9 Cool Details of Mazda’s New Three-row SUV CX-90 2024

The CX-90 is bigger than Mazda’s current CX-9 crossover. The extra space allows the CX-90 to have a larger — specifically wider — center console. This allowed the designers to place the cupholder to the right of the shifter, rather than behind it like on the CX-9.

The Mazda CX-90 can be configured with a captain’s seat or bench in the middle row and two or three seats in the back. That is, it can accommodate six, seven, or eight passengers depending on the model. The third row is not as spacious as some of its three-row SUV competitors.

The CX-90’s tailgate opens further than we expected, almost 90 degrees. Mazda representatives say these are similar to the doors on the CX-50. This offers a little extra space to get a person or car seat in the cabin.

A thin maple panel rests above a chrome strip on the inside of the front door on the CX-90’s highest trim level. The designers chose wood for the way it caught the light and angled the panels slightly so you can see them in action as the sun rises.

The dashboard itself is covered in cloth based on a Japanese hand-woven technique called Nishijin-ori. It is a random pattern with a bit of gold thread woven through it. Thick stitches in the center of the fabric, which Mazda says are inspired by hand-binding and the Japanese weaving technique known as Kumihimo, complete the horizontal lines on the front.

The CX-90 has a 12.3-inch infotainment screen with a horizontal orientation. In accordance with the minimalist interior, the screen is stretched wide and short, again emphasizing the horizontal space at the front of the cabin.

Mazda hasn’t revealed all the details of the CX-90 just yet, but we do know it will be towable and the powertrain has a dedicated tow mode. Maximum towing capacity remains under wraps, but based on press photos, where we see the CX-90 towing the 26-foot Bowlus Road Chief, we’d venture to speculate that the SUV can tow at least 4,000 pounds. For comparison, the 2023 Mazda CX-9 can tow 3,500 pounds.

The CX-90’s front seats are farther apart than on the CX-9 thanks to the new model’s extra width. The space between the available captain seats in the center row can be another console or an open space, and passengers seated in them will find the captain’s seats have heating and cooling features (if equipped).

To fill the wide dash-to-axle space created by the new longitudinally mounted engine, Mazda has fitted thin badges above and behind the front wheel arches to identify which powertrain is hiding under the hood. “Inline 6” is written on the version with Mazda’s new turbocharged 3.3-liter inline-six, while the new e-Skyactiv plug-in-hybrid powertrain model is marked “PHEV.”