Perhaps best-known for the MX-5, Mazda is eager to convince the world that, despite being a three-row SUV, its upcoming North American (wide-body) specification CX-90 will get a sports car-like drivetrain layout and performance. Powered by an inline-six-cylinder engine at the front that is its most powerful gas unit to date, the company points to all of the work it did to ensure that the SUV could handle well.
Jay Chen, the company’s manager of powertrain performance, says in a 4:00 minute teaser video released today, that Mazda committed to a “front-rear longitudinal layout.” That means, he says, that the while the front wheels do the steering, the rears can do the driving.
“We had to design everything around that straight-six,” says Chen. “So we redesigned the transmission, we took the torque converter out, we shoved everything back, we made everything smaller. Well that opened up space for the front area to have more steering angle, better, proper sports car suspension.”
Read: America’s 2024 Mazda CX-90 Gets Turbo’d 3.3-Liter Inline-Six With 340 HP
In addition to giving the SUV “sports car suspension,” it has given it technology first developed for the MX-5 Miata. Indeed, Chen says that the 2024 CX-90 will benefit from Kinematic Posture Control.
“KPC is a little bit of technology where, as we watch the vehicle go into a corner, it just applies a little bit of braking force to the outer tires,” he explains. “So basically, you’re coming out of a corner, in a much more planted fashion.”
In addition to these handling advantages, the CX-90 will get a significant amount of power, too. In a recent teaser, the automaker revealed that the 3.3-liter e-Skyactic turbocharged inline-six will make 340 hp (254 kW/345 PS) and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque, which should move the SUV along nicely. It will also be available with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain, though details on that score remain secret.
Along with showing off its performance, the upcoming SUV was also handed over to TV presenter Ant Anstead. The choice of the British mechanic was interesting, as he is no stranger to seeing disassembled Mazdas, and the business that he co-owns, Radford, is also on the lookout for chassis partners.
Mazda will fully unveil the 2024 CX-90 on Tuesday, January 31. You can check back in with us on the day for full coverage of the reveal.
Thanks to TreQan and Evan for the tip!
