Mazda CX-80 PHEV review: Forget the diesel, this is the 7-seat Mazda most will buy despite one flaw

When is a 2.5-litre petrol engine the sensible option? The answer to that question, is when it’s mated to a 17.8 kWh plug-in hybrid system and the alternative is a 3.3-litre, six-cylinder diesel.

Mazda’s engine line-up may raise an eyebrow for some, but the two powerplants in the CX-80 range at launch are the product of the manufacturer’s right-sizing philosophy. Basically, for optimal performance, they would argue that a big car needs a big, but efficient, engine. This runs contrary to the fashion in the last decade for some manufacturers to squeeze ever more power from small, turbocharged, petrol units in the wake of the step-change dieselgate and incremental tightening of emissions legislation triggered in the European market.

Speaking of diesel, Mazda’s SKYACTIV D is a peach - efficient, smooth and powerful, but there’s a reason why Mazda expects the lion’s share (75%) of CX-80 sales in the UK to be the electrified variant. It’s 2025 after all. Rightly, or wrongly, diesels - even smooth, modern and efficient diesels - are out of favour with consumers, SMMT figures showing sales down -15% year on year in February, while plug-in hybrid models were up 19%.

So given the choice of testing out the new CX-80 on the roads in central Scotland, I did what three quarters of consumers are expected to do and spent most of my time in the plug-in hybrid car.

Mazda CX-80 PHEV, pictured in Limekilns, Fife | National World

First impressions, interior and comfort

Like the smaller CX-60 on which it’s based, the seven-seat CX-80 is a classy-looking SUV with an elegant, unfussy design inside and out. As befits a flagship model, it looks and feels premium. The ‘platinum quartz’ paintwork on the Takumi grade test car I drove is part of a range of stunning bespoke colours created with Mazda’s Takuminuri painting technology. It’s a £650 option, but less expensive than the £900 Artisan Red and Soul Red Crystal finishes.

Inside, our CX-80 was upholstered in white Nappa leather, with a leather steering wheel and pale maplewood interior accents. The bright colour scheme helps the already spacious cabin feel even more airy and the low profile position of the touch-screen monitor ensures the driver has an unobstructed view out of the front windscreen.

I dread to think of the mess my kids would make of the back seats after a drive-through dinner, but at least any marks will be easy to spot and I can say from experience that ketchup and big mac sauce wipe clean from Nappa seats far better than fabric.

The rearmost seats are accessed by folding down one of the middle seats | National World

Seating is configured in a two-three-two layout, with the rearmost bench accessed by folding the back rests of the middle bench forward via a shoulder-mounted lever. As with most cars in the class, legroom is tight in the back row, but all seven berths are proper, comfortable seats. Isofix mounts are limited to the middle row, however.

Boot space is competitive, with 258 litres available while all seven seats are in use. That’s more than the Kia Sorento, but lagging behind more premium offerings like the Volvo XC-90 (302 litres), Audi Q7 (295 litres) and BMW X7 (326 litres).

With the rearmost two seats folded, capacity rises to 687 litres. This is more than the Volvo, but cedes ground to the Kia and lags behind the BMW and Audi seven-seat models.

Fold all barring the driver and front passenger seats down and you have yourself a small house (1,971 litres).

The plush interior of the Mazda CX-80 holds up well against premium competitors. Forth Bridges in the background. | National world

Driving the CX-80

With 323bhp on tap and 500Nm torque, the plug-in hybrid is the faster of the two CX-80 variants and can achieve 62mph in 6.8 seconds. In doing so, however, you’ll expose the car’s main weakness - a hesitant power delivery.

The eight-speed automatic system is smooth in normal driving, seamlessly shifting for a refined drive and, under those conditions, the transmission between electric and petrol power is almost unnoticeable. Put your foot down for a quick burst of speed, however, and there’s a perceptible pause before you feel the engine take over, after which normal service resumes.

It’s quick for a car of its size, but that one niggle, accompanied by a burst of noise from the four-cylinder engine that’s slightly out of kilter with any response from the throttle, detracts.

I spent a week driving the closely related CX-60 back in 2023 and both the steering and suspension feel better now, the set-up having been tweaked for both the CX-80 and newer model CX-60s. There are differences between the set up of the two cars, particularly to the front suspension and rear anti-roll bar, intended to make the CX-80 more stable in cornering and account for the added bulk.

This is a large SUV and never feels like anything else, but everything feels stable, controlled and calm. Yes, jumping between the diesel and the PHEV model you’ll note that the hybrid version feels heavier, but both versions are composed when cornering and braking.

The Rear of the Mazda CX-80 with the Forth Bridges in the background | National World

Competition and verdict

The CX-80 is very much targeted at a premium market and it’s well equipped across the range, from the entry level, £49,670 Exclusive-line, to the top-spec Takumi Plus. For the £56,370 it would cost you to drive our second-from-top Takumi grade test car you could get the more firmly premium badged Mercedes-Benz EQB, but it undercuts most of the premium sector competition like the Volvo XC-90, Land Rover Discovery, Audi Q7 and BMW X7 by a decent margin.

Whether Mazda has ascended to the ranks of premium automaker in the perception of buyers remains to be seen, but, sitting at the wheel, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say it should have a seat at the table.

In terms of competition from the middle segment, the Peugeot 5008 would be an option that comes in considerably cheaper than the Mazda, but its futuristic cabin feels less upmarket, while the Skoda Kodiaq would be another close competitor with a more accessible price point - the drawback there being the PHEV model is currently only available with five seats.

The CX-80’s closest peers in the current market to my mind would be the Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe, all three models sharing a similar price point, historically mainstream badges and high-end aspirations. Realistically these are the three cars I’d recommend you test drive if you have between fifty and sixty thousand to spend and want space for six passengers.

The Sorento has the better leg room and accelerates more smoothly, while the Hyundai is the boldest-looking inside and out. The Mazda, on the other hand, is the better plug-in hybrid option if you also want to use it as a tow car, has the classiest interior and is the closest to really feeling like it has nailed the premium brief.