Three choices for CX-9/CX-8 replacement.

MORE room, more seating, but trading off on specification; this allows the latest Mazda sports utility to achieve relative price conformity with two other platform-sharing models already here.

The three-row CX-80 is derivation of Mazda’s second-largest passenger model, the CX-60, with both also relating to the physically larger CX-90.

The new model is here because it is a seven-seater, with that provision offering in a three-row format, whereas the CX-60 is five chair, two row.

However, at highest spend, the CX-60 delivers in a more plush Takami trim than affords to the CX-80, which stops at Homuri. That’s the mid-level choice for the CX-60.

The new car’s provision across two trims and two eight-speed automatic-allied and all-wheel-drive petrol drivetrain choices - a 3.3-litre six cylinder in entry form, and 2.5-litre four-pot plug-in hybrid in the others - was announced some time ago. 

Now the brand has shared pricing. The 3.3-litre and entry 2.5, both in SP trim, will cost $74,990 and $80,990. The alternate 2.5 PHEV with a more comprehensive Homura treatment is $89,490. 

That makes them reasonably tight with the CX-60, which costs $78,990 to $90,990 and has the same drivetrains, in identical outputs. So 209kW/450Nm from the six-cylinder, a total 41kW/500Nm from the 2.5-litre four, which has a 100kW electric motor fed by a 17.8kWh battery. The PHEV in CX-80 format appears to show slightly improved electric-only range and economy.

In respect to trim identities, CX-80 in finest trim will have the Homura badge that is a mid-grade designation for CX-60, below full blown Takami. 

The entry CX-60 is a ‘Touring’; the base CX-80 is a SP. That’s a designation that previously has gone onto sporty variants, mainly of the Mazda3.

CX-80 stands to be seen as a replacement for the now defunct CX-9, the outgoing CX-8 diesel, which both sat up to seven, and an alternate to the pricier CX-90, also with three rows. 

It’s the fourth model underpinned by Mazda's new rear-wheel-drive-biased 'Large' platform and proposes as the make’s roomiest car.

It comes in all-wheel drive only. The extra space over CX-60 and CX-90 comes from the wheelbase having been extended by 250mm, creating more interior space and enabling easier ingress and egress. It measures just under five metres in length at 4995mm and is 1890mm wide and 1710mm tall.

The roofline has also been extended without sloping to maximise the amount of headroom for those in the rearmost seats. Mazda is confident adults measuring up to 1.7 metres can fit comfortably into the third row.

NZ will only see the seven seat variants. Other markets deliver a six-seat version featuring two second-row captain’s chairs.

The second-row bench in the seven-seat CX-80 can slide up to 120mm, with a seat recline range from 15 to 33 degrees. One-touch folding rear seats make it easier to get into the third row.

Also across all models are an eight-way adjustable driver’s seat and a six-way adjustable front passenger seat. Homura exterior design is visually differentiated from the SP by a panoramic glass sunroof and adaptive LED headlights.

Mazda has proposed CX-80 is for those who want the versatility and practicality that a seven-seat SUV can offer and might also be looking at the Toyota Highlander, Skoda Kodiaq and maybe also some more premium European offers.

The CX-80 unsurprisingly has many of the same design details as the CX-60, with the same long bonnet and cab-rearward profile.  However, the CX-80’s rear styling is different. It also runs with 20-inch rims.

CX-80’s boot volume is just 258 litres when all seats are in place but, should that third row not be needed, the seats can fold flat, boosting luggage capacity to 687 litres. With all seats folded, the capacity is 1971 litres.

Up front, there is no change to the look and layout from that of the CX-60. It has the donor car’s Driver Personalisation System, which can calculate the optimum driving position based on your height and eye level, as detected by the driver monitoring camera. It then adjusts the steering wheel, seat, door mirrors and head-up display accordingly. This system can store settings for up to six people.

The driver has a 12.3-inch digital instrument display, and there is a 12.3-inch touchscreen that supplements Mazda’s native infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Other conveniences include a 15-watt wireless charging pad for mobile devices and USB-C ports for every seat to ensure nobody has to go without a way to charge their device. 

Mazda Japan has said the PHEV system can be equipped with an optional 1500-watt AC power supply that draws from the lithium-ion battery and can power external appliances. Whether that facility arrives here has yet to be explained. 

The PHEV is the faster of the CX-80 models, taking 6.8 seconds to accelerate from 0-100kmh, and the cleanest, with though optimal CO2 emissions of just 36 grams per kilometre.