Driving the Mazda CX-80 in the Angus Glens

The CX-80 is the biggest and most luxurious car Mazda has ever made.

It has seven seats and is a similar size to the Land Rover Discovery and Volvo XC90 but with a much cheaper price tag.

It’s the bigger brother to the five-seat CX-60, which itself sits above the CX-5 and CX-30 in Mazda’s SUV range.

The Mazda CX-80 is a big, handsome car. Image: Jack McKeown.

The CX-80 is one of the better looking cars I’ve had parked outside my home in Dundee. It has a sleek, curvy appearance with some nice details such as the sharp headlamps and deep front grille.

Diesel power

At a time when most car makers are falling over themselves to make large electric SUVs Mazda has taken a surprising direction. Yes, you can have the CX-80 with a plug-in hybrid petrol engine but there’s no fully electric model.

In fact, the best version is the one I drove, which has a whopping 3.3 litre diesel engine.

It comes with a diesel or plug-in hybrid petrol engine. Image: Jack McKeown.

It’s remarkable and somewhat ironic that Mazda has virtually perfected the diesel engine at a time when it is going out of style.

With 251bhp and 550Nm of torque it has loads of power and pulls like a train whether unladen or full to the gunnels with passengers, dogs, and luggage.

The suspension soaks up bumps and imperfections. Image: Jack McKeown.

Most impressive of all is the fuel economy. According to official figures the CX-80 returns 48.7mpg. That’s astonishing for such a huge car.

The best thing is it’s achievable in real world driving. Over a week of mixed driving I got 48mpg out of the CX-80, and on a long run from Dundee to Edinburgh the trip computer nudged past 51mpg.

How much does the Mazda CX-80 cost?

Prices for the Mazda CX-80 start around the £49,000 mark at top out around 10 grand later. That pitches it well below the aforementioned Discovery and XC90.

If you want a similarly priced large seven-seat SUV you’re looking at the Hyundai Santa Fe or Kia Sorento. The Mazda feels classier than both of those and is a worthy – and terrific value – rival to the Land Rover and Volvo.

There’s a touchscreen and physical dials and buttons. Image: Jack McKeown.

All Mazda CX-80s are four-wheel drive and come with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. I’ve driven both the diesel and plug-in hybrid versions of the CX-80 and the diesel is the one to go for. The PHEV is quicker but the engine sounds strained when pushed hard and there’s a mild jolt when it switches from electric to petrol power.

In contrast, the diesel is responsive and smooth. Once you’re up to cruising speed the muted six-cylinder thrum fades into the background.

All versions are well equipped. Image: Jack McKeown.

On a run up the A90 to Kirriemuir the Mazda cruised peacefully on the A90 and A928. Its soft suspension easily smoothed out undulations and imperfections in the road. From Kirrie I headed on to Glen Doll for a hike up to Corrie Fee.

Being a big beastie it did feel a touch cumbersome on the single track road into the glen, but again the suspension soaked up every pothole and bump the road could throw at it.

What is the CX-80 like inside?

The interior is a lovely place to spend time. I drove the top spec Takumi trim, which came with cream leather seats. These had heating and cooling functions – the latter got lots of use in the late May heatwave.

The interior is well laid out. Image: Mazda.

The controls are wonderfully easy and intuitive to use. There’s a touchscreen if you like that sort of thing, but heating and fan controls are operated by old fashioned buttons, and there’s a scroll wheel that lets you do everything else without having to take your eyes off the road to try and stab a tiny on-screen icon without driving into a hedge.

All CX-80s come with a head-up display that beams your speed and other key information onto the windshield and keeps it in your line of sight. A panoramic sunroof fills the interior with light.

There’s room for seven people. Image: Mazda.

People in the front and middle rows have plenty of leg and head room. You can also swap the usual three-seat bench of a pair of larger ‘captain’s chairs’ that are adjustable and heated and have a gap between them to access the third row of seats.

Boot space

Whichever trim you go for the middle row of seats can be slid forwards or back. This can free up more legroom for people in the rearmost two seats. With all seven seats in space there’s about the same amount of boot space as you’d find in a small hatchback.

As a five-seater the boot is a much more capacious 566-687 litres, depending on how far back you slide the middle seats.

Boot space is excellent. Image: Jack McKeown.

It’s easily the most practical car Mazda has ever produced and only a handful of other cars have more interior space.

I was very impressed by the Mazda CX-80. It’s a big, good looking, practical and capable car that has astonishing fuel economy.

Its classy interior and style puts it on a par with luxury seven-seat SUVs from Audi, Volvo and Land Rover that cost up to half as much again as the Mazda.