The Mazda CX-80 is a seven-seat plug-in hybrid

It seems, among families with more than three children, there is suddenly a great need to buy large and expensive crossovers. The smooth roads of seven elevated seats are sprouting like mushrooms left and right. Even in the electric corner there is already a useful option. But for those who are still a step away, Mazda now has this trump card. This is the new CX-80.

The five-seat CX-60 was Mazda’s first plug-in hybrid and has been refined and refined in terms of chassis and drivetrain since its market introduction. The 25 cm long CX-80 immediately benefits from this. The silhouette, with a long hood and a rear cabin, seems fully committed to an extended roof and a longer wheelbase. The CX-80 measures less than 5 meters, but looks very elegant.

The third row of seats in the Mazda CX-80

Inside there is a choice between six or seven seats. With the first option, the optional center console cuts off the second row of seats. The rear doors open to almost 90 degrees and the seats (or bench) can be folded electrically to access the third row of seats, which, according to Mazda, is intended for people up to 1.7 meters tall. We see that a little longer is also possible when we climb into it for a while. Especially if they give a little in the second row.

Depending on the version, the interior is decorated beautifully or elegantly. The Takumi, for example, has white nappa leather, maple wood and Japanese Musubu stitching on the dashboard. It makes us very happy – at least until some kid spills his chocolate milk on it. You get a 12.3-inch display with Alexa, Apple/Android voice control and ‘hybrid navigation’ (with and without internet) as standard. There’s triple-zone air conditioning and even the third row of seats gets USB-C connections.

No big diesel for the Netherlands

As mentioned, Mazda offers the CX-80 as a plug-in hybrid, but there is also a version with a 3.3-liter inline-six diesel engine. What do you think, will it come to Holland? No, exactly. Fortunately, the plugin doesn’t work at all: 327 hp, 500 Nm and a 0 to 100 sprint of 6.8 seconds are figures that no family bus should be ashamed of. There is intelligent all-wheel drive and something called Kinematic Posture Control (brake assist for stabilizing the body when cornering). The CX-80 can tow 2,500 kg and can drive on electricity up to a distance of 53 km.

The new CX-80 will soon appear in showrooms with a starting price that will be slightly higher than the 56,690 euros (50,090 euros in Belgium) of the CX-60.