Look, by now, everyone knows Mazda makes really nice cars. That’s why we’re completely not surprised by the 2025 Mazda CX-70 GT PHEV. It’s the total package—handsome, swanky inside, drives incredibly well, and in this plug-in hybrid form, great on gas for such a big sport-ute. But I have to massage this into about 1,000 words, or my boss—wait, isn’t that me?—will get mad. So, here it goes.

Most people still seem to have an aversion to minivans, so three-row SUVs like the Honda Pilot, Ford Explorer, and Mazda CX-90 are big business. But what if you want the Xbox-like footprint and chiseled styling of a larger SUV, but don’t actually need a third row of seats? Well, you could just keep the third-row folded all the time, but that would be too easy. Mazda has another solution to this problem: just don’t put the seats in. And thus, the CX-70 was born.

Being virtually identical to the CX-90 has its perks. The CX-70 is built atop the same rear-drive-based platform as its big brother, which is something you usually see in much pricier SUVs. You can also spec the same powertrains, including the 3.3-litre turbocharged inline-six with a 48-volt mild hybrid system—again, something you usually see in much pricier SUVs. We’ve had plenty of quality time with the standard and high-output flavours of the inline-six, but for those with perhaps more city-heavy commutes, the plug-in hybrid may be a better fit.

It starts with Mazda’s ubiquitous 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine, putting out 189 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque on its own. It’s then teamed to an electric motor and a 17.8 kWh battery pack, all working together to pump out a combined 323 horses and 369 pound-feet of twist. It doesn’t have the creamy immediacy of the inline-six, but with both sides of the powertrain kicking in, the CX-70 gets out of its own way. The mostly well-behaved eight-speed automatic remains, but you’ll still occasionally feel a jolt when it downshifts as you let off the gas and coast, say, towards a red light a few blocks up.

Still, the plug-in hybrid CX-70 is easy to live with—mostly. Steering is light but it’s responsive to your inputs, and there’s a surprising degree of feedback. It’s also no Miata, but take a tight on-ramp with a bit of extra speed, and it corners flatter than you’d expect. Ride quality is excellent; only the roughest of potholes, bumps, and other imperfections really make themselves known. Unlike our endeavour in the CX-90 GT, we got to know the 2025 Mazda CX-70 GT PHEV in the middle of winter through not one, but two snowstorms in one week. It sucked, but this CX-70 tester proved damn near unstoppable with its rear-biased all-wheel-drive system and Blizzaks to put the power down. You may even coax a brief powerslide out of it, but even when they’re “off”, the safety nannies will still reign you in.

A little less impressive is the gas engine’s tendency to drone; it sticks around for a few moments too long before shutting off and the electric end takes over. Speaking of, where most hybrids feel pretty seamless, you might occasionally feel a nudge as the CX-70 switches between gas and electric, and vice-versa. In terms of range, Mazda rates the CX-70 plug-in hybrid at up to 42 kilometres, but the best we managed in this dead-of-winter test was 25 kilometres. Still, if you have a charger at home or at work, you can make it work. Keeping the battery charged up and using electric mode often, we saw overall fuel economy dip down to 6.4 L/100 kilometres, but it topped out at 8.8 L/100 km by the end of our week. Still, pretty decent for something this big.

One thing I really like about the CX-90 is how the platform influences the styling. See, most family haulers have stubby proportions due to their front-drive-based platforms, but Mazda’s rear-drive architecture translates to a longer dash-to-axle ratio—the distance between the front wheels and the edge of the door—and thus a longer, more striking silhouette. The CX-70 embraces this and makes it even sexier with colour-matched body cladding, BBS-like wheel designs, and a sleeker front fascia. It’s very handsome, and can be had in some striking colour combinations. Our tester’s Polymetal Grey paint is unassuming at first, but the black accents look good against the grey, and plain paint makes striking interior colours pop that much more.

And a striking interior colour, this CX-70 PHEV does have. Even in this mid-range GT trim, the cabin lives up to Mazda’s upmarket intentions. The Garnet Red leather is striking, and like the CX-90, the 70 barely uses a lick of gloss black trim inside. With so many automakers equating fingerprints, dust, and micro-scratches to luxury for some reason, it’s refreshing to see swathes of metallic silver trim and other bits of brightwork. It really pops against the red, too, and Mazda’s first-rate fit-and-finish ties it all together.

The rest of the interior is mostly well-executed. Visibility all around is good, finding a comfortable driving position is a piece of cake, and infotainment is handled by a 12.3-inch display mounted atop the dashboard. It operates no differently than other Mazdas, including the click-wheel on the centre console, so we’ll simply leave it at this: it’s intuitive enough once you’ve set up your presents, but operating Apple CarPlay or Android Auto — both of which are wireless, and standard — with the knob is awkward.

Being nearly identical to the CX-90 means passenger and cargo space is, well, nearly identical. There’s generous headroom and legroom no matter where you sit. Cargo space punches in at 1,122 litres behind the second row, and 2,132 L with it folded—pretty much as roomy as a CX-90 with the third row folded, minus the convenience of it. Interestingly enough, Mazda left the rear interior panels as-is, meaning you still have cupholders for a row of seats that don’t exist.

The CX-70 plug-in hybrid is a fair bit dearer than the gas-only models, but it still represents good value considering Mazda’s baller-on-a-budget nature. It’s only available in two trims—the $58,750 GS-L, and the $63,350 GT. Our particular GT tester, with an extra $300 for the Polymetal Grey paint and $250 for the Garnet Red leather, worked out to just under $64,000 as-tested. It’s still great value considering Mazda’s upmarket intentions and the CX-70’s stunning interior. But it’s also worth pointing out a CX-90 GT PHEV, with its extra row of seats, is exactly $1,000 more.

Just because I wasn’t surprised by the 2025 Mazda CX-70 GT PHEV, doesn’t mean I wasn’t impressed. It’s the total package: the CX-70 PHEV is efficient and fun-to-drive; it’s roomy and comfortable inside; it’s stylish inside and out. In other words, it’s exactly what you’d expect from a Mazda CX-90 without the third row. Hey, look at that—1,135 words!