Mazda CX-60 PHEV 2022 first drive

Mazda has long done things differently, the manufacturer once known for its Zoom-Zoom marketing often choosing to zag when rivals zig. So although the brand’s first plug-in hybrid looks tardy by the standards of the wider industry, it carries plenty of innovation.

As well as being the second rechargeable Mazda, after the electric-only Mazda MX-30, the CX-60 PHEV is also the most powerful road car the brand has produced to date, with a combined system output of 323bhp from its combination of a longitudinally mounted 188bhp Skyactiv-G 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a 173bhp electric motor.

The first novelty is the combustion motor’s lack of a turbocharger, with the relatively large capacity giving efficiency improvements under gentle loads. The second is a clever new eight-speed automatic gearbox that uses an electronically controlled clutch pack instead of a torque converter. The PHEV gets all-wheel drive as standard, but the six-cylinder diesel and petrol versions that will follow will also be offered with rear-wheel drive.

The electrical side of the drivetrain is powered by a 17.8kWh 388V battery pack that sits between the axles and gives a claimed electric-only range of 39 miles under the WLTP protocol. That figure would have looked impressive a couple of years ago but is short of the Toyota RAV-4 PHEV’s 46 miles and the Volvo XC60 T6 PHEV’s 48 miles. The battery can be fully replenished from a 7kW charger in 2hr 20 min, or alternatively topped up by the engine on the move or ordered to hold a certain level of charge for later use. 

Mazda expects that the PHEV will make up an outright majority of CX-60 sales in the UK. For business users, it will be a much more tax-friendly proposition than the petrol or diesel versions. Prices will kick off at £43,895 for the most basic but still well-equipped Exclusive Line trim and rise to £46,300 for the Homura and £48,050 for the fully laden Takumi, which we tested.

As with many plug-in hybrids, gentle use suits the CX-60 PHEV well. It defaults to electric mode every time it is started, and although the motor drives through the transmission, giving the slightly odd sensation of gears shifting, it feels more than brawny and responsive enough for everyday speeds. Beyond a synthesised low-speed warning soundtrack, the cabin stays quiet at urban velocities, too, and comfort and refinement levels are high. 

But pushing harder introduces some uncertainty to the powertrain’s responses, with the transition from pure electric to blended power often being marked by hesitation. By the time a similarly potent EV has projected itself down the road, the Mazda is still gathering pace.

The combustion engine also feels like an experiential weak link, effective but with a coarse soundtrack that gets loud when it is pushed harder. In its Normal mode, the PHEV’s digital dashboard doesn’t feature a rev counter, but summoning a rendered version by selecting Sport shows that the four-cylinder gets increasingly reluctant at higher revs and won’t go past 6100rpm – 400rpm short of the marked red line.

Fully unleashed, it is certainly rapid, with Mazda’s quoted 5.8sec 0-60mph time making it one of the quickest cars the company has produced, but this is definitely not an addition to the long list of joyful four-pots from Mazda’s past.