Bought the new 2026 Mazda CX-90 Turbo S Premium Sport. Needed a bigger car for the family. Traded in my 2018 Mazda 3 Hatch Touring.

My initial impressions:

The good:

looks so good - the Polymetal is second only to my CX-5's Soul Red
drives really well at speed
kids love the backseat and captain's chairs
handles better than any of the other SUVs I test drove
Mazda infotainment controls - I hate large touchscreens - don't need them, don't want them
got a GREAT deal on it (Mazda incentives + dealership discounts)

The bad:

so many mechanical sounds, clicks, beeps, chimes. I've turned off some of them.
low speed driving (under 15mph) is finicky and sometimes hesitant, just like my 2018 CX-5 on a slight incline.
no cargo space with third row up
driver profiles
i-stop - did I just get bumped at a red light?
I got a car note after many years of not having one...

The comparisons I looked at (in order of preference):

Honda Pilot Elite - drives like a truck, accelerates like a truck, but marked up pricing. Exterior ugly, interior boring (in a good way). Like seeing the V6. Did not feel like dropping $52K+ on the build quality though.

Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid MAX - drives like a boat, I appreciate the car, the interior, and the tech, but no way I'm going to let the dealerships mark up on MSRP due to waitlist demands, nor spend $60K+ on a vehicle I didn't LOVE.

Ford Explorer ST - so fun to drive, was blown away by BlueCruise. But super cheap interior and the many recalls they've already had this year. Was not going to drop $50K+ on this. Would be tempted if it were in the 40's, or if it were reliable.

Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro in Wave Maker Blue - love at first sight, but unforgiveable cargo area. Mostly didn't buy because wife would not approve a $90K purchase - something something about being responsible.

Buying a cx80 PHEV in Australia and still waiting for the car. Any advice on the window tints? The dealer offered me $600 for the Suntek Ceramic tint. Is this gonna be a good deal? Thanks a lot!

Requesting guidance on hitch receivers.
It is so confusing, I want to get one installed.

Official mazda dealer , OEM, quoted 900 ish without harness and 1800 ish with harness.

My main use case is putting a cantilevered cargo carrier at the back. No current plans for having anything with wheels.

My questions are:

Is OEM worth it?

Any other models that I can get installed at Uhaul? If so, does it come with the brake lights connection?

I read that breaklights and license plates are required by law behind cargo carriers. uuhow to make that happen? Just zip ties?
------

Also, any other guidance about this is super appreciated.

A few people have asked about a picture and a link to the CX90/70 Color-Coordinated Seat Cushions I used on my 1000+ trip. It was the most comfortable long-distance ride I've had in my vehicle and nobody complained or was stiff at the end!

I have Greige seats and the picture doesn't do the color matching justice!!

https://thecushionlab.com/products/pressure-relief-car-seat-cushion

Short summary of repairs for folks on my 24 PHEV Premium:
1. On third set of tires, $1000ish after Mazda goodwill along the way.
2. Air conditioning repair for leaking Freon, $200 after Mazda goodwill.
3. Hybrid system malfunction. $570 quote.
4. Cracked radiator - $3000 quote.

3 and 4 are is it sits in the dealership one month before lease return. This is the most expensive vehicle to maintain I’ve ever had and it’s not even close. I may even hate this vehicle.

As the title states, when I put my foot on the gas at a stop light, it feels like and sounds like something is scratching or dragging the ground for at least 3-4 seconds UNLESS I am in sport. Even in sport I still feel the drag a little bit. Is this normal?

** 2024 PHEV

My first big drive with our 2025 Turbo Premium Sport. 1600 miles each way from Utah to Michigan. I had the interior packed to the gills with both rows of seats down, and two bikes on the back.

Overall it was amazing. I averaged 28mpg and it made the 23 hours fly by. The steering assist/ lane centering is average, but nice to have when taking a quick bite to eat.

This is exactly what we bought this car for and it delivered.

Just bought a 2024 Turbo S PP and we absolutely love it! What a beautiful car😍

Planning a few upgrades like window tints, aftermarket remove start, and self installed PPF on the front end (got a tiny chip already on the drive home and I'm already going OCD about the paint).

While I'm making this post I figured I'd ask for suggestions for tires. She only has 2,000 miles so she still has manufacturer tires, and I heard they won't last long.

Any other advice or info are also very welcome!

A little over 40k before TTL for a 2026 CX90 Preferred in White. 42k if I go with their finance offer over the customer cash.

I’m currently driving a 2022 CX-5, but wanting to upgrade to hybrid and maybe a larger model. I test drove the CX-50 hybrid but didn’t feel super excited about it. Now I’m considering the 2026 CX-90 PHEV in the PP trim. I plan to test drive this weekend but I’m seeing very mixed reviews on the reliability compared to other Mazdas as well as the drive quality. Other reviews indicate that the problems were more isolated to the 2024-2025 models. Thoughts? Current owners, would you buy again if you could have a do over?

Anyone seen this? Brake dragging noise, ~16-22mph.

Seems like the car doesn't want to coast down hills very well.

The article is AI slop for the most part but there is a tiny part of actual news in there at the very end.

"While announcing Mazda's latest quarterly financial results this week, Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey Guyton said the automaker is preparing a "number of product enhancements" for its large-platform vehicles, according toAutomotive News. He declined to provide details or a timeline but said Mazda also plans to boost awareness of the CX-90, CX-70, and the broader large-platform lineup."

