2025 Mazda CX-80 Review: A Throwback In Many Good Ways, Some Not

There’s nothing out of the ordinary with launching a new SUV in the UK market in 2025. It’s a little less ordinary that this one is a seven-seater, but still, not mind-boggling. A new, diesel, seven-seat SUV though? Meet the Mazda CX-80.

Yes, everyone’s favourite maker of tiny sports cars and very pleasant but seemingly somehow constantly slightly outdated commuter traffic has turned its hand to a brand-new seven-seat SUV.

Granted, ‘brand-new’ doesn’t quite tell a whole story. The CX-80 is heavily based on the CX-60, albeit slightly stretched and with the benefit of two extra seats. As a result, it’s by and large mechanically identical – including its engine line-up.

That means that yes, you can have it with a six-cylinder diesel engine – not something you can say for any of its rivals these days. You can have four-pot oil burners in the likes of the Skoda Kodiaq and Kia Sorento, though Mazda will tell you it wants customers from BMW and Volvo – neither of which is offering directly comparable diesel rivals these days.

Those that are on the market simply don’t offer the same sort of performance as the Mazda, either. Its 3.3-litre lump produces 251bhp and a mighty 406lb ft of torque, delivered to all four wheels through an eight-speed torque converter automatic.

That’ll dispatch 0-62mph in 8.4 seconds according to the stats sheet, and if you’re already slightly moving, that’s wholly believable. But the Achilles heel of the package is that gearbox – it’s just too hesitant to respond to your inputs. There can be a genuine one or two-second lag between planting your foot and the ‘box kicking down.

I know what you’re thinking, “It’s a diesel family SUV, it doesn’t need to be that responsive” and while that’s true, it behaves largely the same in normal driving. It makes junctions a harder task than you’d really hope, and in anything other than sitting at a constant speed, it’s indecisive with its changes.

A shame really, as the engine it's paired up with is utterly brilliant. Under load, the grunt of the diesel is impressive and at a cruise, it’s silky-smooth. Expect fuel economy of 40mpg in mixed driving, which is pretty refreshing for something weighing almost 2.2 tonnes before you put the kids and a dog into it.

You can get around the gearbox issues by going for a PHEV instead which does alleviate the problems with the electric motor filling in, and crucially, matches the towing capacity of the diesel version at 2500kg braked. That’s something that will be important to the caravanners out there who buy these types of cars in their droves.

What you can’t quite get around is a firm ride. It’s fine once you’re at speed on motorway stretches but potholes in and around town or on back roads do show the shortcomings of the CX-80s setup. A shame, as it handles quite neatly and for the around-town stuff, it’s a breeze to live with.

When you are taking the family on a miserably long drive to Cornwall to spend a week depositing a tank of your own faeces into a drain hole and calling it relaxation, it will be at least a pleasant car to spend a lot of time in. The interior is brilliantly screwed together, the material quality is impressive and the overall design is very appealing.

Cream leather as on our test car would be a brave choice as a family car, and I’m not sure about the light wood inserts, but thankfully you can opt for other combinations. I’d suggest doing so.

There are also a lot of buttons, which is something that feels incredibly not 2025. The infotainment system is also controlled largely by a rotary dial within the centre console, though you can reach across and use the touchscreen.

Not that you really need to, as it works intuitively from the dial. Compared with BMW’s iDrive, VW Group’s systems or Volvo’s latest Google stuff, it does feel light on features but it’s refreshingly simple to navigate and use. Plus it supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, so what more do you need?

There’s plenty of room in the middle row for adults to stretch out so the kids shouldn’t be kicking the back of your seats, and you can even opt for a six-seat version with a walk-through interior that allows for dead easy access to the rear-most row. We wouldn’t suggest putting angsty teenagers back there for long though as space is a little tight, but should be fine for little ones.

It’s priced keenly as well. £49,670 gets you into an ‘entry’ diesel Exclusive-Line, while a full bells-and-whistles Takumi Plus costs just shy of an extra £7000 – all considered, it’s worth that jump for the extra kit. Add an extra £2400ish for a comparable PHEV.

A comparable Skoda Kodiaq will be a few grand cheaper but you do feel that step up in quality once you’re inside the Mazda, and it’s more affordable than a Volvo XC90.

In many ways, the Mazda CX-80 is a refreshing throwback to a time before EV domination. Yet, the old-school approach does have its shortcomings. Take one out, and see if you can overlook them.