00:00 Hello, this is Dicky Tamayo and welcome to Top Gear Philippines for another walkaround video.
00:05 For this video, we're going to do a lot of walking because this is the biggest, most powerful,
00:10 most luxurious, and most feature-packed Mazda we have ever seen.
00:13 Say hello to the CX-90.
00:29 When Mazda launched the CX-60 a few months ago, we knew they had big plans for the large
00:33 product platform underneath it, but we didn't know how big until now because the CX-90 is
00:39 really big.
00:40 At over 5 meters long and just under 2 meters wide, it is 100mm wider and nearly 400mm longer
00:47 than the CX-60.
00:48 In fact, it's actually bigger than a BMW X5.
00:52 Now that extra size gives it extra gravitas, extra presence on the road versus its smaller,
00:57 sportier CX-60.
00:59 In terms of styling, it's mostly similar.
01:02 The front end is nearly the same, but this extra real estate gives designers more space
01:07 to play with light and shadow.
01:09 You know, Mazda's perennial party trick, the way that light curves and goes across its
01:14 bodywork is just beautiful, especially in this artisan red color.
01:20 This artisan red is a more mature take on sole red.
01:23 It mixes sole red with some machine gray and some rhodium white, gives it deeper lows and
01:29 higher highs.
01:30 It gives it more soul.
01:32 Rounding off this package are 21-inch wheels, a first for Mazda.
01:37 On the 8-seater variant, these come in a silver-gray finish.
01:40 On the 6-seat exclusive variant, these come in a two-tone finish.
01:44 Further differentiating the 6-seater from the 8-seater are these body-colored fender
01:49 liners and sills, and a little more chrome than you get on the other car.
01:54 Another stylistic touch to note is how Mazda has pushed the greenhouse back to give this
01:57 a more rear-biased, more sporty feel.
02:00 They have all these lines arcing to meet up at the taillights, and it gives you that size
02:06 without giving you that feeling of weight.
02:09 Very neat way of handling that.
02:15 Now underneath the hood of the CX-90, you find a big engine cover and not much else.
02:20 This cover really surrounds the engine and keeps the heat in.
02:24 See the CX-90 is a lesson in thermal management.
02:28 You even have active grille shutters that keep closed when you need to keep heat in
02:32 the engine and only open when you need to cool the engine down.
02:36 This is because the engine isn't always on because this is a true hybrid.
02:41 Now underneath, you won't find any alternator or starter.
02:45 Instead, all of the electrical work is done by a hybrid motor that is attached to the
02:51 engine by a clutch.
02:54 So you have the engine, you have the hybrid motor, you have the transmission.
02:58 You have two clutches, one between the engine and the motor, one between the motor and the
03:01 transmission.
03:02 Now that electric motor, it isn't just a glorified starter.
03:06 Now we've got a lot of controversy about what constitutes a hybrid here in the Philippines
03:11 because some manufacturers will say, "You know, the engine turns off at a stop and we've
03:17 got a really big starter to turn it on again when you get going," and that's a hybrid.
03:22 But this hybrid motor can actually move the car.
03:26 It's got a lot of power, 16 hp and about 153 Nm of torque.
03:31 But Mazda chooses not to use it that way.
03:34 Instead, it provides torque assist to the gasoline motor when you get going or when
03:39 you're asking for full power.
03:41 And when coasting at low loads or low speeds, the gasoline engine can turn off and that
03:46 153 Nm of torque will keep you idling along until you get to a stop.
03:52 That starter, alternator, hybrid assist motor, all-in-one motor, it also generates electricity
03:58 that feeds your regular 12-volt battery and that feeds your hybrid battery so that when
04:03 you're stopped, those batteries are topped up and you can keep your air conditioner running
04:08 without any gasoline at all.
04:11 So it's not a full hybrid system.
04:13 You can't run under electric-only power.
04:16 But by the letter of the law, since that electric power can run the car by itself at sometimes,
04:24 it still counts, doesn't it?
04:27 Well, that's up to the LTO to decide.
04:30 But for now, we're calling this a hybrid.
04:35 On the inside, you've got the same beautiful design and beautiful mix of materials that
04:39 you have in the CX-60.
04:41 That includes this Legano suede which, by the way, is not real suede.
04:46 It's actually vegan suede.
04:48 Yeah, you had a spool there for months, Mazda, but now we know better.
04:52 It also has that driver personalization system that you got on the CX-60 which stores up
04:57 to 250 parameters including your preferred seat position and steering wheel position
05:03 as well as other parameters to do with climate control and entertainment.
05:08 It scans your face and it will recognize you as you turn the car on and adjust itself to
05:13 you.