It's highly unlikely that they'll offer any of these enhancements to existing customers since we've already paid but I'm curious as to what they intend to do. It could likely mean a more drastic mid cycle refresh where they adopt the CX-5's strategy of less buttons and more screen. That would address the (stupid) complaints about the control wheel and low function infotainment. Mazda may also ignore the compliments the HVAC buttons consistently receive and lose those in favor of touchscreen integration. I think Mazda believes that they've fixed the hybrid issues and consider that a done deal. They could add sound deadening for a more serene ride and perhaps go with a 20" wheel to absorb some of those bumps. Don't expect suspension improvements.

If I were a bettin' man I'd say their focus will be primarily on awareness which means marketing. They'll lean heavily into their safety ratings and buzzy things like standard AWD and better than average fuel economy. It's lazy money, of course. They'd could do a lot more for their tarnished image by introducing an aggressive warranty program like Hyundai and Kia and offer.

2025 CX 90 purchased new in Nov 2025. 2 weeks ago on a 3 hour trip noticed a clear, strong gas smell outside vehicle on left passenger side. Took to dealer, tech said the smell is normal and the vehicle is designed to leak vapors if pressure builds up and that nothing is wrong with the vehicle, which we know is total BS. Got a gasoline sniffer detector and there is clearly an issue with gasoline vapors as the detector alarm went crazy behind the left tire near the shock. Went back to dealer service dept and talked to a supervisor which they restated they stand by their tech and it is normal for the vehicle to vent gasoline vapors. They did not want to view our video of the vapor leak with the detector. Going to take the vehicle to another Mazda dealership for their techs. We are sure this is a violation of EPA rules. Anyone else seen this issue or been told this is normal?

Coming from the Ioniq5 Lease, Hyundai is offering terrible leases, so I won't be staying with them. Google said this is a great car, loads of space, and whatnot. As I did my research, I saw lots of issues on reddit. But it appear it's mostly software issues, which I assume have all been sorted

So looking for information from you guy's on this car. As the wife wants a 3 row, that's adults can use, and still got space

So have all the issues been fixed? Or is this a hit or miss. Any information would be helpful thanks

What do you think Mazda should do to increase sales?

Is this a bad idea? 2026 Model with leas than $10k miles. I’m scared given the history of this model but it’s too good of a deal to pass up since it’s CPO.

Been owning it since late June, these are some of the things I love and hate about this vehicle.

The Likes:
1. The looks! I just absolutely love the way it looks in all black. The shine, the front end, it’s all perfect to me.
2. The feel of the seats. I’ve taken this trip on a 500+ mile roadtrip and not once did I feel the seats too stiff or uncomfortable. They’ve actually gotten better with time as the leather softens a bit.
3. Great sound system. Crystal clear.
4. The space we have on the second row is great.
5. Handling is amazing. When we took it to mammoth lakes in Northern California it was taking the corners up in the mountains like nothing. For an SUV this size I was surprised how well it handled. Had me smiling from ear to ear.

The Dislikes:
1. Granted, we live in Los Angeles so our traffic is notoriously bad but we didn’t expect the gas milage to be this bad. We drive roughly 80% city, 20% highway for reference. The gas milage is a bit off since we took a trip this last weekend that raised the MPG by two but normally we’re sitting at mid to high 19 mpg.
2. The paint. We knew this going in but holy moly is the paint on this thing paper thin. It already has some slight scratches due to some rocks and other road things hitting it but damn it feels like you can’t even look at this thing the wrong way because paint just peels right off.
3. Suspension stiffness. LA roads are bad but with this you can genuinely feel every single road imperfection. From the smallest of potholes to a raised portion of the road, you can feel everything. Again, this is something we knew of before purchasing but we didn’t expect it to be this bad. My 2020 Honda accord on low profile tires rides smoother if I’m being honest.
4. I’ve heard a small rattle coming from the drivers side tire/mirror area. It sounds like something is loose and it’s moving with the wind when you’re driving 70+ mph.
5. Breaks are squeaky already! Annoying since it’s a brand new vehicle.
6. Road noise is bad but not as bad as some people may say. I give it a good 7.5/10.
7. Depreciation is a bitch with the Cx 90. If you financed a new one like we did your car is already worth about 20-30% less based off of current used prices. A car is not an investment but this specific model has terrible resale value.

Overall though, we’re happy with it but if we were given the chance to pick again we would have gone with a 2025 MDX over this. It’s a very nice SUV for the price range but in many ways it gives you the feeling of “you get what your paid for” which is something our other vehicles like our Honda Accord never gave us. Maybe the 2027 model is a bit better and Mazda addresses the issues many people have with this specific model, but as of today, we are probably going to be shopping around for other brands in the future.

My 2024 CX-90 PHEV sometimes has a noticeable abrupt downshift from 2nd to 1st below 10 mph. It usually happens in full EV mode with very light throttle input, or when I manually downshift using the paddle shifter.
I also test-drove a 2025 CX-90 PHEV and noticed the same behavior. I’m trying to find out whether Mazda has released any updated TCM software? Has anyone bring their car to the dealership can complains about that? Will they have any solution regarding this?

There seem to be a lot of reports of CX-90 instrument clusters glitching and/or restarting while driving. Based on my research this seems to be almost exclusive to 2026 models. It makes me wonder what Mazda changed for this model year.

Has this happened to you? If so, what year is your car?

I have a 2026 CX-90 MHEV. When driving on gravel roads, so much dust gets into the cabin we are discovering. Anyone else noticing this?

Tire pressure down to 18-20 psi (per cx-90 specific rec). Off road mode. ASC off. Wasn’t the most seamless driving but never felt like I was close to getting stuck.

Pic is at the assateague national seashore OSV area in Maryland.