While there are a few 7 seater EVs out there, the selection is a little skimpy. Hence one may have to settle for a plug in hybrid, like the Mazda CX-90. On a recent trip to California, I gave it a spin. Cabin space is excellent, with lots of leg room, even in the third row. Cargo space with the third row deployed was somewhat lacking. We actually had a to put one of the third row seats down to load our skiing gear. Tech wise, there is lots to like. The lane-keep assist worked reasonably well, it comes with 7 kW onboard charger, which for the 18 kWh onboard battery, was plenty. However, once the temperature went below 0C, the Mazda CX-90 stopped using the electric drive-train, presumably to protect the battery, which I thought a bit silly, but for getting around Los Angeles, might work.
The CX-90 is Mazda’s first plug-in hybrid. I certainly welcome Mazda to the electrification age. As a sporty brand, the CX-90 certainly delivers ample umph once you figure out how to engage sport mode. It certainly put a smile on our faces as we accelerated. Apparently the CX-90 can hit 60 mph in 6 seconds (source). Very respectable indeed.
We drove the CX-90 around town in Los Angeles where we stayed. For life in LA, the 25 mile (44 km) electric range is enough for most errands, possibly ones commute, but LAians do drive a lot, one of our friends felt like he drove 50 miles (80km per day), which is not unheard of here in Toronto, particularly when teenagers advance in their sports to “require” a more seasoned team which might be some distance away. One of our favourite dinner spots is about 25 miles round trip, and just as we arrived, the gas engine kicked in, suggesting that the EPA’s 25 mile electric range is reasonably close to real life.
As with other plug-in-hybrids the small battery range means you plug the car in all the time. As an EV driver, this is one of my main beefs with the genre, as I usually charge my leaf 1-2 times per week, while the CX-90 was charged daily. We did have access to a dryer outlet in the garage, and got a nice charger from https://splitvolt.com/, that charged the CX-90 at 6 kW, a little shy of its 7.2 kW onboard charger, but for the $300 price tag, not bad. We were glad we had that 6kW charger, as we might do some shopping in the morning, followed by a dinner outing. Both of these drained the CX-90’s small battery, hence being able to fully re-charge in 2 hours or so was nice.
To really test the CX-90, and get a sense of we went skiing to Mammoth mountain (more in this post). Thankfully, roof racks are available (source) which work with our own Thule ski-carrier, so we were able to put the skis on the roof. This was helpful, as our CX-90 came with captains chairs in the middle row, thus we needed the third row. It all fit in the end, but the roof-rack made for a much more comfortable ride.
Once we got into the mountains, and the temperature dropped below 0C, we noticed that the gas engine provided the propulsion. Strangely enough, the car would regenerate the battery, it just would not let you use it. We did not fully charge the battery as we did not have access to charging at Mammoth, hence its possible the CX-90 will let you drive on electricity, just not below say 50%. While annoying, the car still let me regenerate, which was helpful during the decent. Perhaps a future software update will allow you to use more than say half the battery during winter.
Overall, the CX-90 is a fine car. The luggage situation is fine, unless you regularly fill up with 7 passengers and luggage. The hybrid power-train works fine in warmer climates such as southern California, but may struggle in colder climates. For the price (55 k CAD base, 65 k CAD as tested (source)), its certainly expensive and there is ample competition to look at. Some versions of the Model Y have a 7 seat interior (source), for 65 k CAD, its certainly not far off from the CX-90. Also the VW ID Buzz offers more space, an all electric power-train for 45k CAD if this source is to be believed. Granted, it wont be available until 2025, but for the space, perhaps waiting a little is a good idea?
Electric car adventures 