Review: 2025 Mazda CX-70

The same, yet different.

Review and photos by Tom Sedens. There are always more photos at the end of my reviews.

Last year, Mazda introduced a new SUV, its biggest – the CX-90. The CX-70 reviewed here is closely related – as a matter of fact, it’s nearly identical. The big difference between the two is that the CX-70 deletes the third row, making it a 5-passenger SUV.

Pricing: 2025 Mazda CX-70

Base price (MHEV Signature trim): $62,300

Options: $500 Soul Red Crystal Metallic paint

Freight: $2,195

A/C tax: $100

Price as tested: $65,095

Exterior

There is virtually nothing distinguishing the CX-70 from the CX-90 from the outside, short of the badging. The overall styling is luxurious and the whole vehicle feels like it is carved out of one solid piece. It gets a ton of attention.

I loved the bold front end. It looks (and is!) wide and brings with it a considerable presence when the vehicle is standing still or coming down the road toward you. Mazda’s split wing grille aesthetics look fantastic here.

I found the CX-70’s silhouette to be very rear-heavy. The short front overhang emphasizes the amount of vehicle behind the rear axle even more and there’s a lot of it. To be clear, I don’t mind this look – it appeals to me.

All exterior lighting is LED – headlights, driving lights and tail lights.

The Signature is the highest trim and therefore gets massive 21-inch rims with equally huge 275/45 tires. The Signature trim looks very upscale. There’s a slick chrome rocker panel trim at bottom of doors with “Mazda” debossed into it that really draws in the eye.

If there was one styling miss for me, it’s the “Inline 6” cowl badging. It’s cheesy and unnecessary – the engine configuration (particularly that one) isn’t really a feature that is going to blow people away.

Interior/Tech/Convenience

Materials are nice. Very nice actually. There’s plenty of soft-touch plastics where they need to be, and in the Signature trim the dash and door trim is a stunning brown suede and gray striped panel combination.

The CX-70 has a fantastic heated steering wheel. In the Signature, it’s two-tone, combining brown and black leather. Behind it is a configurable 12.3-inch digital dash.

The seats are excellent. We found them to be very comfortable and reasonably well bolstered for support. They are upholstered in a stunning perforated Nappa leather and are heated and ventilated. The seats have black accent striping and diamond quilting detail. They are are nice to look at as they are to sit in.

Centered on the dash is the 10.25″ screen controlled by Mazda’s HMI rotary dial/button. The interface has improved, but it’s still among the more awkward and tedious systems on the market today, requiring the user to dig through layers to achieve simple tasks at times. The whole thing is definitely showing its age.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connections are wireless and there is an outstanding 12-speaker BOSE system.

Oddly, the screen only works as a touchscreen when using it with CarPlay or Android Auto. I find that really weird but it’s Mazda’s compromise. Hoping for a full touchscreen experience from them soon.

The CX-70 has a boatload of modern driver assistance technology to keep everyone safe. It includes a back-up camera and front and rear parking sensors, automatic high beam control, rear cross traffic alert, smart brake support, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, rear seat passenger alert, driver attention alert, pedestrian detection, lane keep assist and lane departure warning, emergency lane keeping, rear pedestrian detection and a set of 360-degree cameras.

The Signature trim interior is really something else – it is truly a place of luxury.

Rear Seats

The second row seats are very comfortable. I’m 5’10”, and sitting behind my own driving position, I had head room to spare and about 6-7 inches of knee room. The seats are heated, recline and slide fore and aft. Interestingly, the Signature trim in the CX-90 adds ventilated second row seating which isn’t found in the CX-70.

The rear of the centre console features two USB-C plugs, adjustable air vents and a separate climate control panel. Combine this with the huge panoramic sunroof overhead and the second row is a lovely place to be.

Storage

At the front of the centre console is a small rubberized wireless charging mat, oriented width-wise, as well as a 12V plug. You’ll find a shallow carpeted bin under the clamshell armrest lid where two USB plugs reside as well.

Popping the power liftgate reveals a large 1,122L space with additional storage under the floor. A couple of bag hooks and a 12V accessory plug finish things off.

Folding the rear seats down (they split 60/40) is easy thanks to power folding buttons in the trunk and boosts cargo space to a massive 2,132L.

Under the Hood

The motivator for the CX-70 is a 3.3L turbocharged inline-6 with a mild hybrid system, rated at 340 HP and 369 lb.ft of torque. Mazda says this engine should get 10.3/8.5 L/100 km (city/highway).

The engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission and, although real-wheel-drive based, all-wheel drive.

Premium fuel is recommended for both but is not required. There’s a minor loss of power with regular fuel, but the engine runs harm-free on it.

The Drive

The inline-6 is very powerful in every driving situation – no need for more power here. The mild hybrid system will occasionally allow the vehicle to coast on electric power.

Drivers can choose between different drive modes: normal, sport and off-road.

The 8-speed transmission is relatively new for Mazda – while it shifted very smoothly, I found it to be hunting for the right gear on occasion.

I found the suspension on the CX-70 to be much more sorted than in the CX-90. I found virtually none of the harshness here, and the ride was impressive.

Handling is fine for a beast of this size, but you can feel its size and mass in the corners along with plenty of body roll. That said, it feels nicely planted and is highly competent when it comes to traction and grip. I usually don’t give a shout-out to the turning circle, but for the size of this vehicle, the CX-70’s is incredibly tight and makes for easy parking and maneuvering.

The brakes are very powerful and while a bit grabby, I found them easy to modulate and drive with.

We found the CX-90 to be very quiet in almost all driving situations. Visibility out of the vehicle is mostly good with the exception of the view out of the back if the third row is in use and the headrests are up.

If you need to be towing, the CX-70 is rated to tow up to 5,000 pounds.

Nitpicks

The outer edge of the right- and left-most dash vents stick out quite far when the doors are open, and I smashed my knee on them several times – taller people beware!

The Verdict

WAF (Wife Approval Factor) was middling. She really loved the styling and said it looked amazing inside and out. She didn’t love how big it felt on the road and she noted the sometimes rougher-than-expected ride.

The CX-70 is simply a two-row version of the CX-90. You save a bit of weight and a few dollars, so if that third row is useless to you, go for the CX-70. It’s a fantastic vehicle!