9 Cool Details on Mazda’s New 2024 CX-90 Three-Row SUV

The CX-90 is larger than Mazda’s current CX-9 crossover. The extra space allows the CX-90 to have a larger—specifically wider—center console. This allowed the designers to put the cupholders to the right of the shifter instead of behind it as in the CX-9.

The Mazda CX-90 can be configured with captain’s chairs or a bench in the middle row and either a two- or three-seat bench in the back. This means that it can accomodate six, seven, or eight passengers depending on the model. The third row isn’t as spacious as some of its three-row-SUV competitors, however.

The rear doors on the CX-90 open further than we expected, to nearly 90 degrees. Mazda representatives said this is similar to the doors on the CX-50. It offers a noticeable bit of extra room to get people or car seats in the cabin.

Thin panels of maple are nestled above a chrome strip on the inside of the front doors on the highest trim level of the CX-90. The designers chose the wood for the way it catches the light and angled the panels slightly so you can see this in action when the sun is out.

The dash itself is covered in a fabric based on the Japanese hand-weaving technique called Nishijin-ori. It’s a randomized pattern with a bit of golden thread woven through it. A bold stitch in the middle of the fabric, which Mazda said was inspired by hand-bookbinding and the Japanese weaving technique known as Kumihimo, completes the horizontal line across the front.

The CX-90 has a 12.3-inch infotainment screen with a horizontal orientation. In keeping with the minimalist interior, the screen is stretched out wide and short, emphasizing again the horizontal space in the front of the cabin.

Mazda is not revealing all of the CX-90’s details just yet, but we know it will be able to tow and that the powertrain has a dedicated tow mode. Maximum towing capacity remains a secret, but based on the press photos, where we see the CX-90 pulling a 26-foot Bowlus Road Chief, we’re willing to speculate that the SUV can tow at least 4000 pounds. For comparison, the 2023 Mazda CX-9 can tow 3500 pounds.

The CX-90’s front seats are further apart than in the CX-9 thanks to the new model’s extra width. The space between the available captain’s chairs in the middle row can be either another console or open space, and passengers sitting in them will find the captain’s chairs have both heating and cooling features (if so equipped).

To fill the generous dash-to-axle space created by the new longitudinally mounted engine, Mazda has put thin badges above and behind the front wheel arches to identify which powertrain is hiding under the hood. “Inline 6” is written on versions with Mazda’s new turbocharged 3.3-liter inline-six engine, while the new e-Skyactiv plug-in-hybrid powertrain model says “PHEV.”