Mazda CX-80 - New flagship sets sail… and there’s space for seven
When the time comes to buy or lease a new car, the name of Mazda is a marque that can be easily overlooked. Pity.
Unless you already have a Mazda, that is. Brand loyalty is a strong point for Mazda, and once you’ve had one, owners seem to keep coming back for more. Always a good sign.
This is hardly surprising as Mazda has a reputation for stylish cars that are good to drive and very reliable.
It looks like 2026 is going to be a busy year for Mazda. The new CX-5 arrives mid-to-late summer, the CX-60 is getting a refresh, and in what is a first for Mazda in the UK, they finally get a pair of all-electric cars to add to their range, the Mazda6e (order books are open) and CX-6e SUV. Mazda is a very late arrival at the all-electric party, relying up to now on mild hybrid, full hybrid, PHEV, petrol and, yes, diesel. Perhaps they’ve been cherry picking some good ideas along the way from their EV competitors. We’ll soon find out.
A Rare Hybrid Seven-Seater
Mazda is also something of a rarity in having a seven-seater model, like the top of the range CX-80 you see here. Even more rare is having a seven-seater which is also a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) for the simple reason that the battery normally goes under the boot floor, which therefore makes a third row of seats nigh-on impossible due to a shortage of leg and head room.
And, the rarest of the rare, a seven-seater powered by a diesel engine. Diesel doesn’t work if you’re a business person due to poor company car tax rates and getting clobbered when driving in low-emission zone cities, but if you regularly travel with a full load, cover a lot of miles or use your car for towing (the Mazda CX-80 has a handy towing limit of 2.5 tonnes) then the 3.0 litre diesel version would make sense.
For everyone else, go for the one I tried: the CX-80 PHEV, which uses a 2.5 litre 327bhp petrol engine mated to an 8-speed auto gearbox and all-wheel drive transmission.
Prices & Trims
Prices start at £50,080 (March ’26) for the entry-level Exclusive Line trim, although, to be fair to Mazda, if you do want to go for the bells and whistles Takumi Plus model, it ‘only’ adds £6,750 to the price. I’d probably go for the Homura trim (£53,230) which gives you a cracking level of kit including black Nappa leather seat trim, sat nav, heated and ventilated front seats, heated outer rear seats, heated steering wheel, three-zone air con, reversing camera, 12.3-inch central touchscreen, head-up display, four drive modes (Normal, Sport, Off-road and Towing), sunshades fitted to rear doors, LED headlights, 20-inch alloys, DAB radio, and an excellent 12-speaker BOSE audio system. Comprehensive huh? I reckon that list of goodies makes the Mazda CX-80 look like cracking value.
Oh, and talking of looks, the CX-80 is big, but it’s smart and actually hides its bulk rather well. Every Mazda is stylish and the CX-80 is no exception.
What’s it like to drive?
It does a similar trick when you’re out on the road. There’s a little bit of body roll if you chuck the car into a corner or try to be a tad enthusiastic on a roundabout, but Mazda always does a decent job of making their cars good to drive. The suspension errs on the firm side, but it’s not uncomfortable and once you pile on a bit of speed, everything is extremely civilised.
One thing that isn’t civilised is the noise the engine makes when you ask for some power. It’s not a nice noise either. Okay, everything soon settles down to a hushed thrum, but it doesn’t encourage you to press on, which of course will help with your economy. I managed 38mpg overall. To be fair, I was running on a plug-in battery, which was almost depleted, so that figure will be close to the worst mpg you can expect.
Make full use of charging the battery at home or work, and you’ll easily double our figure. Mazda reckons you can travel up to 60 miles without using the engine.
Performance is decent for what is a big car, and accelerating from 0-60mph takes 6.8 seconds, with your top speed coming in at 121mph. Road holding is good thanks to the AWD system. It even manages to feel a tad sporty.
Interior
Inside the CX-80 is really smart and you can tell that Mazda is plainly aiming at the premium end of the market. All the visible materials are good quality and have a nice feel to them. It’s great to see a row of buttons for the air con system. I also like the fact that the central touchscreen is operated via a wheel in the console behind the gear lever. There’s no need to prod the screen. It’s a cracking system.
If you don’t need seven seats, go and check out the Mazda CX-60. They’re basically the same car, but the CX-80 has been stretched to accommodate a third row of seats.
What’s the verdict?
It looks smart, is good to drive, is loaded with plenty of kit and represents excellent value.
The fact that it has seven seats and, if you use the PHEV gubbins to full effect, it’s economical too, merely adds to the number of boxes which the Mazda CX-80 can tick. I was surprised by how much I liked it.
words: Graham Courtney
pictures: Mazda
