Luxe’s a position
MAZDA PHILIPPINES, the evolving Japanese car brand that has brought us beautiful and emotion-provoking vehicles alongside a new era of “Mazda Premium,” recently unveiled its latest product offering in the country — the Mazda CX-60. The handsome CX-60 is a luxurious crossover that is equipped with Mazda’s new-generation 3.3-liter longitudinally mounted engine. It is available in gasoline and diesel variants, and both share the aforementioned displacement.
“The Mazda CX-60 is more than an exciting new SUV, it is the evolution of Mazda Premium — a high-quality concentration of design, driving dynamics, technology and comfort. It offers unmatched distinction in every way,” exclaimed Mazda Philippines President and CEO Steven Tan.
The CX-60 — which, from a single look, anyone can easily determine is from the growing Mazda family — is based on Mazda’s Large Vehicle Platform, which basically is a very well-engineered design that puts a large premium on excellent driving dynamics. In fact, this is one thing that I think is most important to understand about Mazda and its current products: That a Mazda car is a driver’s car! It is meant to invoke joy in driving. And therefore, it is always thoughtfully engineered in a way that will please its owner in the visual, ergonomic, and driving realms.
The CX-60 also makes use of a mild hybrid system, which captures energy from actions such as braking, in order to be able to reuse this energy to power some of the car’s electronic devices and also to help give the regular engine an extra boost when, say, coming from a full stop. And yes — Mazda Philippines has confirmed that this also qualifies the CX-60 for some of the government’s hybrid incentives, such as exemption from coding.
The high-voltage battery that is associated with the CX-60’s mild hybrid system is carefully located as low as possible between the car’s front and rear axles, thereby helping the vehicle achieve a low center of gravity. Meanwhile, the main internal combustion engine is a front-mounted, rear-wheel drive. Its special layout affords the CX-60 a delightfully smaller turning radius, at 5.4 meters, compared to other similarly sized SUVs.
The CX-60 can be had in either a turbocharged inline-six HEV e-Skyactiv-G gas engine, or a turbocharged inline-six HEV e-Skyactiv-D diesel engine. The former can go from zero to 100kph in 6.9 seconds, while the diesel variant can do the same in 7.3 seconds. Both use Mazda’s newly developed Skyactiv-Drive eight-speed automatic transmission without a torque converter. In replacement of the latter, it uses an electronically controlled multi-plate system for smoother results.
The driver of the CX-60 will also be able to choose from four different drive modes, courtesy of Mazda’s Intelligent Drive Select (Mi-Drive): Normal, Sport, Off-Road, and Towing — while enjoying the vehicle’s inherent i-Activ all-wheel-drive system.
Both the gasoline and diesel CX-60 variants come equipped with 20-inch aluminum alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof, and a hands-free power tailgate. And this time around, Mazda Philippines is also introducing a new Takuminuri color: Rhodium White Premium (which will cost a little extra).
The interior of the CX-60 is immensely human-centric — as is the core philosophy of Mazda — and therefore, comfortable and of excellent craftsmanship (especially taking into consideration the price point of Mazdas). We’re talking the likes of seats wrapped in luxurious Nappa leather, leather upholstery, and a 12-speaker Bose sound system — to begin with. A Driver Personalization System, which debuts in the CX-60, also puts a premium on having the driver achieve his or her optimal driving position. It literally uses an in-car camera to detect the location of the driver’s eyes! And then the car automatically adjusts the driver’s seat, the steering wheel, Active Driving Display, and even the side mirrors to properly match the driver’s height and eye position. That’s pretty amazing for a car brand that’s within a more affordable price point.
Furthermore, the CX-60 also uses facial recognition to remember driver and passenger preferences. Once a saved driver is detected, the car automatically restores more than 250 stored settings to match the user’s preferences. These, of course, include vehicle, audio and climate control settings. And the car is capable of storing settings for up to six users, plus their guests.
The CX-60 also has its healthy share of driver assistance systems included in the car’s i-Activsense safety suite. These include features such as: Radar Cruise Control, Front Smart Brake Support, Rear Smart Brake Support (when backing out of parking), Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist, Front Cross Traffic Alert, a driver monitoring system and Driver Attention Alert.
All these features in a beautifully crafted car come with a price tag of P2.79 million for the gasoline variant, and P2.89 million for the diesel. All new purchases come packaged with a five-year free service plan that basically covers the costs for periodic maintenance service for the aforementioned term or 100,000 kilometers, whichever comes first.
I say, to drive it is to believe it. Therefore, if you haven’t yet — there is good reason to discover the new world of Mazda Premium.
