Positive 2024 CX-90 PHEV review for a change after 24k miles and a big road trip
Just got back from my second 3k miles road trip in my 2024 CX-90 PHEV from Texas to Colorado and back. Mileage came out around 26 to 30 mpg the whole way, even with all the mountain driving.
The car has been completely flawless for the 24k miles I've put on it so far. The only thing that happened was the 12V auxiliary battery died once and it was replaced under warranty with no issues.
I've owned two MDXs and a Telluride before, and I've driven a friend's Palisade quite a bit. Out of all of them, this CX-90 feels the best to drive by far. It handled the Colorado mountains and all those tight hairpin turns really well. I barely had to use the brakes in the corners because it just carried speed nicely through the curves.
It also gets better mileage than the others and feels the strongest in sport mode when you want quick acceleration. Great power, great efficiency, and the best handling of the three.
I know there's been a lot of frustration on here about Mazda and how they've handled some of the early build issues. I agree they should have done better by owners. But from what I'm seeing now, most of the PHEV specific problems like the transmission jerkiness have been fixed with the software updates. My car shifts smooth with zero issues.
Interestingly, most of the ongoing hybrid battery or powertrain gremlins I still see posted here are on the MHEV versions, not the PHEVs. The steering rack and brake issues that get mentioned seem to pop up across the board regardless of powertrain, but mine hasn’t had any of that. Overall I'm really happy with it. I just wish Mazda had sorted out the production problems faster and taken better care of the early owners.
Anyone else had a smooth experience with the PHEV or still running into issues?