u/IntenseButCurious

I’ve had my 2025 Mazda CX-90 PHEV for almost a year now and just crossed 31,000 miles. I average about 48 mpg combined (with highs up to 61 mpg, mostly when I’m not running the A/C as much), and most of my driving is city-based with regular highway trips mixed in.

It’s been my daily driver the entire time, and I don’t baby it. I have four car seats installed, so I’m constantly making school runs, running errands, and hauling family. We also take it on longer road trips, so it’s seen a wide range of real-world use. Maintenance has been kept up consistently, and overall it’s been a solid and practical experience for our needs.

That said, I’ve noticed a lot of mixed discussion online about the long-term reliability of the CX-90 PHEV, especially around early production models. There also seems to be an increasing number of posts from people saying they’re pursuing lemon law claims, which can understandably make it harder to get a clear picture of what ownership is actually like across the board.

I’m also coming up on the 36,000-mile factory warranty and trying to decide whether it makes sense to purchase an extended warranty or just continue without one, as my current vehicle is leased.

I’m curious to hear from others who are putting real miles on theirs, not just short-term impressions.

For those with higher-mileage CX-90 PHEVs (or even the regular CX-90):

• Current mileage?
• Any major repairs or warranty claims?
• Any battery, electrical, or drivetrain issues?
• Would you buy it again?

I’m especially interested in long-term ownership experiences, since that’s what’s hardest to gauge from early reviews and short test drives.

In my relationship, I’m very affectionate and expressive. I tell my partner often that I love and desire him, compliment him regularly, leave small love notes, and generally feel a strong, ongoing attraction that hasn’t faded over time.

He says he finds it sweet and flattering, but also mentions he’s not used to being desired this strongly, and I sometimes worry my level of enthusiasm might be “too much,” even though it’s just genuine affection.

Has anyone experienced a partner like this before? If so, how did it feel for you over time, did it stay flattering and reassuring, or did it ever start to feel overwhelming or change how you saw the relationship? In long-term relationships, is there ever a point where that level of intensity becomes “too much,” or is it generally seen as a positive thing?

Edit to add: I'm autistic, and part of why I'm asking is out of genuine curiosity rather than validation. There is very little research on this topic, especially involving autistic people and autistic relationships. Most of the relationship literature I can find focuses on women losing sexual or romantic interest over time, often linking it to mental load, stress, or exhaustion. I haven't found much exploring the opposite perspective: what it's like for men to have a long-term partner whose attraction and affectionate intensity remain consistently high.

I also asked about this in r/AutisticDatingTips, but no one there reported having a similar experience, which made me wonder whether this dynamic is simply uncommon or just under-discussed. I'm interested in hearing from men who have actually experienced this and how it affected them over time, whether it remained reassuring, became overwhelming, or changed in some other way.

RQ Edit:

1. Is sustained high-intensity attraction over time actually rare, or just underreported?

2. What differentiates stable high-intensity attachment from destabilizing fixation?

I'm looking for insight from others who may have experienced a similar relationship dynamic.

My partner and I have been together for 2 years, and overall we have a strong relationship and communicate well. Most of the time we navigate our differences effectively. The issue in my perspective, is that sometimes our communication styles become very noticeable and can lead to what feels like a perceptual conflict, where we're both reacting to the same conversation but experiencing it very differently.

One thing that may be relevant is that we seem to be on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to communication and emotional expression. I'm emotionally intense, highly expressive, very outgoing, and tend to maximize in my processing and communication. I think out loud, connect ideas together, explore possibilities, and often process emotions through conversation.

My partner is much more reserved, literal, concise, and present-focused. He tends to mean exactly what he says and doesn't naturally attach broader implications or patterns to a conversation the way I do.

I'm very associative in how I process things. I tend to attach a lot of meaning to what someone says, connect it to previous interactions, and look for the larger context. When I feel uncertain or emotionally exposed, I usually explain more rather than less because I'm trying to understand what's happening and maintain a sense of connection.

My partner seems to process communication much more literally and in the moment. Sometimes I'll hear emotional significance or implications in something he says, while he experiences it as a straightforward statement with no deeper meaning attached. When that happens, I can end up feeling disconnected or unsure where I stand, even if nothing is actually wrong.

The challenge isn't that either of us is trying to be difficult. It feels more like we're processing the same interaction through different lenses. I often feel like I'm looking at the broader web of meaning and context, while he's responding to the specific conversation happening right now.

For those in autistic-autistic relationships:

• Have you experienced this "associative vs. literal" dynamic?
• How do you tell the difference between a genuine communication problem and a difference in processing styles?
• What has helped you stay connected when one partner naturally elaborates and analyzes while the other prefers directness and simplicity?
• If you're the more literal partner, what do you wish your more associative partner understood?
• If you're the more associative partner, what helped you stop feeling disconnected when your partner wasn't assigning the same meaning to things that you were?

I'd especially appreciate hearing from people in long-term relationships who have found ways to work with these differences rather than trying to change each other.

In my relationship, I’m very affectionate and expressive. I tell my partner often that I love and desire him, compliment him regularly, leave small love notes, and generally feel a strong, ongoing attraction that hasn’t faded over time.

He says he finds it sweet and flattering, but also mentions he’s not used to being desired this strongly, and I sometimes worry my level of enthusiasm might be “too much,” even though it’s just genuine affection.

Has anyone experienced a partner like this before? If so, how did it feel for you over time, did it stay flattering and reassuring, or did it ever start to feel overwhelming or change how you saw the relationship? In long-term relationships, is there ever a point where that level of intensity becomes “too much,” or is it generally seen as a positive thing?