After the CX-60, the Mazda CX-80 represents a further step forward in the expansion of the Japanese brand, a new flagship SUV, always with various engine options that deliver maximum power with the plug-in hybrid, but here in a seven-seat configuration.
Officially unveiled on April 18, 2024, in the preceding months, I had the opportunity to get to know it up close at the Mazda European R&D Centre near Frankfurt, along with Jo Stenuit, Mazda Motor Europe Design Director. The car indeed brings with it the latest innovations of Mazda’s Kodo Design, a new color, and all the challenges that come with designing a global car today. Namely, a car that must be sold in multiple markets, each with its own rules, and must be able to satisfy the taste of each of them.
The Mazda CX-80 is available in Scandinavia with Plug-in Hybrid 2.5 engines producing 327 horsepower or Mild Hybrid diesel 3.3-liter 6-cylinder engines producing 251 horsepower, with prices starting from €61,235 in Exclusive-Line, Homura, Homura Plus, Takumi, and Takumi Plus trims.
Mazda CX-80: Beyond Soul Red Crystal
In the last ten years, the color that has distinguished Mazda is Soul Red Crystal, a truly unique color because it can enhance the shapes of the cars, an essential part of Kodo, while also adding a touch of sportiness.
“Through color, you define reflections, and the reflection is how the car appears. With Red Crystal, we tried to develop a color that essentially had high contrast. The highlights are clear, the shadows are dark, and for this reason, it was perfect for showing this kind of movement that we have on the side of the car,” comments Stenuit.
A design based on movement, therefore, also requires particular study for the color, at least for the flagship.
“Our designers come with, for example, a bowl with transparent red lacquer to see its depth. We show the color to the engineers, and they react with ‘Wow, okay!’, and they start developing it. Fortunately, at Mazda, not only for colors but for many things, we try to go beyond development standards, so even chemical engineers strive to develop a unique car that requires more effort even to be painted; and certainly requires more effort even in case of repair. But we have seen that people really want the Soul Crystal. We made it special, it made us noticed on the roads,” continues the designer.
And, indeed, data shows that almost 1/3 of Mazda vehicles are sold with that color today.
Soul Crystal Red certainly remains present on the CX-80, but according to the designers, this car needed something else, a bit less intense and more elegant, closer to the concept of Graceful Toughness carried forward by this SUV that aims more for elegance than sportiness.
“Soul Red is really beautiful, but on the CX-80, it might be a bit too much. That’s why we developed a darker version. We based it on Takuminuri, a special dyeing technique for layering, but more mature, more elegant, darker. A color that you need to bring out in the sun. We are very good at developing colors that are very difficult to photograph [we both laugh, and I agree, note], or to repair, or anything else. But I think it’s an additional effort we have to put into design, to influence how quality is perceived.”
The car in the photo, in fact, is the first to have the new Artisan Red color, still glossy but darker, closer to a burgundy or cherry, which characterizes its elegant and refined appearance. Artisanal, indeed, as we will see especially regarding the interiors. Artisanal because the painting technology is sophisticated, derived from Japanese culture. It’s the Takuminuri Mazda, which starts from Soul Red Crystal in concept, overlaying multiple layers to achieve a final color that creates its own lights and shadows, and thus movement and dynamism.
There’s also another new color, Melting Copper, created with a slight sandblasting of the surface of the melted copper and then solidified, with a more matte and outdoor effect, but still in line with the car’s soul.
“This is instead a completely new color, which we have not introduced on any other car. It is a rather vivid color, which is positive because we have many colors with special tones, but perhaps not so vibrant. Having a more lively, positive, high-quality color is certainly good, especially on such a large car. Furthermore, combined with black elements, it is really beautiful, and it also influences the perception of the car,” concludes the designer, focusing in this case on the conveyed strength.
Kodo design, seven seats
The design borrows much from what we’ve seen on the CX-60, but with a longer wheelbase of 250 mm to accommodate two additional seats, with dimensions increasing to 4.9 meters in length, 1.8 in width, and 1.7 in height. An approach to design defined as “architectural,” sinuous and tranquil, which externally highlights the space on board.
The front is vertical and imposing, with a large grille highlighted by an equally large chrome trim. Like the other vehicles, the long hood emphasizes the front engine structure, particularly large especially considering the diesel versions. The side has been designed to emphasize the interior space, with all extraneous elements removed, and the focus is on the side windows, wide and airy, creating brightness inside.
