In 2020 Mazda Motor Corporation celebrated its 100th anniversary and with the new CX-60 it’s easy to see why the brand appeals to so many customers around the world.
The all-new Mazda CX-60 represents everything that Mazda has built into its DNA over the last 100 years, from outstanding exterior and interior design to the finest Japanese craftsmanship, the latest innovations in human-centric technologies and powertrains.
Mazda CX-60 – technology that simplifies your life.
Human-centric technologies have been rethought and refined to perfect the Jinba Ittai driving experience and, more than ever, meet the individual needs of the driver. Jinba Ittai is a Japanese philosophy originally used to describe the bond between a horse and rider.
Since its inception Mazda has used the philosophy behind Jinba Ittai to create vehicles that instantly make the driver feel at home.
Cabin and load space
The all-new Mazda CX-60 is 4,745 mm long, 1,890 mm wide and 1,680 mm high, and has a 11.7 metre turning circle (wall-to-wall diameter). Its 2,870 mm wheelbase offers spacious accommodation for all occupants, as well as generous load space.
The Mazda CX-60 cabin has ample width, offering 1,504 mm of shoulder room in the front seats (44 mm more than the CX-5), and 1,441 mm in the rear seats (50 mm more than the CX-5). The rear seats offer enough legroom for passengers to sit with their legs straight instead of needing to twist their lower body – even those with a large physique can maintain a comfortable and stable posture whilst seated.
Including under-floor storage, the Mazda CX-60 has a 570-litre load space capacity, increasing to 1,148 litres with the rear seats folded flat and 1,726 litres when loaded to the ceiling.
The width of the tailgate opening has been increased to 1,082 mm (35 mm wider than the CX-5) and the height of the opening is 758 mm.
The height difference between the load space floor and the tailgate sill has also been minimised for easier loading, and irregularities in the walls have been removed to offer a cleaner cargo bay shape. The load space is equipped with a 12 V DC power outlet.
The Mazda CX-60 Individual is equipped with a hands-free powered tailgate that is activated by sensors under the rear bumper. The tailgate can be both opened and closed by users even when both hands are full. The CX-60 Dynamic is equipped with a power liftgate.
Driver personalisation system
The ground-breaking Mazda Driver Personalisation System on the CX-60 will recognise the occupant of the driver’s seat and automatically adjust the surroundings – seat position, steering wheel, mirrors, HUD, even the sound and climate control settings – to fit their physique as well as their personal preferences.
Once saved, the vehicle will automatically adjust the relevant saved settings and welcome that driver back into the vehicle. Facial recognition is used to identify the current driver.
The system can adjust preferences for well over 200 settings including functionality that supports entry and exit by automatically sliding the steering wheel and seats out of the way so that the driver can easily enter and exit the vehicle and the next driver will have ease of entry.
Human Machine Interface (HMI)
The driver’s cockpit area features three main instrument displays: a full 12-inch TFT-LCD driver’s instrument meter display, a large window Head-up Display (HUD) and a 12.3-inch infotainment centre display.
In addition to driving assist modes and warning displays, the centre display also supports the Driver Personalisation System (detailed above) to optimise visibility.
The HUD screen area is three times larger than that of the Mazda CX-30. This reduces unnecessary eye movement, provides the driver with essential information in an easy-to-understand manner, and heightens the sense of security while driving.
The TFT-LCD instrument meter display welcomes the driver and further changes screen colour to display the current drive mode (Normal, Sports, Towing and Off-road).
The font size on all HMI systems has been enlarged and Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) settings and operation status information is optimally displayed to enable at-a-glance reading.
Mazda Connect with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
The Mazda CX-60 features the latest version of Mazda Connect, which includes enhancements such as a quicker start up, improved image and sound quality, and a free word search function that lets users search for destinations by entering a combination of keywords.
The system supports Android Auto™ via USB and wireless Apple CarPlay® as part of the CX-60’s standard equipemt, to ensure a convenient user experience with smart phone integration.
Audio systems
The Mazda CX-60 features an enhanced version of the Mazda Harmonic Acoustics system. The size of the front cowl side woofers has been increased from 3 litres to 4.8 litres by using part of the vehicle frame to house them.
The front cowl side woofers are located in a space in the sides of the front cowl created by pushing the front tyre housing further forward to achieve ideal driving position ergonomics. The outer shell of the woofer box is used to reinforce the part of the vehicle frame to which it is welded. As a result, the Mazda CX-60 audio system has a greater bass dynamic range and higher quality sound reproduction.
