MG Im6 vs Mazda CX-90

What's the difference?

Meet the IM6 Performance, “presented by MG”. And that last bit’s important, because while it’s marketed and sold by the Chinese mainstream player, it really is unlike any other MG going around.

Think of it as like a Lexus to Toyota, or an Audi to Volkswagen, with the Chinese brand going premium, and seemingly making a direct play for Tesla’s fan base. How so? Well, there’s only two models in IM line-up (sound familiar?) with the IM6 a rival for the Model Y, and the IM5 (which we’ve also tested) a competitor to the Model 3.

The IM6 is spacious, pretty sumptuous and ridiculously fast. And it offers up some features I’ve only ever really seen in high-end German metal. But it’s also got some quirks.

So, can MG run with the big dogs of the premium car world with the IM6 Performance? And should Tesla be worried? Let’s find out.

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.