Mazda CX-60, is it worth it? We tested the car (comment)

What fascinates us about Japan? Culture, history, language, writing, or just distance carries that sense of wonder that envelops us every time we see something new from the Land of the Sun. And when we stop wondering what Japan represents to us, we see that all this is repeated by the Japanese towards us. Different as they are, Italians and Japanese can still understand each other, in the way of life that we call passion, and which for them is multiplied in a thousand definitions. Similar, but different.

Even when it comes to doing what others don’t think, because in the end we manage to plan the role of those who often go against our needs. A little’ “underdog”, as the Americans would say, maybe have less pressure and have that freedom to make bold decisions.

The new Mazda CX-60

Yes, because if by now we have talked about the arrival of the electric car a thousand times, the Japanese of Mazda they bring us one the new CX-60 with a good 3.3 liter diesel engine, the kind that makes you think first”but really?“, then”oh yes, really“.

But let’s go in order, retracing the threads of the discussion that began a year ago, when we saw the CX-60 in preview in Rome. A real SUV, which does not hide behind vague abbreviations, and which immediately takes you thanks to the long nose together with the short back, which gives a change of design and comfort. In profile, the slightly rearward position of the passenger compartment from the body work increases the feeling of the car’s dynamics in motion. The CX-60 is true to the Kodo design conceptwith all its vitality and ability to express itself.

As soon as you step into the Mazda CX-60, you appreciate it immediately Handmade takumi. The passenger compartment, modern but welcoming, is covered in light which makes it more exciting. The Mazda CX-60 was carefully designed in Japan, and it shows.

Indeed, Mazda designers have created a welcoming interior space that welcomes visitors. The interior has been combined to look simple and beautiful, and in keeping with the Japanese concepts of “Less is More“e”Ms“, which enhances the beauty of an empty space as clean. Then the car becomes like a spring of calm, where everyone can leave stress and negative situations safely.

Mazda CX-60 interior and design

Thanks also to the team interior designwho not only considered the classic look associated with the car’s basic functions, but also the way it plays with the light to reflect its surroundings with ever-changing shadows, changing from one season to the next with subtle nuances that develop. a feeling that is rarely found in other cars.

To give an idea, the door cloth, made in traditional ways, is sensitive to light, while the Japanese embroidery or bookbinding art, known as Musubu, creates a special stitch, seen on Takumi model dashboard. The latter is covered by a woven canvas based on the traditional motifs of kimono clothingwith a beaded steel finish that extends to the door panels as well, and complementary grainy maple veneers leather upholstery. Finishing of maple wood in the Takumi version is done in the style of Hachoor with “asymmetrical balance”, and reflect the artistic touch: originally they were made by hand, then they were replicated for mass production.

Mazda CX-60, is it worth it?

The end result works, because there is no room for beauty or excess. True to the ethos of “less is more”, this is about it a configuration that avoids visual overloadthanks to Mazda’s design philosophy of “beauty to giveBeyond physical craftsmanship, consideration of space and ambient light is just as important, if not more so. The elements left in the car’s design, and the way it provides important space and enables light to pass through, add a typical Japanese tone and substance. Explanations and philosophies on which it is possible to open a thousand chapters, because everywhere the eyes stay arouses curiosity if not true surprise.

But what is a car if you don’t drive it? And then go try 3.3 Diesel with a capacity of 249 horses. Yes, you are thinking “But really?”, as I expected before. An unusual engine capacity for Italy, but which offers a wonderful driving experience. No, it’s not about having a big engine to push and pull the CX-60’s neck all the time, but rather being able to drive smoothly and pleasantly, thanks also to the presence of a fast and accurate automatic gearbox. Stability and safety on any type of road, and maximum comfort for all passengers. Sure, its acceleration is impressive, thanks to the power and torque of the diesel engine, but that’s beside the point. Driving in hilly areas increases the cue, managing to test riders but it is, in fact, on the road that the CX-60 can deliver the best. A real kilometer with the ability to accompany you on completely comfortable journeys. A set of mechanics, design, technology and driving assistance that makes every move and CX-60 a ride that you want to drive as much as you can.

we called it “fun driving”, or the one that prompted us to choose one car over another, and perhaps decide to take a road trip instead of taking a train or plane. And in a world where approval, and perhaps even resignation, reigns supreme, a diesel capable of igniting the soul is welcome. “Really?“…”oh yes, really!“.

Journalist who comes from ten years of Blogo experience where he was director for several years, and where in the motor sector he opened Autoblog.it and Motoblog.it, points of reference in the sector for a decade. In 2019 he founded QuotidianoMotori.com. He has been collaborating with Esquire Italia since its launch in 2017.