Developed over the course of six years, the system amplifier is located under the Mazda CX-60’s right front seat. The high-quality amplifier is the result of multiple, high-end audio technologies that work together to produce top quality sound.
They include a stable power supply, the use of a custom-made capacitor that’s unique to Mazda, and phoneme tuning that reproduces subtle and delicate sounds to playback as much audio information as possible.
Audio quality is further enhanced using MSR NR (Master Sound Revive Noise Reduction) technology, which removes shot noise (background electronic noise) included in digital audio sources – a first ever in car audio.
Other enhancements include the addition of a second cone to the speakers under the centre cap. This extends the upper midrange and further improves the sound connection with the tweeters, which reproduce the higher frequencies.
Bose Premium Sound System
The Mazda CX-60’s 12-speaker Bose sound system (CX-60 Individual) is unique in both its design and its performance. It takes the Bose BassMatch engineering approach to the next level, providing a powerful listening experience with deep, low-frequency impact for all occupants.
Located under the right-hand front seat, the heart of the system is a Bose digital amplifier with nine channels of custom equalisation and digital signal processing, including Bose Centerpoint 2 surround sound technology, Bose SurroundStage processing and Bose AudioPilot 2 noise-compensation technology.
The 12 high-performance speakers comprise:
- One 80 mm Twiddler in the centre of the instrument panel
- Two 25 mm neodymium tweeters, one in each door mirror patch
- Two 115 mm high-excursion neodymium woofers, each in a four-litre custom engineered Cowl-side bass enclosure utilising the body frame
- Four 80 mm neodymium mid/high range speakers – one in each door
- Two rear 65 mm surround speakers – one mounted in each C pillar
- One 130 mm neodymium woofer in a 10 litre custom-engineered bass enclosure in the spare wheel housing
The BassMatch cowl-side enclosures utilise perfect ‘drive points’ to deliver tighter, more powerful bass while reducing ‘door buzz’. Combined with the rear bass enclosure and tuning, the overall dynamic range, clarity and image width of the sound system is enhanced.
Peace and Quiet
The Mazda CX-60 utilises both sound insulation and absorption technology to eliminate all unwanted external noise and give the cabin a uniquely refined Mazda quietness.
Sound insulation (noise transfer prevention) has been improved by reducing the number of holes and gaps in the floor to an absolute minimum, and by adopting a two wall, body panel and surface material structure to reduce wind noise.
Sound absorption has been enhanced through adjustment of the cushioning layer between the body panels and surface materials to better control wind noise and absorb more low frequency sounds such as road noise.
Another element contributing to the quiet drive is the 8-speed AT gearbox enabling the engine to drive at lower revolutions and in turn allows for better fuel economy.
Seats
As opposed to other models in which the seat supports the whole back evenly, the CX-60 seat back has been designed to support more of the lower half of the back.
Mazda’s continuous Human Centric Development studies have learned that a correct posture in the seat leads to body movements that feel more natural and therefore more comfortable. This results in less driver fatigue, improved safety as pedals can be found more intuitively, convenience in steering wheel adjustments thanks to electric motors, and the driver is able to receive vehicle feedback in the most natural way.
Mazda sees seated posture that allows the driver to relax and reduces fatigue as an important part of a safe and enjoyable driving experience.
To achieve this, Mazda increased the number of cushion springs from three to four, further improving the seat’s support of the body and preventing the pelvis from rolling backwards. The seatback suspension mesh has been changed to a plate, reducing yaw rotation of the chest area. And seat mount rigidity had been increased to provide even more support.
In addition, for the polyurethane elements of the seats, the elasticity of the resin frame has been maintained but the resin coating on the cushion cells has been adjusted to balance damping and elasticity. This not only improves ride comfort, but also contributes to the faster transmission of force from the rear tyres, enabling the driver to feel more in sync with the vehicle and enjoy a more rhythmic driving feel.
Every seat is designed using the same concept as the driver’s seat, enabling all cabin occupants to enjoy the drive without being swayed by the movement of the car.
Hill Descent Control
The CX-60 comes standard with Mazda’s Hill Descent Control that supports safe downhill driving on steep slopes with slippery, rough surfaces such as off-road terrain.
