Retiring electric-able entry car with bigger-lunger petrol-pure powertrain a sign of PHEV rough-housing by RUC?

TWO more cylinders, a $4000 price reduction on current stickers but also a much diminished Green edge and prospect of bigger fuel spend - that’s an apparent end result of a reshuffle at the bottom end of the Mazda CX-60 line-up.

Mazda New Zealand says the SP Hybrid model variant that is now landing for $69,990 will deliver a sportier, more distinctive presence compared to that of the outgoing CX-60 Touring, whose present special sticker of $73,490 (down $5500 on launch pricing) has been today confirmed as a run-out push, with the type set to be phased out as soon as current stock exhausts.

However, it also agrees a swap that signals a change in pace to the overall five-seater type’s powertrain proposal and environmental aims is also reflective of the market condition having become tough for drivetrains with positive emissions promise.

“The introduction of the CX-60 SP 3.3 hybrid is driven by customer demand,” Mazda NZ product and communications manager Paul Sherley said today.

“You'll appreciate the market has changed noticeably in the past 12 months, therefore the competitiveness of the CX-60 Touring is now less than it once was.”

The fresh car adopts a six-cylinder petrol engine that is not only less powerful than the Touring’s but also considerably thirstier and much dirtier and so conceivably drives to a wholly different type of buyer.

When Mazda New Zealand released CX-60 last year, it primarily presented with the 2.5-litre because that is a format that delivers the car as a plug-in electric vehicle, at that time a technology seen as being highly beneficial to winning customers. Also, at that time, the 3.3-litre attracted a CO2 penalty that the current National-led coalition curtailed at end of last year, when also axing EV rebates.

When CX-60 released, only the mid-range Homura had, as an alternate the 3.3-litre, which though also electrically-enabled is far more modest in that application, having a 48 volt system.

Going into 2025, Mazda NZ will have the SP purely in 3.3-litre and will keep the Homura and the top-end Takami with current choices, so the mid-spec in 2.5 and 3.3 and the flagship purely as a PHEV.

The shift means two models in 3.3 and two with 2.5 PHEV and seems a reaction to the vastly reduced interest in PHEV cars during this year. 

The slump started as soon as these - and fully electric cars - attracted Road User Charges. 

The 48-volt type is exempt from RUC, as it is a mild hybrid.

Said Sherley: “This adjustment of the range achieves a new entry point to the range in terms of powertrain and pricing, whilst bringing the aesthetics more in line with the existing CX-60 range.  

“We have seen strong demand for the 3.3 powertrain and this move further increases its appeal and availability.”

All the same, any saving in RUCs will likely be offset by the cost of running the bigger lunged SkyActive-G engine, which is the same as that fitted into the big CX-90 seven-seater and the new CX-80, which is CX-60 based but has three rows of seats.

The six-cylinder engine in the CX-60 (and CX-80) detunes to 209kW and 450Nm but even though it clocks a solid 1949kg at the kerb, the car is nonetheless 100kg lighter than the PHEV and has 200kgs less to heft than the CX-90.

Economy-wise, though, the 3.3-litre is no threat to the plug-in saint, the 7.9L/100km cited reminding why it has a larger, by eight litres’, fuel tank capacity than the PHEV ,for which Mazda claims an optimal condition fuel use of 2.3 litres per 100km and just 54 grams per kilometre of CO2, these figures based on WLTP-3 factoring.

The PHEV can also deliver 63km of claimed pure electric driving range, at sub-100kmh pace. This engine also dedicates to 95 octane. Recharging is AC type 2.

The 3.3-litre has no facility for electric-pure running and has a 178 grams per kilometre CO2 emissions count on WLTP.

The switch from Touring to SP grade means some changes to specification. The latter has leather seat trim (electrically adjustable and with front seat heating), black metallic 20-inch alloy wheels, and LED headlights.  Gloss black exterior mirrors combined with black chrome signature wing and honeycomb front grille.  Power operated tailgate, 360 View Monitor and the innovative Personalisation System are also standard equipment.

As with other variants, it has an eight-speed automatic transmission and is all-wheel-drive and has a 2500kg braked tow rating.