And Mazda CX-60 via High Atlas: Tintin in Morocco

Autonieuws takes a detour around Marrakesh, one of about 1,250 kilometers through the High Atlas. The high mountains of Morocco, with peaks above 4,000 meters and ‘eternal’ snow on them, certainly deserve a place in the top ten of the most beautiful travel destinations in the world. Behind the wheel of the Mazda CX-60 we feel like Tintin in Africa.

Mazda has a kind of patent on these kinds of interesting road trips. We once drove through Siberia with the 3 and barely survived a heavy snowstorm on the way to the North Cape in Norway with the CX-5. However, we should not be afraid of the winter conditions in Morocco. The snow on the top of the highest mountain glistens in the sun, but when we leave the legendary Marrakesh the temperature shows less than 30 degrees. It is almost a relief, because a few days earlier the city already experienced its first temperature peak and at least 5 degrees more.

‘All’ Engineers

An array of Mazda CX-60s await our small caravan of five Belgian writers and some other European writers. Pending the launch of the recently announced CX-80, it will remain the top model of the European range. You can find a mid-size SUV with its length of 4.74 meters, with a 2.5-liter gasoline engine and a 3.3-liter diesel engine that appeared very little in 2024. The first is a plug-in hybrid, a combination with an electric motor provides the power of the system. less than 326 hp. The independent publisher is not so poor, that the big six-cylinder is available with the option of 200 hp with rear-wheel drive and the pleasant 254 hp for the four-wheel drive.

Mazda is known for original, surprising and often even technologically advanced options. The car makers, which are still small next to or among the giants like Volkswagen, Toyota and Hyundai, still do not cooperate. Mazda is a true engineering brand, which also explains why it is almost the only manufacturer in the world that still believes in the Wankel engine and why it can still show itself as a good lover of fully electric cars.

Natural options

While big investments are made in this everywhere and small blocks, sometimes even only three cylinders, have been chosen for the remaining combustion engines over the years, Mazda has chosen big cylinder capacity again. To produce a 3.3-liter six-cylinder diesel in the second decade of the 21st century, at first and second and even third glance it seems like a kind of technological and therefore also commercial suicide. But at first glance it is not, Mazda is now also using the same big combustion engines in its new product CX-80.

We start our trip to Morocco with the CX-60 with a more powerful 254 hp diesel engine. In the age of electricity, we don’t often get to drive an auto-ignition car in Belgium anymore and certainly not with as good a technology as this Japanese six-cylinder. There are mountain routes in the program, where the maximum torque of 550 Nm will certainly prove useful. The large capacity of the cylinder also ensures a quiet operation on paper and therefore additional comfort. In normal and definitely Belgian operating conditions it also has to make less effort than a more compact four-cylinder, which can keep consumption within limits. The engine comes with a small hybrid assist at 48 volts, which of course helps as well.

In the mountains

Our two-day road trip covers approximately 1,250 km. There are only a few hundred kilometers of Moroccan ‘highways’ in between, but there is a mountain pass, invented by a Flemish man with the funny name of Tizi n’Test, that connects Marrakesh with the Sahara desert. The route also includes the spectacular Dades Gorge and climbs to approximately 3,050 meters via the highest road in the Atlas Mountains. We have lunch ‘somewhere’ on the way, but we have to keep an eye on the fat gauge. We pass several villages and some small towns on our way, but not all of them have a gas station.

We would dare to call the CX-60 a discreet beauty. In any case, the car doesn’t really stand out in the big SUV lineup. To provide enough space for the six longitudinal cylinders, it had to be fitted with a long hood. This means that it may even lack elegance in profile, but it also ensures that the interior space is certainly not exceptional for an SUV in this segment. You can also sit in the back with two adults, but there are no ‘extras’.

The bill is incorrect

However, interiors appeal to us for a completely different reason. Unlike almost all other vehicles launched in recent years, the CX-60 has to make do with a standard central infotainment screen in terms of specifications. It is actually of the touch type, but for almost all functions you can also use the large rotary and push button at the bottom of the center console. In practice, this still proves to be more user-friendly than the alternatives of many competitors, mainly because you can operate everything by touch and therefore without having to take your eyes off the road. European governments have already imposed safety and other equipment on car manufacturers, perhaps they should consider returning to this kind of technical ‘simplicity’.

