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Last week, Mazda kicked off a weeks-long teaser campaign for its new CX-90. Today, the first item to be “unboxed” in this virtual build is the heart of the SUV – its new inline-six engine.
We already knew an I6 was coming, but now we have some details. The turbocharged 3.3-liter mill develops 340 horsepower (254 kilowatts) and 369 pound-feet (500 Newton-meters) of torque for the CX-90. At launch, it will become the most powerful production Mazda engine of them all. Moreover, the new teaser confirms the CX-90 will be available as either a plug-in hybrid model, or an SUV with pure internal-combustion power.
Of course, being a teaser there’s still much we don’t know about the CX-90 or its powertrain. The turbocharged six-cylinder is available, and electrification is also coming, but we don’t know if they’ll be offered together. The 3.3-liter engine already debuted with the CX-60, making 280 hp (209 kW) for buyers in Japan, Australia, and Europe. The plug-in hybrid CX-60 nixes the six for a 2.5-liter Skyactiv four-cylinder connected to a single 129-kW electric motor, generating a combined output of 323 hp (241 kW). It won’t reach US shores, but a future CX-70 should.
It’s entirely possible the CX-90 could follow the CX-60’s lead, leaving the I6 to power the SUV on its own. Previous teasers from Mazda support this theory, showing portions of a red CX-90 with an Inline 6 badge and a silver one donning the e-Skyactiv PHEV moniker. If the four-cylinder hybrid powertrain carries over directly from the CX-60, that would make the Inline 6 model the range-topper. Or rather, a high-output I6 could be the range-topper. Read Mazda’s new teaser carefully and you’ll see the CX-90 is available with up to 340 hp. We could get a 280-hp trim nestled in there for good measure.
Such is the nature of teasers, but all mysteries will be solved on January 31. In the meantime, you can expect more tidbits to come as Mazda slowly unboxes the CX-90.
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