Mazda CX-80 PHEV/diesel

MOTOR manufacturers are doing their very best and you have to feel for them.

Globally, bureaucrats are messing them around something awful and the irony is that these paper shufflers and pen pushers are not the ones driving the actual cars as they ferry themselves from home to city generally by trains and buses.

Mazda has been pretty sensible in its approach and not dashed into a ‘we are going all-electric’ frenzy like some other manufacturers, recognising that not everyone wants to rely on watts and volts.

There are so many people whose lifestyle precludes having an EV forced upon them including those who can’t afford their premium prices, can’t sustain their abysmal residuals, or are unable to fit a home-charger. I charged an EV the other day and it cost £75 for which I was offered just over 300 miles of range, which doesn’t seem great value.

Anyway, if we did all have EVs imagine the poor power stations trying to keep up with demand. It’s bad enough when everyone puts the kettle on during the advert breaks in Coronation Street causing the lights dip momentarily.

So what Mazda has decided to do is cover all bases with one full EV, one REV – which uses a rotary petrol engine to generate power in an electric motor – a brace of mild and full hybrids and a raft of super-efficient petrol and diesel variants. Like I said, poor things and what a sensible response.

The latest model to come out of the design studio is a rather smart seven-seater SUV called the CX-80.

If you imagine it is a larger version of the excellent CX-60 then you are right and it is blessed with all the same attributes but just comes with a bit more girth.

It’s a big and imposing SUV with attractive lines and a sheen of quality, which is a great start. It shares the CX family looks and a lovely interior.

The petrol version comes in the form of a 2.5 litre four cylinder plug-in hybrid offering strong performance and decent economy. It has the ability to run silently on electricity with zero emissions or with the petrol engine and electric motor running in perfect harmony. It’s fab offering strong seamless performance, sure-footed handling and excellent ride.

The diesel is a lusty 3.3 litre six cylinder which is just plain lovely. If you feel guilty about driving an oil burner then consider this, it comes with mild hybrid support, it’s the best in class for CO2 emissions and miles per gallon, so you shouldn’t feel too bad and you can enjoy the glorious sound and feel of having six pots under the bonnet, coupled to a wonderful eight speed transmission.

If you have experience of seven seaters you’ll know that things can get a bit cramped and the boot can be virtually non-existent. But CX-80 is 25cm longer than the CX-60, itself no shrimpster, so there is a proper amount of room on the back bench and there’s space for luggage too.

That extra length is reflected in a longer wheel base which, as a by-product, gives the CX-80 greater stability, poise and comfort. Both models feel exceptionally well balanced on the road which gives the driver greater confidence and seems to shrink the Mazda into a more manageable size. So they are enjoyable, dynamic and easy to drive.

CX-80 retains the rest of the range’s intuitive controls, that, for me at least, are so much better than touchscreen. There’s the mouse on the transmission tunnel to operate functions galore instead of relying on flapping your left arm around and reaching for the screen.

So the saving grace to all this global transportation dithering and mithering is that at least it is pushing forward the development of some pretty good cars, the CX-80 being the latest from Mazda.

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