2024 MAZDA CX-70 TWO-ROW SUV: RELEASE DATE, PRICE, SPECS, INTERIOR

When you think of car brands with die-hard fans, Mazda isn’t usually top of mind. But there are enough internet forums that prove otherwise. And no, it’s not only the “Miata is the answer to everything” folks. These Mazda fans are all about usability, sporty handling and understated luxury, not to mention reliability — all reasons Mazda is now the second-best ranked car brand in the US by Consumer Reports, even ahead of Honda, Lexus and Toyota! The company’s new line of SUVs, the surprisingly luxurious Mazda CX-90 three-row SUV, and smaller Mazda CX-50 compact crossover play a large part in that.

Filling the gap between the two will be the upcoming 2024 Mazda CX-70 two-row crossover, heavily based on the larger, more expensive Mazda CX-90, including its plug-in hybrid powertrain. The new CX-70 also expected to get very similar styling to the swish Mazda CX-60 crossover already on sale internationally. All this is very good news — and not just for the Mazda fans. Because the Mazda CX-70 will likely have everything that could sway people away from the more expensive premium SUV brands, at a lower entry price.

Not The Smallest, Nor The Largest CX, The CX-70 Will Be Just Right

Speaking of Mazda fans, even they’re probably scratching their heads at Mazda’s current SUV lineup. Mazda has not one, but three nearly-similarly priced two-row SUVs! There’s the Mazda CX-30 subcompact SUV, Mazda CX-5 and Mazda CX-50 compact SUVs. Each of them sports similar styling, and identical powertrains, all of which have overlapping price tags. Notably, the newer CX-50 rides on the same platform as the CX-30.

Then, there’s the aging Mazda CX-9 three-row SUV at the top of the range, with the new Mazda CX-90 three-row SUV coming in as its more modern, butch-looking sibling/eventual replacement. But what really separates the Mazda CX-90 from its “elderly” sibling is the fact that it rides on a new platform.

This new Mazda platform, simply called the Large Platform, was debuted with the 2023 Mazda CX-90, and aims to help Mazda take the fight to the traditional luxury brands in the space. Interestingly, Mazda’s new longitudinal engine architecture will come in wider body versions for American roads, and narrower bodies for European markets. For example, the Mazda CX-90 is the wide version, and the even-number CX-80 is the narrow version.

Similarly, the Mazda CX-60 sold internationally is the narrow version, and you guessed it, the Mazda CX-70 is the wide one. For reference, the Mazda CX-60 rocks dimensions of 186.6 inches long, with a wheelbase of 113 inches. Expect the North-American Mazda CX-70 to clock in very similar numbers. In case you were wondering just how much smaller the CX-70 will be versus the Mazda CX-90, the larger SUV comes in at just over 200 inches long, on a wheelbase of 122.8 inches. For everyone who wanted all the modern touches that the 2023 Mazda CX-90 brought to the table, but in a more manageable size, the 2024 Mazda CX-70 should be exactly that.

The New CX-70 Will Inherit The CX-90’s Impressive Hybrid Powertrain

Mazda has no qualms in calling its new platform rear-drive biased, thanks to its longitudinal engine placement and sportier dash-to-axle proportions. Even though its SUVs rock all-wheel drive. Go figure.

The new platform brings with it a new range of engines, including some pretty cool electrified options. There’s a turbocharged 3.3-liter six-cylinder engine with 340 horsepower and 369 lb-ft torque, paired with a 48V hybrid system, which has more power than the CX-9’s turbo-four powertrain. But that’s not even the most exciting powertrain Mazda has.

That honor goes to the Mazda CX-90’s plug-in hybrid setup. It’s a 2.5-liter four-cylinder coupled with an electric motor between the engine and the transmission, good for 323 horsepower and 369 lb-ft torque. The Mazda CX-90 PHEV packs a sizable 17.8-kWh battery pack, which should offer an estimated 20-30 miles of driving range.

This powertrain paired with the lighter, smaller Mazda CX-70 should offer even more electric-only driving range, and pretty impressive overall MPGe. For buyers looking for a blend of sporty driving characteristics, luxurious interiors, and performance, the all-new CX-70 may be just what the doctor ordered.

Mazda Is Gunning For Luxury Crossovers With The 2024 CX-70

With this new longitudinal platform, Mazda is drawing an important distinction between itself and other “regular” transverse-engine vehicles. If a primarily front-wheel drive SUV can be called regular that is. With its rear-drive biased, all-wheel drive crossover, Mazda is bringing back the rear-wheel drive flavor to the compact SUV segment. For good or bad, buyers view the longitudinal, rear-drive layout as being more premium than the pedestrian front-wheel drive, transverse layout.

While the jury is out on whether most people will be able to tell the difference between a FWD, AWD and RWD crossover in most everyday situations, there’s no denying that a rear-biased, all-wheel drive hybrid crossover sounds about as cutting edge and premium as it can get. Think more BMW, less Honda.

And that should help the premium compact crossover Mazda CX-70 stand out from regular front-wheel drive platform rivals like the Acura RDX, and skew it more towards the BMW X3 and Alfa Romeo Stelvio, to name a few. The Mazda CX-70 will also likely pack all the luxurious interior material options that’s on the international CX-60, like Nappa leather and wood trim, and active safety tech. The Mazda CX-70 will also likely be really well-equipped for the price.

The Mazda CX-70 Will Be Released By Late 2023

According to Mazda’s CEO, who confirmed the arrival of a crossover to sit below the Mazda CX-90 in the lineup in 2023, there shouldn’t be too long a wait for the Mazda CX-70. Expect the company to reveal styling of the America-spec CX-70 in a few months, but don't expect anything massively different versus the CX-60 we've seen. It should arrive in dealerships later in the year as the 2024 Mazda CX-70. And with its arrival, the two-row premium crossover segment will finally have a worthy Japanese SUV rival to the likes of the Germans, with a more affordable price tag. Early estimates of the Mazda CX-70’s pricing put it at just under the aging Mazda CX-9’s starting price of about $38,000. That should help it undercut the traditional luxury crossover competition, whilst offering all that and more.

2023-06-04T15:09:03Z dg43tfdfdgfd