Mazda’s CX-90 3-Row Crossover – A MIATA…FOR THE GROWN-UPS

Mazda’s CX-90 3-Row Crossover

A MIATA…FOR THE GROWN-UPS

UMPIRE, Ark. — There is a particular kind of cognitive dissonance that occurs when you are threading 5,000 pounds of steel through the switchbacks of U.S. Highway 278. As the road braids itself through the Ouachita Mountains, one expects the typical protest of a three-row SUV: the tortured squeal of tires, and the heavy lean of a chassis longing for a flat suburban cul-de-sac. Instead, the 2026 Mazda CX-90 Turbo S Premium Sport offers a shrug and a sharp turn-in. Mazda officially retired the “Zoom-Zoom” slogan years ago, but in the shadows of these peaks, that DNA is undeniable. This is a flagship SUV that appears to have been raised by a Miata mama.

Architecture of Agility

The CX-90 is built on a rear-biased platform, a choice that signals Mazda’s refusal to build automotive appliances. The Turbo S Premium Sport trim sharpens this intent with blacked-out jewelry and wheels that give it a planted, predatory stance.

Under the hood sits a 3.3-liter turbocharged inline-six augmented by a mild-hybrid system. It provides a shove that is less like a frantic kick and more like a polite, firm hand in the small of your back. For those who prefer their power delivery via a cord, the PHEV CX-90 pairs a four-cylinder engine with a 17.8-kWh battery, offering roughly 26 miles of all-electric range—enough to make gas station visits a quarterly event for the local commuter.

The real sorcery, however, is digital. Mazda’s Kinematic Posture Control applies a whisper of braking to the inside rear wheel during hard cornering. This suppresses body lift and pulls the SUV toward the pavement, allowing it to dance through sweeps with a composure that defies its silhouette.

The Tall Man’s Burden

The interior is a masterclass in near-luxury restraint. While rivals like the Hyundai Palisade or Kia Telluride lean into gargantuan screens and Vegas-style ambient lighting, Mazda favors tactile sanity. There are physical knobs for the climate control—a small mercy in an era of distracted glass-tapping. The materials are curated, the stitching is precise, and the cabin feels whispered rather than shouted.

Yet, this perfection has a low ceiling—literally. While the CX-90’s exterior is a triumph of what Mazda refers to as ‘Kodo’ design, the rear liftgate harbors a mischievous streak. It opens to a height that seems calibrated specifically to strike the forehead of anyone standing over six feet. After my third meeting with the hatch while fiddling with hiking gear, I began to wonder if Mazda’s engineering team consists entirely of people who don’t need to reach the top shelf at the grocery store. It is a world-class vehicle that desperately needs a Big-Boy Setting for its cargo door.

The Economics of the Delivery Lane

The sticker price for the Turbo S Premium Sport generally hovers between $54,000 and $57,000, including a $1,570 delivery fee. The past few years, industry-wide these fees have jumped 67%. A Ford F-150 or Jeep Rubicon now comes with delivery fees greater than $3,000. A year ago, these charges ballooned as manufacturers used them as a discreet suitcase for tariff costs. Today, the narrative has shifted to the pump. With diesel flirting with $6.00 a gallon, the cost of hauling these three-row behemoths across these United States is no longer a political shell game; it is simply the price of physics.

Speaking of fuel, the PHEV remains a choose-your-own-adventure in efficiency. My wife—the “Beautiful Bride,” as she is known in our house — has a PHEV that I filled with gas the day after Christmas. It is still pegged on full. It averages 214 mpg because it sips from the same 110-volt outlet that powers our toaster. (No, the light bill did not go up).

Some people purchase PHEVs and then never plug them in. If you charge it, it is a miracle; if you don’t, it is a heavy, 38-mpg gasoline afterthought.

The Verdict

The CX-90 makes a specific trade. You sacrifice the cavernous third row of a Chevy Tahoe or the living-room-on-wheels vibe of a Ford Expedition for something increasingly rare: a car that remembers it has a driver.

The CX-90 vehicle for the person who had to trade in the sports car when the third child arrived but hasn’t yet surrendered their soul to the minivan. I left the Ouachitas with a slight smirk and a minor bruise on my forehead — a fair price to pay for an SUV that knows how to dance…the Miata Mambo.