The system constantly monitors tyre rotation and uses this information to precisely control brake fluid pressure and stabilise vehicle movement, automatically keeping the car at a constant speed without the driver needing to use the brakes.
In the event the wheels should slip when driving downhill with Hill Descent Control activated, ABS will automatically take control of the brakes. Once ABS is deactivated, HDC once again maintains the set descent speed.
HDC is operational at speeds of 3 to 20 km/h. It switches to standby at speeds of 20 to 30 km/h so that it can resume control at any time the vehicle returns to the operational speed range. At speeds of over 30 km/h, the system switches off automatically.
Safety Features
The Mazda CX-60’s comprehensive range of advanced i-Activsense driver assistance systems ensure active safety at the highest level and target a Euro NCAP 5-star safety rating.
Several new technologies debut in the Mazda CX-60:
- See-Through View – a next-generation 360-degree monitor with extended field of view at low speeds
- Mazda Radar Cruise Control
See-through View
Mazda’s 360° View Monitor uses a four-camera system that covers all sides of the vehicle to display a bird’s-eye view of the car from above on the centre display, as well as a choice of front, rear and left or right-side views.
The Mazda CX-60 adds See-Through View as a further evolution of the 360° View Monitor functionality. It displays an image on the screen that seemingly allows the driver to see through the front and rear corners of the body panels from their viewpoint, making it easier to spot objects obscured by the vehicle’s bodywork.
This helps the driver remain fully aware of surrounding conditions when driving slowly in tight spaces such as parking lots and narrow alleys.
Mazda Radar Cruise Control
Mazda Radar Cruise Control (MRCC) automatically maintains the appropriate vehicle speed and optimum following distance, even if the vehicle ahead comes to a complete standstill.
Further i-Activesense Systems
The Mazda CX-60 individual is equipped with Advanced Smart City Brake Support (Advanced SCBS) uses cameras to detect vehicles and pedestrians – both by day and at night – and help avoid collisions or mitigate damage in the event one does occur. The system automatically stops or reduces the speed of the car when there is a risk of collision with the vehicle or pedestrian in front.
Other key i-Activsense driver-supporting technologies included as standard across the range include Mazda’s Lane-keep Assist System and Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross Traffic Alert.
Blind Spot Monitoring keeps the driver aware of vehicles approaching when, for example, changing lanes. Its Rear Cross Traffic Alert function monitors the vehicles surroundings when reversing, alerting the driver when it detects vehicles approaching from the sides.
Mazda Radar Cruise Control (MRCC) automatically maintains the appropriate vehicle speed and optimum following distance, even if the vehicle ahead comes to a complete standstill.
Further standard active safety equipment includes a ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), a Traction Control System (TCS), an Emergency Stop Signaling System (ESS), Hill Hold Assist (HLA), and automatic headlamps which illuminate about 30 minutes before sunset, making it easier for pedestrians and other cars to notice the vehicle.
Passive Safety
Mazda has carefully analysed real-world accidents to thoroughly refine passive safety technologies from various angles, including protection not only of the vehicle itself but also the one with which it collides to mitigate injuries within the other vehicle, as well as to better protect the elderly and pedestrians. The CX-60 also has a post-crash fuel cut-off system.
Frontal impact protection
Three breakthrough technologies combine to deliver excellent frontal collision safety performance:
- Firstly, the multi-path structure efficiency absorbs energy through three separate load paths – main, upper, and lower – to soften the impact on occupants and minimise cabin deformation.
- Secondly, the axial compression frame doubles energy absorption efficiency whilst contributing to both space and weight savings.
- Thirdly, the framework is designed to be as straight as possible.
These technologies not only ensure the Mazda CX-60 has outstanding forward collision resistance, but also support its design by contributing to a short front overhang of only 850 mm.
Rear impact protection
The Mazda CX-60 is designed to absorb twice as much rear impact energy as the current CX-5. To date, Mazda vehicles have absorbed energy by the bending and deformation of the rear frame.
However, the Mazda CX-60 uses axial deformation of the rear side frame to absorb double the energy. At the same time, the thickness of the side frame has been reduced to effect further weight saving.
Local range and pricing
The Mazda CX-60 will be available in two automatic variants:
- Mazda CX-60 2.5L Dynamic – R739 800
- Mazda CX-60 2.5L AWD Individual – R844 500
Both are powered by the same 2.5L engine delivering 141kW of power and 261Nm of torque and driven by an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
Content and images supplied via MotorPress