Mazda CX-90 2025: The motoring world is left open-mouthed as Mazda bucks convention with its 2025 CX-90.
As their competitors just keep increasing prices year after year, Mazda goes the other way, reducing prices but still offering the top notch quality and performance that have set CX-90 apart in this top tier of three-row luxury SUVs.
Table of Contents
Market Disruption: Price Comes the Price Advantage
Mazda’s move could prove to be a shrewd one, as it isn’t a plan industry analysts had been predicting Mazda’s midsixth models were going to chase. Now the base model can be had for $39,750, which is roughly $2,200 less than the 2024 model.
This trim reduction applies to all trim levels, and the top-line Signature gets the largest decrease with an almost $3,500 decrease to $52,450.
RELATED: “Mazda Convinces Gov’t to Put a Twist on a Boring Trend” Jonathan Reynolds, a senior automotive pricing analyst at MotorTrend, notes that “What Mazda has been able to achieve here contradicts conventional industry wisdom.
They’ve brought down the price at a time of inflation without sacrificing quality or features. It’s essentially unheard of in today’s car market.”
The timing is especially beneficial for consumers feeling economic strain.
A reduction in cost that’s more than welcomed now with the cost of living rising resulting in home budgets being squeezed, the Mazda brand’s price drop makes the acquisition of a premium three-row SUV more accessible without diluting the package, whether it’s quality or performance.
Quality of Engineering Kept Container Gap
Engineering Excellence Maintained
To skeptics, the question is whether Mazda did so by cutting corners. The evidence says otherwise. The 2025 CX-90 still offers a great selection of powertrain options:
The base 3.3-liter turbocharged inline-six engine keeps kicking out free-revving, subtle puffs of va-va-va-voom from a broad range of 280 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque via a standard all-wheel drive system.
For even more performance, there’s an upgraded version of the inline-six, which offers 340 hp and 369 lb-ft (unchanged from last year).
The Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) version pairs a 2.5-liter four-cylinder for a combined 323 horsepower with an electric motor that serves up a claimed 26 or so miles of all-electric range.
And this powertrain continues to be one of the most fuel-efficient three-row SUVs, rated to get an EPA-estimated 56 MPGe.
According to James Holloway, chief engineer of Mazda North America: “We haven’t compromised our engineering standards and have even enhanced some performance attributes with software enhancements and very modest mechanical changes. The driving experience continues to be uniquely Mazda — nimble, fun, sophisticated.
Interior Elegance: Premium Without the Premium Cost
Open the door to the 2025 CX-90, and the interior quality immediately rejects the premise that this is a cost-cut cabin experience.
And the sort of great looks, quality materials and fine build which were amongst the reasons that the CX-90 was so well received, haven’t waned at all.
Nappa leather adds more luxurious-grade upholstery for upper trims, but even the basest Compasses come with premium combinations of cloth and leatherette in contrast to what rivals offer in their entry-level iterations.
Touches of Japanese-inspired design are evident throughout the Mazda, from available maple wood trim to Kumihimo-inspired dashboard stitching, to introduce an environment that feels special.
The suite of tech features is also generous throughout the lineup. The 12.3-inch center display trumps the duties of infotainment, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
An optional 12-speaker Bose premium audio system delivers concert quality sound that is on par with what you’d find in vehicles that cost $20,000 more.
Safety technology: No sacrifice as regards safety
The commitment of Mazda to safety is no exception with the 2025 CX-90. i-Activsense suite of safety features:
Adaptive cruise control including stop-and-go feature
Blind-spot monitoring (alerts you if a vehicle you may not see is present) and rear cross-traffic alert
Lane departure warning featuring lane-keeping assist
Automatic emergency braking plus pedestrian detection
Driver attention monitoring
Traffic sign recognition
New for 2025 model year, Enhanced See-Through View 360°camera is standard equipment on Premium Plus trims and above—adding value without adding cost.
The 2025 CX-90 has not been tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) yet, however its structural sibling, the 2024 CX-90, is an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ honoree—the highest rating the organization gives for safety.
How Mazda Cut Prices What went into bringing the price down?
So the question becomes: how was Mazda able to cut prices and not quality? Industry insiders cite several reasons:
Firstly production has been rationalised at Mazda’s Huntsville Alabama plant – home of the CX-90 in America. The site, which opened in 2021 in a joint venture with Toyota, is the result of several years of operations, achieving maximum efficiency.