05:14 Full personalization, full service.
05:16 This is perfect.
05:17 Now, it may be related to the CX-60 but let me say this is so much bigger.
05:22 There's so much more space and it's not like they took the CX-60 and just widened the sills.
05:27 No, they adjusted everything so that it's perfect.
05:30 And even though this is a bigger car, it will be instantly familiar to anyone who's driven
05:36 any other Mazda because it has that Mazda attention to ergonomics, that human-centric
05:42 approach that Mazda has to the driving experience.
05:47 Now, even though it is concentrated on the driver, this is also a car for families.
05:54 And family use means a big cabin.
05:57 Now, I don't want to cross my legs because I might scuff the tan leather but I'm going
06:01 to do it anyway to show you that I've got a lot of legroom here.
06:04 I've also got a lot of elbow room.
06:06 I've got a lot of headroom.
06:07 And if I want light, I've got that dual-pane sunroof letting a lot of light in.
06:11 If I want less light, I can just put up the sunshades.
06:16 And you know, if it gets too hot outside, these are ventilated seats.
06:20 I can cool my bum while sitting back here or if it gets too cold, I can heat it up.
06:25 This is the 6-seater variant so you don't have a center seat here.
06:28 Instead, you have a center console which gives you a lot of extra storage and a place to
06:33 put your wine coolers or your champagne.
06:37 Depends on what the master wants.
06:39 Now, in the third row, you're definitely not business class like the captain up here but
06:44 you get multiple cup holders per side.
06:46 You get aircon vents for your knees.
06:49 You get some cooling for your legs.
06:51 And there's actually a lot of elbow room and decent legroom in here, surprisingly.
06:56 And for headroom, it fits your average top gear rider but anyone over 5'5" might not
07:02 want to try this seat at all.
07:05 Where the CX-9 gave you a choice between a third-row seat and cargo space, the CX-9e
07:10 asks, "Why not both?"
07:12 Even with the third row up, you get 450 liters of space.
07:15 And with the third row down, you get over 1,000.
07:18 With the second row down, you get even more space.
07:21 And even better, this floor is flat with a loading lip which means no scraping or scratching
07:26 when you put loads over that into the trunk.
07:29 Now underneath this floor, you also get a plastic organizer for your tools and odds
07:34 and ends.
07:35 And underneath that, you get a spare tire with an integrated subwoofer.
07:39 Yes, a subwoofer.
07:42 Coolness.
07:44 Now, we've barely scratched the surface of what the CX-9e has to offer.
07:51 Aside from the driver personalization system and all the goodies inside, you also get kickass
07:56 sound from that Bose sound system with that hidden subwoofer under the spare tire.
08:01 You also get wireless Apple CarPlay and connectivity, USB-C charging.
08:07 You get the latest in Mazda's G-Vectoring control which they call Kinematic Posture
08:11 Control which uses dabs of brake and mediates engine output to keep the car stable over
08:18 wavy parts of the road and bumps, makes it more comfortable over long distances.
08:24 Over long distances, you'll also appreciate forward collision warning, lane departure
08:28 warning, and Mazda's Advanced Cruise Control which keeps you centered in lane and at a
08:33 set distance from the car in front of you even if that lane is very slightly curved.
08:39 Now we don't know the prices yet but we do know it'll be north of Php 3.5 million, maybe
08:44 topping out near Php 4 million which sounds kind of expensive and it is.
08:49 This will be the most expensive Mazda ever sold in the Philippines.
08:54 But think about it, this gives you the space, luxury, and features befitting a luxury SUV
09:01 that costs anywhere between Php 5-7 million.
09:04 This is something that Mazda's been building up to for the past decade or so ever since
09:09 they launched Skyactiv back in 2012.
09:12 They turned up the design, they turned up the luxury, they turned up the technology,
09:17 and they've been climbing steadily since then up the ladder to the point where they can
09:22 now say, "We're making a near-luxury car and it fits in our lineup."
09:28 And yes, it really does.
09:29 Now, this does not compete with the CX-9.
09:32 Instead, it complements it.
09:33 See, the CX-9 is about the limit of what the front-wheel-drive-based Skyactiv architecture
09:39 can achieve.
09:40 The CX-90 takes the large product platform and goes a step further than the CX-9 can
09:46 ever go.
09:48 This is the next rung in the ladder.
09:50 This is the next rung in your climb to success and Mazdas climb up into the ranks of luxury
09:56 manufacturers.
09:57 How far can they climb though?
09:59 We'll see.
10:00 With the CX-90, we don't doubt that they can go all the way to the top.
10:05 [Music]
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