2026 Mazda CX-90: A Mazda wins on fuel economy. What world have we just entered?

2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy vs. 2026 Hyundai Palisade XRT PRO vs. 2026 Mazda CX-90 Turbo Premium Plus: Battle of the barely bigs (or monster mediums).

This week: Mazda CX-90

Price: $52,395 as tested.

Conventional wisdom: Car and Driver says, “Highs: Interior’s premium look and feel, commendable fuel economy for its size, nimble handling. Lows: Unusable third row for adults, edgy ride quality, low-speed transmission shudders.”

Marketer’s pitch: “Engineered to fit every lifestyle.”

Reality: Except for that back seat. There, you have to be the one engineered to squeeze in, somehow.

What’s new: The Mazda CX-90 has been with us without much updating since 2024.

Competition: In addition to the Santa Fe and the Palisade, you can pick from models like the Buick Enclave, Honda Pilot, Kia Telluride, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Grand Highlander, and Volkswagen Atlas.

Up to speed: The model tested boasts a turbocharged 3.3-liter inline six-cylinder engine that creates 280 horsepower. It has a mild hybrid system to improve efficiency and low-speed performance.

It’s no rocket in this configuration, but it outdoes the competitors. Motor Trend says it takes 6.8 seconds to get to 60 mph. S versions get a 340-horsepower engine that shaves about half a second off the acceleration time.

A plug-in hybrid version also boosts acceleration.

The CX-90 did exhibit some rough acceleration when it was cold and being driven in Normal mode. Activating Sport mode cleared that up.

Shifty: The T-bar shifter moves to the right for Reverse and pulls back for Drive. Shift capability for the eight-speed transmission is on the steering wheel paddles.

On the road: The CX-90 stays in lane nicely and is easy to squeeze through narrow spots, a world away from both Hyundais. It’s probably one of the most pleasant three-row SUVs to tool around in. But it doesn’t rise to a level of fun one would expect from Mazda.

Driver’s Seat: The Driver’s Seat is quite comfortable in the CX-90. The black leather looks nice and the computer-generated gauges and dashboard are easy to follow; the configuration changes depending on the drive mode. The steering wheel blocked some of the data from my vision but not much, certainly less than the Hyundais.

Friends and stuff: The second row features comfortable enough seats but a split bench configuration that’s not very formfitting. I picture occupants sliding around a bit.

Comfort is not bad with good headroom, legroom, and foot room.

The third row is no prizewinner, unless the prize is for Making the Absolute Most of Available Space. The seat is fairly comfortable, but it sits way down on the floor. Foot room is nonexistent and your knees will be pretty close to your jaw, but headroom is more than I expected. I imagine I could endure this for a 15-minute ride or so.

Cargo space is 14.9 cubic feet in the back, 40 with the third row folded, and 74.2 with both rows folded, so almost a match for the Santa Fe. The Palisade has a lock on this category.

In and out: The climb is not too high to CX-90 and the middle row makes way for access to the third row, so what’s often a three-row SUV Achilles’ heel turns out to be a bright spot.

Play some tunes: The CX-90 features Mazda’s touchscreen display with dial and buttons for a more old-timey approach to operation. Some complain about that setup but I continue to find it easy to operate.

Sound from the system is nice, an A- trending toward an A.

Keeping warm and cool: The CX-90 tested benefited from all the simple controls that are standard to Mazda. Dials control the temperature and a long, long row of buttons handles everything else. It can be challenging to find items that you don’t use too often and the icons are quite small, but you can feel your way there while watching the main attraction, the road ahead.

The display separate from the infotainment screen is also on the small side, especially when you’re driving through the mushroom country of southern Chester County and want to engage the recirculation mode. Pew. But in our last episode, the Palisade experience was far worse.

Fuel economy: Mazda has gotten a lot from its mild hybrid — a setup that often appears to do very little for real-world fuel conservation. But here I was driving a three-row beast from Mazda and averaging almost 25 mpg. I’ve had Mazda3 turbos struggle to reach that number, and CX-9 three-rows from days of yore usually rode in the high teens.

Where it’s built: Hofu, Japan. Japan supplies 90% of the parts, the U.S. and Canada, none.

How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts the CX-90 reliability to be a 2 out of 5.

In the end: Both Hyundais were hampered badly by confusing HVAC controls, drivability issues, and poor fuel economy.

Surprisingly, fuel sipping was Mazda’s great strength. Unsurprisingly, it was the nicest of all to drive, and probably the prettiest vehicle in the segment.

In a category that includes the deservedly much-loved Highlander, the CX-90 is definitely worth a closer look.