CAR (UK)

Daring to be different

Dodging the obvious choices in favour of Mazda’s premium SUV has its pros and cons. By Jordan Butters

Here in the UK, if you’re after a premium SUV and you’d rather avoid the default German options and instead go Japanese, your choices are limited. There are various options from Lexus, and there’s this. Not every Mazda has premium aspiration­s, but this definitely does, with its classy looks and serious pricing.

It was an intriguing prospect. After all, Mazda brought us the MX-5, so it knows how to make a car great to drive, and it’s no stranger to engineerin­g ingenuity, with its history of rotary engines and range extenders. Mazda quality and reliabilit­y go without saying.

Some 7000 miles later, my enthusiasm for the propositio­n has waned somewhat. Let’s start with the good. Our mid-level Homura-specificat­ion diesel mild hybrid weighs in at £54,357 with extras, which stands up well against a comparable Lexus. The 3.3-litre inline-six diesel is fantastic; 406lb ft of torque can get you moving rather swiftly, while returning 45mpg-ish in day-to-day use.

I like the styling too. However, the spacious interior is the real star of the show – it’s a masterclas­s in finish, materials and ergonomics, with logically arranged physical controls.

The bad? The safety systems are intrusive and often unhelpful. The adaptive cruise control is abrupt and scared of the car’s own shadow too, meaning I leave it off more often than on.

Reliabilit­y hasn’t lived up to expectatio­ns. The tailgate latch jammed one time on a photo shoot, unable to either open or close properly. Also, the CX-60 currently tells me it is both too low on AdBlue and simultaneo­usly overfilled with AdBlue.

And the suspension… It squeaks chronicall­y at low speeds. It’s brittle over bumps, verging on crashy at the rear, bouncy and under-damped on undulating roads – passengers prone to seasicknes­s beware.

Through corners the car feels heavier than it is. And while the steering is nicely weighted and confidence-inspiring, the suspension betrays this feeling the instant you turn in.

A drastic rethink of the damping and dialling back the tech/safety systems would improve the CX-60 immeasurab­ly. Then it would offer a left-field alternativ­e to the usual premium SUV choices.

Count the cost

Cost new £54,357 Partexchan­ge £33,360 Cost per mile 16.2p Cost per mile including depreciati­on £2.07

Mazda CX-60 Homura e-Skyactiv D MHEV 3.3 Month 7

The story so far

Slightly quirky crossover, here tested with a diesel mild hybrid ★ Great engine and interior

- Let down hugely by suspension and tech

Logbook

Price £50,705 (£54,357 as tested) Performanc­e 3283cc diesel six-cylinder, 251bhp, 7.4sec 0-62mph, 136mph

E ciency 53.3mpg (ocial), 44.0mpg (tested), 138g/km CO2 Energy cost 16.2p per mile Miles this month 2647 Total miles 10,989