Mazda is doubling down on mid-size SUVs with the 2025 CX-70, a new variant of the CX-90 with seating for five instead of seven. The new SUV shares its platform, powertrains, and most of its bodywork with its larger sibling, meaning if you like the three-row, you’ll probably like the two-row as well.
Still, there are a few detail differences between the Mazda mid-sizers. For starters, the CX-70 is styled with a little more sportiness in mind, with greater use of gloss black than the chrome-laden CX-90. The grille gets a black mesh design in place of the CX-90’s brightwork, and the front bumper is different, with larger simulated grilles leading to the air curtain generators in the corners. The rear bumper also gets a new design, with faux vents on the corners. Dark finishes appear on the mirror caps, door handles, and roof rails, and the available 21-inch wheels get gloss black pockets and machined faces.
Gallery: 2025 Mazda CX-70
The front end looks more aggressive and appealing to my eye than the CX-90, whose flowing grille insert looks a bit swollen, like it got punched in the nose. However, the CX-70 still has a rounded roofline, which doesn’t sit quite right with the flowing bodywork and triangular rear quarter windows. There’s a bit of 1990s Taurus in the decidedly ovoid rear hatch, although the revised bumper design helps chisel out some visual verve.
Inside, the CX-70 looks remarkably similar to the CX-90, at least before you realize there isn’t a third row. Available red leather with a black accent stripe is a CX-70 exclusive, joining an otherwise black interior with contrasting red stitching on the door panels and steering wheel. Gray plastic trim with a printed carbon fiber motif detracts from otherwise excellent materials though, and I hope Mazda will offer the CX-90’s “kakenui” dashboard stitching and genuine wood trim, at least as an option.
Relative to the CX-90, the CX-70 has most of the same equipment, although it's the first Mazda to include Amazon Alexa integration in the infotainment system. It gives voice control to some on-board functions, like climate controls and infotainment, and it also syncs up with Amazon-capable in-home equipment. The CX-70 also has Unresponsive Driver Support as part of its adaptive cruise control and lane-centering functionality; if the person behind the wheel isn’t responding to an escalating set of prompts and warnings (as in the event of a medical emergency), the car will come to a gradual stop in its lane and activate its hazard lights.
The CX-70 uses the same powertrains as the CX-90, with a turbocharged 3.3-liter inline-six producing 280 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque in base form or 340 hp and 369 lb-ft for the high-output S. A plug-in hybrid powertrain is also available, making 323 hp and 369 lb-ft via a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, 17.8-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, and 68-kilowatt electric motor.
Rear-biased all-wheel drive is standard across the board, with a 5,000-pound towing capacity for the six-cylinder and 3,500-pound cap for the hybrid. The CX-70 will be incrementally lighter than the larger CX-90 (final specs have yet to be announced), so it might also be a bit more efficient. An electric-only range of about 30 miles for the PHEV would be a tidy little upgrade, ditto a combined fuel economy rating of 26 miles per gallon for the six-cylinder.
The CX-70 rides on the same 122.8-inch wheelbase as the CX-90, and it's also nearly the same length – a Mazda representative confirmed that the revised bumpers may affect dimensions by a few tenths of an inch. But since it doesn’t have to accommodate a third-row seat, the CX-70 has a massive cargo area with extra storage below the floor. I was able to lay out completely flat and still had room above my noggin and below my toes, stoking the imagination for a cross-country journey, sleeping at rest areas and campsites along the way.
Mazda hasn’t announced pricing, but it’s fair to assume the CX-70 will be a bit cheaper than the $40,970 CX-90 and $51,320 CX-90 PHEV. Plan on spending about $38,000 for a base-model CX-70, rising to $57,000 or so with every box ticked. The somewhat dated Honda Passport, by contrast, starts at $43,295 including destination, with the flagship Black Edition trim costing $49,365. The stately Toyota Crown Signia will also compete in this space, though pricing for that 243-hp hybrid hasn’t been announced either. The 2025 Mazda CX-70 will arrive in dealers later this year.
