheel, without much thought to efficient driving, through the city, motorways and back roads, I achieved an astonishing 8.7 litres per 100km. For a turbo charged straight-6 that’s really impressive, and it means that you will see real savings on a regular basis. 

Overall, driving in the CX-60 was good, I really enjoyed it, and would not struggle to live with this as my daily driver at all. The engine feels like a bigger engine, as the hybrid system helps to fill in all the power/torque gaps a non-hybrid combustion engine/transmission delivers. So this means that the overall power and torque curves are smoother, and you always have a nice supply of power on hand. 

In addition to the Normal drive mode, there are 4 different drive modes; Sport, Off-road, Towing, and EV mode. All of these modes are fairly self-explanatory.

  • Sport mode: For more aggressive driving
  • Off-road mode: For driving on rough terrain
  • Towing mode: For towing heavy loads

I personally found very little difference in the Normal and Sport modes, the gear changes were a little faster, and it held the gears longer, but overall that was about it. I found Normal mode to be so well set up that I never changed out of it. 

The dashboard of the CX-60 is clean and simple. The driver’s dash is a full LCD display, which can be configured to show the different dials and information the driver requires. It’s not too cluttered and is easy to use and navigate. I also like the graphics they have used as the driver engages the cruise control system, the dials morph out of the way to allow a road to appear which displays your vehicle and the other vehicles around it. 

The CX-60 rides well and is very smooth on the road, which is impressive for a vehicle that weighs almost, 2000kg. This smoothness translates to very little noise in the cabin. Even the engine noise is low, which may also be the issue around why the air conditioning felt very noisy, with not much else to drown it out. 

The CX-60 has a raft of safety systems as standard, Smart Brake Supports, 360-degree safety cameras, active driving display, radar cruise control with cruising and traffic support to name just a few. I had several experiences where these systems helped me out, the brake support for one was great when a driver pulled out in front of me and didn’t see the car. The radar cruise is great too, easy to use and set up, and works very well. However, I found it would get a bit confused around curves on the motorway, where it was unsure if the car in the next lane ahead of you was in your lane or not. From time to time, it would just brake when nothing was actually in front of you. 

Brakes were great, on point and gave the driver a secure level of confidence. Braking is something that is becoming more important as hybrid and electric vehicles are becoming heavier every year. Most mild hybrids seem to be around the 2,000kg mark, whereas most EVs of the same size are 500kg more. To put some comparison to this, my 2017 Range Rover Sport is 2,100kg, it’s a bigger vehicle with a ladder chassis and 3.5-ton towing, but it’s only 100kg more than the Mazda CX-60, 

2025 Mazda CX-60 SP Hybrid – Specifications

Vehicle TypeSUV
Starting Price$69,990
Price as Tested$70,690
EngineAWD e-SKYACTIV G 3.3L TURBO PETROL HYBRID
Power, Torque
kW/Nm
209 kW / 450 Nm
TransmissionSKYACTIV-Drive 8-Speed Automatic with Manual Mode
Spare WheelSpace saver
Kerb Weight, Kg2,500
Length x Width x Height
mm
4740 x 1890 x 1688
Boot Space / Cargo Capacity,
Litres
(seats up/seats down)
570 / 1,726
Fuel tank capacity,
litres
58
Fuel Economy,
L/100km
Advertised Spec – Combined – 7.9
Real-World Test – Combined – 8.7
Low Usage: 0-6 / Medium Usage 6-12 / High Usage 12+
Towing Capacity
Kg, unbraked/braked
750 / 2,500
Turning circle
metres
10.8
Small: 6-10m / Medium 10-12m / Large 12m+
Warranty5 years unlimited-kilometre warranty
5 years of Roadside Assist
5 years of free scheduled servicing
Safety informationANCAP Rating – 5 stars – Link
Rightcar.govt.nz – 5 Stars – CX60
REVIEW OVERVIEW
Driver Technology
8
Economy
8
Handling
8
Infotainment
8
Interior
7
Performance
8
Ride
8
Safety
9
Styling
8
Value
7
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John Galvin (JSG)
It started at a young age with bedroom posters, the Countach of course. This slowly grew into a super car die-cast model collection, fifty five 1:18 models at the last count. At which point it had almost taken full control, the incurable Mad Car Disease ran deep though my veins all the way to the bone. And things for my loved ones just got worse as the cars where now being bought at 1:1 scale, after a BMW, HSV, and couple of Audi's, the disease reached my brain, pushing me over the edge and down the rabbits hole into the world of the bedroom poster.
2025-mazda-cx-60-sp-hybrid-car-reviewThe all-new Mazda CX-60 is an impressive bit of kit, and is surprisingly cheaper than you would expect. By that I mean, what you get is a lot, it's spacious, the fit and finish are nice, soft materials, great boot, efficient engine and stylish car. It ticks the box on so many family SUV requirements. <br><br> My main issue was the gear shift lever and the air conditioning, the lever didn't feel right, and it would not always select the gear I wanted on the first try. The air conditioning worked well, but came on very aggressively when the car was hot, making it hard to talk to anyone while it cooled the car. <br><br> I loved the colour of the new CX-60, it's like no other colour. In fact, it would probably make a red Ferrari look dull if it was parked next to it, with the way it catches the light. You need to see it in person, and you won't be disappointed. <br><br> If you're after a mid-sized hybrid family SUV, it would be silly to exclude the Mazda CX-60 from your list. Mazda seems to have delivered once again, with a focused product that the market is looking for at exactly the right time.

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