Upcoming Mazda CX-70 to Share Powertrains With CX-90

Matthew Guy
by Matthew Guy

In what may be described as a ‘sky is blue’ moment, eagle-eyed fans of the Mazda brand have uncovered some filings with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) indicating the snazzy new CX-70 is going to share greasy bits with the tony CX-90.


For those not in the know, Mazda is readying the CX-70 to serve as a two-row option sold alongside the three-row CX-90. Platform guts will be shared, albeit altered and shortened to make a more appropriate footprint; in other words, Mazda isn’t just ripping the back seats out of a CX-90 and calling it a day. Buyers can expect plenty of luxury in this machine, thanks to the brand’s continuing upmarket aspirations. 


As for what will be under the hood, a trio of engines show up on the CARB filing, all of which align rather neatly with the big-bro CX-90 catalog: two flavors of 3.3L mills appended with hybrid gubbins plus a 2.5L plug-in hybrid unit. Alert readers will recall the former is of a silky inline-six configuration, a piston placement which has the double benefit of generally operating like butter and forcing a pleasing dash-to-axle ratio. In the CX-90, it helps cut a rear-wheel drive type of figure, helping make the car one of the most handsome options in its segment. Expect the same for its smaller CX-70 brother.


The CX-90 comes equipped with all-wheel drive and it is likely the CX-70 will, as well. In terms of power, the standard strength models get 280 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of twist from the 3.3L turbo engine while the high output trims, denoted with an S, are good for 340 ponies and 369 torques. It’s worth noting Mazda says the non-S runs just fine on regular grade gasoline but the hi-po unit prefers to swill premium. For its part, the PHEV delivers 323 horses and 369 lb-ft. It can tow 3,500 pounds compared to the gasser’s 5k and once again runs best on premium fuel.


Smart money has the Mazda CX-70 showing up in the 2024 calendar year.  


[Image: Mazda]


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Matthew Guy
Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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4 of 16 comments
  • Urlik Urlik on Dec 20, 2023

    Not really news since this has been known for a while. They waited too long on the CX-70, wife couldn’t wait to replace her CX-7 any longer and got a Lexus RX350.

    • Daniel J Daniel J on Dec 21, 2023

      The problem is the rx350 seems too pricey for what it is. Saw a new one and thought the interior was quite pedestrian.


  • NJRide NJRide on Dec 21, 2023

    Was odd they killed the 7 it was stylish and very much right size. I don't see too many anymore wonder if they had a high early death

    • Theflyersfan Theflyersfan on Dec 21, 2023

      It's safe to say they did not age well. The ones still chugging along seem to have seen better days. Yellowed headlight covers, frosted taillights, bad paint - at least the exteriors are resembling a NYC taxi. I thought their powertrains stayed strong - it was their exteriors that took a beating.


  • Olivehead The Honda Civic wins on looks and interior material quality and style. The Civic looks like a scaled down "real" car (i.e., midsize) while the Corolla never lets you forget what it is-a compact car, harkening back to the Tercel, etc. No comparision either in the interior materials of the Civic (a notch below Acura level) and general layout. There too, the Corolla comes off as a compact runabout. The Civic hatchback is especially cool.
  • Mike Beranek While the product may appear to be "better", only time will tell. The American automotive environment can chew a car up and spit it out. Will these Chinese EVs survive like a quarter-century old Cavalier, or will they turn out like VinFast's "cars"?
  • Mike Beranek This police vehicle will be perfect for when the State of Florida starts tracking every pregnancy.
  • Dave M. The Highlander hybrid, a larger, heavier vehicle, gets better mpgs. Why? Also, missed opportunity - if Toyota had made this a hatchback, they could have scooped up the "want a Tesla S but not ready for a full EV" crowd, however small or large they may be....
  • TheMrFreeze Difficult call...the more the mainstream automakers discontinue their more affordable models and only sell crazy overpriced EVs and trucks, the more appealing the idea of letting in cheap imported cars becomes with the buying public. If the government is going to impose tariffs on Chinese vehicles, at the same time they need to be getting with the Big 3 and telling them to fill the void with affordable models and not use the tariff as an excuse to simply raise prices. Otherwise, public pressure could see the tariffs withdrawn.I seem to recall the last administration put a 25% tariff on Chinese steel, at which point the US manufacturers immediately used the opportunity to raise their prices 25%...that needs to not happen.
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