Electrified diesel restores Mazda CX-60’s promises but not perfectly

The Mazda CX-60, it would be fair to say, hasn’t had the best of its introductions since debuting in South Africa last year.

Difficult road

Although Hiroshima’s biggest and plushest SUV, thoughts of it revitalising the brand nosedived soon after the media launch and ensuing seven-day tests.

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Besides its unusual Mazda price tag, the combination of a lacklustre normally aspirated SkyActiv-G 2.5-litre petrol engine and indecisive eight-speed automatic gearbox all but eroded any expectations of a model also premiering the new Large Architecture rear-wheel-drive platform.

The announcement towards the end of last year that the new SkyActiv-D turbodiesel engine would be coming to South Africa also didn’t come with the expected welcome for one particular reason.

That price

Introduced in January in the new top-spec Takumi trim level, the 48-volt mild-hybrid assisted oil-burner’s R1 049 200 asking price not only made it the first Mazda to break through seven figures but also the most expensive ever sold in South Africa.

Despite also being the most powerful Mazda local soil, focus centred squarely on the price, which, at the time of its arrival, made the Takumi R204 700 dearer than the top-spec all-wheel-drive 2.5 Individual.

Immediately compared to the Honda CR-V, whose R1-million plus asking price for a product still viewed as mainstream rather than premium resulted in a similar response, the weeklong stay with a Takumi promised a counter argument from an over packaging standpoint, yet fell short in a few areas.

A looker made better

Design-wise, Mazda has made subtle but easy-to-spot alternations to a vehicle that had already been looker when it debuted 12 months ago.

Decked-out in a new hue called Rhodium White Metallic, colour coded wheel arches replace the 2.5’s black plastic surrounds, while the lower lip of the bumpers and door sills also gain a body-coloured finish.

Along with chrome trim around the windows, the Takumi gets a different grille pattern, chrome-tipped faux quad exhaust outlets and newly designed 20-inch alloy wheels.

An expansion of the Kodo design language Mazda calls “Noble Toughness”, the inclusion of Matrix LED headlights results in an already good looking entrant being that bit more elegant and, unlike its siblings, with a touch of sportiness thrown in.

Still upmarket and plush

Inside, the Takumi’s furnishings over the Individual are equally as small, but warranted as little felt amiss from the start.

That being said, the imitation aluminium trim on the centre console still feels cheap and the placing of the volume dials for the sound system is awkward despite being physical items.

Overall fit-and-finish is, however, premium with soft-touch points and extra niceties in the form of white stitch work, ambient lighting and black Nappa leather upholstery with the front seats now being ventilated but strangely not heated.

Electric lumbar support for the passenger’s seat also makes an appearance, as does the 12-speaker Bose sound system from the Individual.

Touch dial in place of touchscreen

Also kept is the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and the 12-inch infotainment system that eschews touchscreen functionality for a rotary dial on the centre console.

Part of Mazda’s apparent safety stance in not offering a touch display, the system boasts wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, plus integrated satellite navigation as well as doubling up for the 360-degree camera’s display.

Besides being positioned in a such way that significant stretching would have been required had it been touch-sensitive, the interface works well despite it being different to the older MZD Connect system in other models.

What’s more, Mazda has stuck with physical switches for the dual-zone climate control in the form of chunky buttons and toggle switches.

The same also applies to the buttons on the multi-function steering wheel that add up to a largely ergonomically sound interior layout.

Space and spec

In terms of specification, the Takumi is largely identical to the Individual as it offers a Head-Up Display, a hands-free electric tailgate, panoramic sunroof, keyless entry and push-button start, electrically adjustable telescopic steering column, a wireless smartphone charger and folding electric mirrors.

Taking care of safety is radar cruise control, Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Keep Assist, Blind Spot Monitoring, Rear Seat Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Driver Attention Alert, Forward Collision Alert, City Brake Assist and Front and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

On the practical side, boot space ranges from 570-litres to 1 726-litres with the 60/40 split rear seat folded.

Bizarrely, and in contrast to the entry-level Dynamic driven last year, the glass roof won’t find favour among taller passengers for robbing them of headroom.

While the opposite applies to legroom, the quality of the sound system felt a touch underwhelming and the instrument cluster somehow more difficult to configure than on the Dynamic.

Diesel yes…

On the move, the focal point of the CX-60 makes its intentions clear, but not as perfectly as expected.

Called e SkyActiv-D, the combination of the new 3.3-litre inline-six oil-burner and 48-volt mild-hybrid system produces a total of 187kW/550Nm.

Paired to an eight-speed automatic ‘box, which provides the housing for the electric motor that develops 12.4kW/153Nm, the powertrain is more smooth than savage with a powerful low-down pull and an ear-pleasing inline-six soundtrack.

In effect a self-charging hybrid, but without an EV mode, which means no cables plus the ability to track to system’s working via the Energy Flow Monitor on the infotainment system that provides a live view of how the battery is charged and how power is delivered to all four wheels.

… and diesel no

As impressive as this is, and unlikely to become tiresome, the hybrid system isn’t without its detractions.

Besides a concerning friction noise initially thought to be from the brakes, a noticeable jerk presented itself at lower speeds or when creeping possibly as a result of the hybrid hardware location within the transmission.

While supposedly common to the e SkyActiv-D setup, switching the drive mode selector to Sport mode – the others being Off-Road and the default Normal – presented another awkward hybrid sensation.

Although to benefit of an engine that pulls stronger and with improved response, the downside is an overeager transmission that rushes going up and does the opposite when called to drop a cog or two.

En-route

Away from the confines of commuting, the CX-60 Takumi’s ride felt a lot more comfortable and devoid of the nervous washball sensation experienced on the Dynamic.

This, however, changed on less well-kept surfaces as the ride became firmer and jarring, although without the mentioned nervousness.

The most worrying aspect though, hopefully isolated to the test unit, were the brakes, which felt soft and in need of better pressurisation in order to bring the CX-60 to a positive stop.

As for fuel consumption, Mazda’s optimistic 4.9 L/100 km never came close to matching.

Instead, the seven day and 361 km tenure netted a registered best of 6.9 L/100 km – not bad considering the hybrid hardware and all-wheel-drive system that sees the CX-60 tipping the scales at almost two-tonnes.

Conclusion

Likely to be seen as the pick of the range as per the less-than-ideal petrol engine, the Mazda CX-60 3.3d Takumi AWD is by no means perfect.

In addition to its potent but comprised hybrid powerplant and tardy gearbox, it’s now revised R1 074 400 sticker price is simply too much and in very much the same boat on troubled waters as the Honda CR-V.

Although packaged better by offering more kit, all-wheel-drive, a diesel engine and a proper automatic gearbox instead of a CVT – its only disadvantage being five instead of seven seats – it still needs a fair amount of fine-tuning to warrant its seven figure price.

A significant step-up on the petrol variant it still is, ultimately, the CX-60 Takumi feels undone and in need of final polishing to be seen as the premium entrant Mazda views it.

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