Mazda CX-70 2025 review: GT D50e long-term | Part 2

We do more kilometres in January than any other month. That's because like every other Aussie family over Christmas and the school holidays we pile into the car and hit the road.

We drive hours to visit relatives and friends, then run around doing stuff to keep the kids occupied, we then tick off two birthdays, then load up the car and go away somewhere near a beach, before scrambling to get everybody ready to go back to school.

All up we covered almost 2200km in our Mazda CX-70 long-term test car -  more than three times the December distance. Yep, it’s only February and I feel exhausted.

I think our CX-70 feels the same way and there’s still another month to go. 

Two months in now means the realities of living with a test car are solidifying and I’m glad I can tell you about what you could experience before you do firsthand.

The fuel economy has been good with this month's average being 7.6L/100km, measured at the pump. That’s more efficient than last month's 9.1L/100km, primarily because most of our kays have been on motorways over long distances.

It’s still frustrating that we can’t get anywhere near the 5.4L/100km Mazda says we should be using, however. 

Something else also bugged me about the CX-70. It’s the enormous size of this SUV and how that doesn’t seem to equate to the cabin space or practicality you might expect. 

See, the CX-70 is 5100mm long, 2157mm wide and 1736mm tall. That’s the same size as the three-row, seven seater CX-90, only the CX-70 has just two rows and five seats.

Mazda says the appeal of the CX-70 is that it’s a CX-90 for people who don’t need more than five seats and want to save money.

There is a pretty big saving. Our CX-70 D50e GT lists for $77,970 and the equivalent diesel CX-90 GT is $85,550. 

The problem is, without the third row of seats the enormous CX-70 feels like you get all the inconvenience of towing a caravan around without the convenience of being able to use it. 

The CX-80 GT could be a better pick - it’s smaller than the CX-70, has three rows but costs $70,950. The CX-80 is still big at 4990mm long but it’s 110mm shorter than the CX-70 and I can’t tell you how many times I needed 110mm more space to park over the past two months.

The garage of the house we stay at during our trip away has fit every car for the past five years, but this year the CX-70 had me worried. It did fit, as you can see in the images, but only just.

The interior packaging of the CX-70, despite its enormous exterior proportions, isn’t great for practicality. I like the way the rear doors open wide and that legroom in the second row is great, but compared to a Nissan Pathfinder or Toyota Kluger the cabin feels cramped. 

While we only have two kids and most of the time we’ve only needed five seats, there are friends, cousins and grandparents. There have been times when we’ve had to take two cars to transport seven people to the beach or to the shops. 

The Kia Carnival people mover is a completely different style of car but it’s about the same length as a CX-70, and its interior packaging is all about space and practicality - the price is also a good match for the CX-70, if not more affordable. 

The CX-70 is a beautiful-looking beast of an SUV, though, with its broad face, prestigious, expansive blacked-out grille and planted stance. Mazda wanted to go upmarket in the styling of its new SUVs and it’s achieved this perfectly - the CX-70’s exterior is gorgeous. 

The cabin also feels premium, even in this entry-grade GT with leather seats, the panoramic sunroof, big screens and modern styling using metal trim.

Okay, that’s enough for this month, but I’m hoping this helps you make your own mind up about the CX-70. Better that I have these realisations on test rather than you have them post-purchase.  

Acquired: November, 2024

Distance travelled this month: 2192km

Odometer: 4001km

Average fuel consumption this month: 7.6L/100km (measured at the pump)