Enough dreaming about buttons and keys, the environment brings us to a completely different situation. The road infrastructure is still old in many places, although some repairs have already been done after the great earthquake of 2023. In some villages, this unfortunately has not been the case with many destroyed houses, occasional containers and tents still in use. as ‘temporary’ houses. In any case, you are driving through a different world here, and we see that when we refuel in the mountain village. That still happens with a jerry can and a lot of excitement, we only find out later that the bill – to put it mildly – was completely wrong. Well, we see it as general support for an area that could still use some help.

High tempo

The big diesel engine with little hybrid assistance really finds its best playground in the Moroccan mountains. On hilly roads you can enjoy the high torque available from low speeds, the six-cylinder is also well matched to the eight-speed automatic transmission. It’s a shame about the poor performance of the lever. For a parking space it should move forward and then left, which can be a little ‘bad’. Of course we drive the four-wheel drive variant, which comes with 254 hp and excellent performance. The sprint from 0 to 100 km/h is achieved in 7.4 seconds and acceleration is also very ‘smooth’. We used the roads regularly, except for our small caravan, which was often almost deserted.

Mazda doesn’t offer any ‘goodies’ such as damping or air suspension, but even on the often difficult course we never miss them. On real bumps it can be a little ‘smooth’, but the car has no problem with the sometimes very high speeds we put on it. The traction is excellent and if it slows down on slippery or ‘oily’ roads, the i-Activ system engages the front wheels and the car rushes into the next bend, seemingly without a hitch. The almost inevitable downward drift is quickly suppressed through automatic brake intervention on the inside rear wheel.

The Grand Canyon of Morocco

It may not be quite BMW standard, but in terms of driving pleasure it comes very close. Thanks also to the pleasant and efficient operation, which also contributes to a certain sporty character of the car. Yes, in addition to the big diesel engine, there are other points of contact with the well-known brand from Munich. use? After 600 km we were at a ‘good’ 7.5 l/100 km, but that of course had everything to do with the course and our driving style. In normal driving conditions you will definitely get a reduction of one and a half liters.

After spending the night in an oasis in the desert near Ouarzazate, we return to Marrakesh on the second day, albeit by a completely different route. We have to go through Dades Gorge, one of the most beautiful mountain passes with the real appeal of the Grand Canyon. While they are waiting for it to be completely paved (they have started working on it), part of it is still not paved. In other words, it is often a narrow road strewn with many small and occasionally large stones. The message here is very clear: enjoy the spectacular scenery and avoid flat tires. Other teams have reportedly failed to do so in the past, but we… of course did.

In the PHEV

We have now replaced the diesel car with the e-Skyactiv PHEV, which for obvious reasons has recently become a less attractive option in Belgium. Power and torque seem to be more than enough for tough courses, but in terms of pure driving pleasure, the plug-in hybrid doesn’t quite measure up to the e-Skyactiv D. When powered up, the petrol. the engine makes an unpleasant noise and the cooperation with the eight-speed automatic transmission is also slightly smoother than that of the big six-cylinder diesel.

Typical consumption and therefore also official CO2 emissions (of 33 g/km) are not too bad, although we ended our journey of about 650 km with an average of 8.5 l/100 km. During the overnight stay in the desert there was no possibility to charge the battery, which naturally turned the heavy vehicle into a ‘classic’ petrol car. In normal driving conditions with the battery charged at departure, it will certainly be a different story, as the braking energy recovery (through the four wheels) during the descent part of some mountain routes also suggested.

Which one to choose?

After 600 kilometers with the e-Skyactiv D and a little more with the e-Skyactiv PHEV, we can’t help but have a preference for one of the two. Well, of course it is for a diesel engine. At €55,090, the four-wheel drive version with 254 hp is slightly more expensive than the PHEV at €53,690, but you get extra fun and comfort for the extra price. For completeness, with rear wheel drive and 200 hp, the D costs € 50,090.

Of course we had previously tested and therefore evaluated the Maza CX-60, but our expedition in Morocco now allowed us to test the D and PHEV in very different conditions than is possible in our country. Very bad condition indeed, but the car has never failed at any time. Even if we (try to) summarize the many visual and related stimuli that the beautiful scenery gave us, the story of this technologically original car remains completely valid. Unfortunately not for the Belgian tax authorities, but of course they can’t do anything about it at the Hiroshima headquarters. Mazda remains an outsider and in some areas resembles Japan’s BMW, but as true car fans we should continue to enjoy that.