Mazda CX-90 vs Toyota RAV4

What's the difference?

When it comes to Mazda’s luxury aspirations, the CX-90 is it. The big Kahuna. Seven seats of what should be the Japanese brand’s exceptionalism amongst its mainstream rivals.

But does this more than five-metre-long Mazda have what it takes to elevate the brand beyond the likes of Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan and Kia?

Importantly, is this base version - which is closer to Mazda’s traditional price point - a bit of a luxury seven-seat SUV bargain?

We drove a CX-90 G50e Touring (the most affordable CX-90 of the lot) for a week to find out.

The Toyota RAV4 is arguably Australia’s darling and has been for years. It’s long set the benchmark in the mid-size SUV segment - a position rivals like the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage and Mazda CX-5 would love to occupy.

It’s also been close to a decade since we’ve seen anything new from the RAV4, so expectations for this sixth-generation update are understandably high. For this family review, we’re testing the flagship Cruiser Hybrid 2WD, which brings the most features and the biggest price tag in the line-up.

On paper, it promises meaningful upgrades, particularly in technology and refinement, while holding onto the practicality and efficiency that made it so popular in the first place.

But with stronger competition and rising expectations in this segment, the question is no longer whether the RAV4 is good, it’s whether it’s done enough to stay at the top.