“Every project starts globally: ideas are gathered from Europe, America, and Japan because every vehicle is global and must have a ‘blend’ of all tastes. But bear in mind that six years have already passed since we started defining the exterior and interior. The development time was quite long because it was a completely new platform. Everything was new,” Jo Stenuit resumes. The reference is to the new SkyActiv modular platform.
In addition to the colors already seen, there are 20-inch alloy wheels and various other chrome accents, always with a premium and refined idea in mind.
“Today developing a car requires increasingly shorter times, and sometimes it’s difficult because quality takes time, even if you have a lot of experience. We try to integrate more and more digital tools, which help us speed up times. For example, we work with virtual reality to look at proportions because now designers can easily model in 3D. There’s a new program, ‘Blender,’ that allows us to accelerate, to create volumes easily and check them through virtual reality faster than a clay model, which we still produce in parallel for interior design. But thanks to virtual reality, designers and engineers can sit inside the car and discuss more quickly because they see the same thing. And this greatly helps to speed up the decision-making process,” the designer explains.
And it’s precisely in the interiors that Japanese craftsmanship returns.
“We don’t go to Italy or Denmark and say ‘okay, let’s see what taste they have and incorporate it into what we do.’ No, we make our cars based on Japanese craftsmanship tradition. And precisely because it is traditional and timeless, it seems to be accepted everywhere. A bit like Danish design, which you will know since you live in Copenhagen, and which is based on the material, and on how the material can bend; or on its connection with nature, which is also strong in Japanese design. Italians, instead, are perhaps a bitmore extroverted, and this applied to our cars translates into bright colors,” Stenuit tells me.
The interiors of the CX-80, therefore, take up those of the CX-60 in terms of dashboard design and materials. The console is thick and has an imposing shape that spans the space throughout its length, to express the solidity of the structure as well as the presence of the powertrain, and at the rear, it is equipped with USB ports and climate control commands. The rear seats, moreover, have added a more integrated shape with metal finishes on the console and doors.
The concept of Kaicho, “harmony,” returns, which combines different materials such as maple wood, Nappa leather, and chrome details, combined with Hacho, “broken rhythm,” expressed instead by the Musubu stitching, inspired by the Japanese art of knot tying.
The innovations are all in terms of practicality: in the second row, shoulder space grows by 35 mm to 1.4 meters, and headroom to 996 mm. The third row is designed for occupants up to 1.70 meters tall, and comfort is provided by a deeper seat and a roof positioned higher than the floor.
In particular, the wide opening of the rear doors stands out, up to 90 degrees, and one also notices their unusual width combined with access functions to the third row with a single maneuver, flat floor, and handle integrated into a niche in the side lining. Even the cargo space is not bad: with all 7 seats, it is 258 liters, which rise to 687 with a five-seat configuration and 1221 liters with the second row folded, while the maximum capacity is 1971 liters up to the roof.
Technology and engines
In terms of technology, the CX-80 features all the best seen on the five-seat sister, so with seat height adjustment functions, split climate, electronically adjustable steering wheel with a 45 mm excursion and 70 mm tilt in depth. There’s a 12.3-inch TFT-LCD instrument cluster for the driver combined with the 12.3-inch central display, also touch, along with an additional large Active Driving Display.
New instead is the Trailer Hitch View, part of the See-Through View monitoring system. The function allows for easy trailer hitching without the help of another person, using the rear camera that displays lines from the CX-80’s tow hook to the center of the trailer on the display, facilitating vehicle positioning.
In terms of powertrains, the Mazda CX-80 joins the brand’s Multi-Solution approach and features two internal combustion engines. The first is the Plug-in Hybrid with the e-SkyActiv G 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline unit, and a 3.3-liter six-cylinder e-SkyActiv D diesel with M Hybrid Boost at 48 Volts. In both cases, there is i-Activ all-wheel drive and the Mi-Drive system to choose from four driving modes, five on the PHEV, which obviously also has the electric-only mode.
Speaking of power, the PHEV has a total power of 327 hp or 241 kW with torque of 500 N/m, 0-100 in 6.8 seconds, and a self-limited top speed of 195 km/h. The electric range is 53 km, with emissions of 44 gCO2/km. Charging is only in AC.
The diesel, on the other hand, is 251 hp and it pairs with Mazda’s 48 Volt technology with DCPCI (Distribution Controlled Partially Premixed Compression Ignition), which further improves efficiency, emissions, and fuel consumption. The promised consumption is 5.7 liters per 100 km, not bad for a 6-cylinder and such an imposing car, and the power also ensures a 0-100 in 8.4 seconds and a top speed of 219 km/h. In both cases, there’s an 8-speed automatic transmission, designed for smooth and comfortable driving.