2026 Mazda CX-60 G25 review

Our verdict

The Mazda CX-60 G25 is a good family SUV, but I'm not convinced the four-cylinder engine is the right choice. It's perfectly fine around town, and there's plenty to like about the cabin, practicality and equipment. But it struggles when you need more performance, and the disappointing fuel economy makes the six-cylinder even harder to ignore.

What does the Mazda CX-60 G25 cost in Australia?

The G25 brings the CX-60’s starting price down to $45,640 before on-road costs. It’s offered in three grades: the Pure, the Evolve at $50,640 and the Touring we tested at $53,640, all before on-roads.

That’s a flat $6000 saving over the equivalent six-cylinder G40e at every grade. You can’t have the G25 in the fancier GT or Azami, so the Touring is as high as the four-cylinder goes.

View Mazda CX-60 driveaway pricing and specifications →

The Pure is the value pick of the G25 range. It comes with a head-up display, a 360-degree camera, satellite navigation, dual-zone climate and, since the 2026 update, adaptive cruise with Cruising & Traffic Support. The Evolve adds Maztex trim, a 12.3-inch digital cluster, a power tailgate and a wireless charger for $5000, while the Touring adds leather, heated front seats and power seats with memory for another $3000.

Here’s the catch with the Touring. It costs $2000 more than a six-cylinder G40e Pure, so anyone shopping at the top of the G25 range should drive the six before signing.

Then there’s the new CX-5. As our 2026 Mazda CX-5 review explains, it starts at $39,990, comes with all-wheel drive as standard and offers much more room than the old car. A CX-5 Touring costs around $6000 less than a CX-60 G25 Touring.

What does the Mazda CX-60 G25 look like?

The CX-60 is still one of the better-looking SUVs in this class. It has a fairly traditional design, with a long bonnet, a wide stance and proportions that make it look more expensive than it actually is.

All three G25 variants get 18-inch alloy wheels with fairly chunky 235/60 tyres. They’re nothing special, but they suit the CX-60’s design. The front end is clean, LED headlights are standard across the range, and the shape avoids the overwrought surfacing that plagues some rivals.

What is the Mazda CX-60 G25 like inside?

Mazda does interiors really well, and the CX-60 is no exception. Everything is laid out logically, there are proper buttons for the climate controls and the steering wheel feels great in your hands.

Grade makes a real difference to how the cabin feels. The Pure has cloth seats, a smaller 7-inch instrument display and a slightly plainer finish. The Evolve steps up to Maztex trim and the 12.3-inch digital cluster, while the Touring we drove adds black leather, heated front seats and power adjustment, and it feels genuinely well finished.

The 10.25-inch infotainment screen is the letdown. It sits on top of the dash and can only be controlled through the rotary dial on the centre console, which makes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto more fiddly than they need to be. The screen is crisp, but it feels small by 2026 standards.

The head-up display is standard on every grade and projects speed and navigation onto the windscreen. Two USB-C ports serve the front row, and from the Evolve up there’s a wireless phone charger in the console tray.

One oddity is the gear shifter. Mazda uses the same unusual unit across the CX-60 range, and it still doesn’t feel intuitive in a car that otherwise prioritises ease of use.

How practical is the Mazda CX-60 G25?

The new CX-5 has closed the gap, but the CX-60 is still the roomier car. It’s 30mm wider, so there’s more elbow room front and rear, and rear legroom is generous: at just under 180cm, I could sit behind my own driving position with room to spare.

The rear bench gets its own air vents, two USB-C ports, a fold-down armrest with cupholders and bottle holders in the doors. It’s a bit grey and plasticky back there, but it all works.

The boot is a strong point at 570 litres with the seats up, still bigger than the new CX-5’s. Folding the 40/20/40 rear seats opens up 1726 litres.

The floor isn’t perfectly flat and tie-down points are thin on the ground, but there’s a netted cubby, a light and a cargo cover. The Evolve and Touring add a powered tailgate.

Every G25 also gets a space-saver spare, which is worth knowing if you head out of town regularly. The 1800kg braked tow rating is decent too, comfortably more than most hybrid rivals manage.

What is the Mazda CX-60 G25 like to drive?

Every G25 shares the same 2.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder. It was adequate in the old CX-5, but it feels stretched in a car this heavy.

Around town it’s fine. The eight-speed auto shuffles through gears smoothly, the steering is well weighted, and rear-wheel drive gives the front end a lightness you don’t get in front-drive rivals. For school runs and commutes, you won’t think twice about the powertrain.

