The MX-5 sports car is no longer the only rear-wheel-drive Mazda sold in Europe as the CX-60 has landed on the Old Continent. Should you need more space, the automaker's UK branch has announced the three-row CX-80 will be launched at some point in 2023 as a bigger variant with seven seats. Technical specifications have yet to be revealed, but the two SUVs will likely be identical, save for the size difference.
Not only does the CX-60 ride on an RWD-based platform, but it's also the first Mazda to use a new family of inline-six gasoline and diesel engines complemented by a plug-in hybrid setup. The CX-80 will probably inherit the powertrains and the choice between rear- and all-wheel drive linked to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Much like the Miata we mentioned in the beginning, the midsize SUV has something called Kinematic Posture Control, which diminishes body roll by applying the brake to the inner rear wheel while cornering.
How big is the CX-80 going to be? Mazda doesn't say yet, but we'll remind you the standard two-row CX-60 is 4,740 millimeters (186.6 inches) long and has a wheelbase measuring 2,870 mm (113 in). In its heaviest configuration, which would be the PHEV, the CX-60 weighs nearly 2,100 kilograms (4,630 pounds). Needless to say, the CX-80 will be slightly heavier as a result of extending the body to fit the third row of seats.
The CX-60 and CX-80 are not coming to North America, but Mazda is planning equivalent models as the CX-70 and CX-90, respectively. The former has been confirmed to receive a 3.3-liter inline-six gasoline engine with a different tune than the 280 horsepower and 331 pound-feet (450 Newton-meters) of torque available in the Australian-spec CX-60.