The second was the renegotiating of supplier agreements, as economies of scale were being realized as production volume increased of CX-90-prime.
This led to lower costs of the components but without compromising specifications or quality requirements.
Third, the company took a strategic look at margin shifting to grab market share, realizing that price point is a crucial emphasis as price can produce/dramatically increase sales volume in the ultra-competitive 3-row segment the Ascent competes.
“Mazda is a great example that vertical integration and production efficiency can be great for the consumer,” says Sarah Johnson, an automotive supply chain analyst. Their teaming with Toyota, meanwhile, has put them in touch with a production know-how which is paying off in cost savings.
The Driving Experience: Still Unmistakably Mazda
Beyond numbers and features, driving the CX-90 is still its best feature. Mazda’s tradition of offering driver-centric vehicles remains unbroken with the 2025 edition.
The CX-90 retains its well-balanced chassis tuning, something that we can’t really explain how it does what it does with engaging handling and a remarkably good ride quality in a three-row SUV.
The row of six cylinders give linear power and a smoothness which is a luxury in this class.
The eight-speed automatic transmission is just as smooth and responsive, always knowing which gear to pick in a given driving situation. Mazda’s all wheel drive still has torque vectoring to help it get through corners.
Preliminary testing by Car and Driver reveals the 2025 model seemingly carries over the stout performance numbers of its predecessor, with an inline-six high-output model ripping from 0-60 mph in around 5.4 seconds — sports car territory for a seven-seat SUV.
Limited Editions & Collectables
Mazda adds two special-edition 2025 CX-90 versions:
The Kuro Edition gains a gloss black appearance package, 30mm-bigger 21-inch dark-finish alloy wheels and strictly available Deep Crystal Blue Mica paint. Black leather with gray contrast stitching adds a racy touch to the interior.
The Signature Journey Edition celebrates traditional Japanese craftsmanship through unique Chiba Brown Nappa leather, genuine Kalopanax wood decoration and hand-painted finishes throughout the cabin. North American production is capped at 1,000 units.
Competitive Position Enhanced
The price cut makes the CX-90 competitively priced when compared to its main rivals:
The Kia Telluride SX Prestige is now about $2,500 pricier than a similarly equipped CX-90 Premium Plus
— Before the 5,000 brochures for the Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy were printed, it seems nobody at the manufacturer bothered to look up what that word really means. — Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy, abut $1,800 more than its counterpart the CX-90
The Acura MDX Type S now costs a whopping $10,200 more than the CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus despite doing similar things at similar levels of the same type.
The BMW X5 xDrive40i begins $18,500 above the CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus but it provides less passenger room
Michael Torres, industry consultant: “What Mazda has done is really positioned the CX-90 into a sweet spot and dare I say a clear place in the market.
It provides near-luxury amenities and driving experiences at mass-market prices. For value-conscious luxury consumers, it’s hard to justify spending dramatically more on the competition.”
Consumer Reaction and Market Effects
Initial signs are that Mazda’s aggressive pricing plan has gone a long way to help stimulate customer interest. The month following the pricing announcement, dealership traffic for the CX-90 was up 37%, according to industry tracking firm AutoPulse.
Mazda projects a 45 percent increase in CX-90 sales volume in 2025, putting it in the potential position of being one of the five highest sellers in the segment conjunctional to competitors like the Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, and Kia Telluride.
Competitors may have to rethink their strategies now thanks to this compelling pricing move. Market analysts expect other major competitors to also respond to the Mazda gauntlet, either with price adjustments or greater standard feature content.
Redefining the Leadership of Value
The 2025 Mazda CX-90 is a thing that’s harder and harder to find these days: a big leap in value. By lowering prices and holding stead — or even improving — the van’s offerings, Mazda becomes a value leader in a segment where prices generally don’t go down.
The message to consumers is straightforward. For less than you’d expect, the CX-90 gives you first-class engineering, advanced styling and exhilarating performance.
It’s a marketing cliché in an age when “more for less” sounds like a myth: More of everything, for not much more money! […] That’s the reality with Mazda.
The 2025 CX-90 goes on sale next month at Mazda dealerships across the country. With demand expected to be high, potential buyers might consider calling their local dealer sooner rather than later.