The problems start when you need a bit more performance. On hills, the gearbox often drops two or three gears just to keep up, and overtaking on the freeway requires a bit of planning.

Sport mode sharpens throttle response, but even then you’re looking at a 0-100km/h time of 10 to 11 seconds. Mazda doesn’t quote one, and it’s not hard to see why.

The chassis is more convincing. Mazda’s suspension revisions have improved the ride over earlier CX-60s, though it’s still firmer than most buyers in this segment would expect. The upside is good body control and tidy handling, with steering that feels precise and nicely weighted.

Road noise is well managed, and the chunky tyres add a layer of compliance that takes the edge off the firm springs. Mazda has a third round of suspension changes coming for the 2027 model year, so the ride may improve again.

How efficient is the Mazda CX-60 G25?

Mazda claims 7.5L/100km combined. In a week of mixed city, highway and back-road driving in the Touring, we recorded over 10L/100km, and heavy suburban traffic pushed it north of 14L/100km.

What’s frustrating is that the six-cylinder G40e uses roughly the same amount of fuel in the real world, despite having significantly more power and torque. The G25 runs on 91 RON regular unleaded from a 58-litre tank, which keeps the cost per fill down, but the economy case is thin.

One advantage of the G25 is its lower servicing costs. Mazda caps the price of the first seven services, and the G25 is more than $1300 cheaper to service than the G40e over that period. Roadside assistance runs for five years.

The warranty is the industry standard, though several Korean and Chinese rivals now offer seven years.

Is the Mazda CX-60 G25 safe?

The CX-60 carries a five-star ANCAP rating based on 2022 testing. The G25 wasn’t tested specifically, but the platform scored strongly across the board: 91% for adult occupants, 93% for child occupants, 89% for vulnerable road users and 77% for safety assist.

There are 10 airbags, including a driver’s knee airbag and a front-centre airbag to prevent head clashes in side impacts.

The 2026 update made the safety kit more generous. Every grade now gets adaptive cruise with Cruising & Traffic Support, front cross-traffic alert and Driver Emergency Assist, on top of AEB with junction assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist and a 360-degree camera. The Evolve and Touring add a see-through view for the cameras, and connected services, including emergency SOS calling, are now standard too.

Over a week of testing, the safety systems worked quietly and without false alarms, which is becoming rare in a market full of poorly calibrated driver aids.

What are the main competitors to the Mazda CX-60 G25?

The Volkswagen Tiguan starts at around $45,650 before on-roads, line-ball with the CX-60 G25 Pure. It’s sharper to drive, has better infotainment and a bigger boot, but the Mazda’s cabin feels more upmarket and its rear-wheel-drive balance gives it more character.

The Honda CR-V starts at $44,900 driveaway, with hybrids from $49,900. It's far more efficient in the real world and cheaper to service, although its shorter service intervals could eat into those savings for high-mileage drivers. The CX-60 counters with a much higher tow rating than the hybrid CR-V’s 750kg.

The Skoda Karoq starts at around $38,490 before on-roads and gets a seven-year warranty. It’s a smaller, more practical-minded package that undercuts the Mazda easily, but it can’t match the CX-60’s interior quality or presence.

The Mazda CX-5 is the CX-60’s toughest rival, and it’s sitting in the same showroom. The new generation starts at $39,990 before on-roads with all-wheel drive standard, a far bigger cabin than before and a newer infotainment system. The CX-60 still has the bigger boot and the eight-speed auto, but the gap is now much smaller than the price difference.

If it were my money, I’d skip the G25 Touring and put the extra towards a G40e, or buy a new CX-5 and keep the change.

Should I buy the Mazda CX-60 G25?

There’s plenty to like about the CX-60 G25. It looks good, the interior is excellent, there’s loads of room for families and servicing is relatively affordable. But the four-cylinder engine lets the whole package down.

The CX-60 G25 makes sense for a fairly specific type of buyer. You need more boot space than a CX-5 offers, you can’t stretch to the six-cylinder, and your driving is mostly suburban, where the leisurely powertrain matters least.

If that’s you, the Pure is the G25 to buy, since the standard kit list now covers almost everything that matters. Further up the range, the Touring gets too close to six-cylinder money to make sense.

Personally, I’d find the extra $6000 for the six-cylinder. It’s considerably quicker, much more enjoyable to drive and doesn’t use much more fuel in the real world. For me, it’s easily the better buy.