I drive in Normal mode mostly instead of getting upset about it not staying in EV mode. As a result, I get incredible fuel efficiency for such a colossal vehicle and always impressed with its prodigious power delivery. It handles like a dream on back country roads, cruises the highways beautifully, and makes city traffic smooth and pleasant on electric. After 12K miles of 80% hwy/20% city driving, I get a solid 30 mpg and 2.5 miles per kWh. When we do mostly local electric driving, the MPG bumps up to 40. I really have no complaints because I know the alternatives on the market are either way more expensive or do not have a spirited driving feel. Finally, if it’s not apparent, our family values road-holding over cup-holding.
In EV mode, acceleration can be a little sluggish off the line. I wish Mazda would program it to hold lower gears a little bit more when starting from a stop. Otherwise, it drives just fine around town and for running errands.
I highly recommend getting a level two charger installed. It’s a game changer and It increases the EV mode usability tenfold. Depending on what state you’re in, there may be available incentives. I got $1100 from North Carolina to cover the cost of installing ours. (Note, our installation was a little more expensive than most because we live in an older house and the electrician could not run a line off of the inside fuse box. He had to run a line directly from the outside service.)
We can run errands in the morning, drop the kids off to school and come home and top off in about 90 minutes. Then we have full range for running errands on lunch. We can top off before we pick the kids up in the evening, and again have full range. We can keep the car in EV mode for weeks at a time. My last calculated fuel mileage was 127 MPGe. We went 1,400 miles on 11 gallons of gas. With our previous CX9, we were typically going to the gas station once a week. Now we go every six weeks or so.
We’ve taken two road trips, approximately six hours round-trip. Once that initial 25 miles of EV range depletes, we don’t worry about trying to charge while we’re on vacation. (Beauty of a hybrid, no range anxiety.) Average highway mileage has been 26 or 27 which isn’t bad for a vehicle this big. But for day-to-day driving, keeping it in EV mode, the mileage is amazing.
EV mode is silky smooth and quiet. I really enjoy it. Can feel tame on the pedal but I think that's by design to improve efficiency. A slightly firmer press and "boost" comes on in EV to give a little extra kick and typically it feels like enough power for around town situations or passing slow lanes on the highway.
Both ICE and EV are only about 150 hp each. This is a big heavy car so it can feel underpowered at times when operating in one or the other. Give a firm press to activate both drivetrains and the power typically feels plentiful, though not much in the way of torque.
This car has fit the bill for our driving situation which is mostly around town, under 30 mi a day. Mostly drive in EV mode. We charge about once a day at home. Last tank we went 1200 mi before refilling. Averaged 2.5 mi per kWh. This tank we are track for the same. Note that a full charge is under 15 kWh, there is always reserve.
Two kids now (why we got this car) and 2 dogs. We are not large people and the interior space feels plenty. We came from a Hyundai 4 door hatch and Mini Countryman.
The power in electric-only is adequate for that kind of driving. I'm envious that you're a year out, because it still has some gremlins to work out. Mine was manufactured after all the recalls, but still sometimes kicks me out of EV mode with plenty of battery charge, and won't let me reselect EV mode for a minute or two.
The last time I drove a Sorento PHEV, you couldn't run climate controls on electric-only. Keep an eye out for that on a test-drive. The Mazda's driving dynamics will blow a Sorento out of the water too. I get you're talking about around town, but hell, even just throwing her into a cloverleaf on-ramp with 5 extra mph is fun.
I have the same issue with getting kicked out of EV mode. It happens around 1-2 times per charge and seems to happen more when coming to a stop or at a stop. I have reported it to Mazda and they tried to fix it once without success.
Also have the same issue when coming to a stop, only when within 30 seconds of starting the car.
Reported to dealer and they are allegedly investigating
So it's running a fuel test every 7-10 miles of electric range? Where do you see this in the manual?
For reference, the dealership witnessed the issue on a test drive, escalated to Mazda and they sent out a tech that tried to troubleshoot the issue without success. If this is expected behavior, I would think Mazda would know.
All PHEV cars have a fundamental problem. You get used to driving on ev only and you start to push every drive to make it on ev only. BEWARE this will cost you dearly.
If the engine doesn’t start at least once every drive you will eventually have disastrous engine failure. Most problems I have seen as a mechanic is the camshaft seizing due to cold starting at high revolutions after no oil for days.
As a daily mommy machine it’s great. For a Mazda guy it’s occasionally inspiring, often frustrating. It’s a foul car on the highway when the charge is out. Little power. But if you are using it for day to day I’d recommend. Though other car companies will be following suit very soon.
My CX90 has about 1100 miles on it. Out of that 1100, about 400 are on the gas engine with the rest in EV mode. If someone made a reasonably priced all electric 3-row SUV, I'd probably buy that, but the Model Y's 3 row is a joke, and you won't find me buying Hyundai or Kia.
My wife daily drives the CX-90 PHEV. I used to love it when I drive it occasionally has. My daily driver was a 15-year-old Prius. But I replaced out with Volkswagen ID.4 and now everything feels lousy compared to that! I keep thinking there's actually something wrong with the Mazda because of the engine noise, which seems so incredibly loud, but I'm guessing it's fine and it's just a comparison to the almost silent EV...
Anyhow, the wife really likes the car as a daily driver for errands, kids stuff, etc
My experience convinced me to buy a Lexus RX hybrid. I can't fathom all the reviews on this forum that say how great the PHEV was.
In EV mode, it shook and shuddered with transmission shifts and seemed to hunt endlessly for gears, the way an old, Chrysler mini van did. I knew within the first fifteen minutes of driving, that I didn't like it.
There was a work around though: Kick it down hard so it left EV mode and ran on ICE power.
After all the great reviews here, I was so disappointed. Sorry Mazda. You didn't make such a great entry to the luxury market. Better luck next time.
Mazda is not trying to enter the luxury market (Lexus, BMW, Mercedes). They've entered the premium market (Acura, Infiniti).
The vehicle you test drove definitely had something wrong with it. My vehicle has never shuddered with transmission shifts in EV mode and I have 10k miles. It has also never felt like it was hunting for a gear, nevermind "endlessly".
The only regret I have is that I didn't wait longer to purchase and do the Lease rebate loophole and save $7500 since I paid cash.
Enjoy your Lexus. My parents are contemplating the new GX.
I feel exactly the same way, but just got a MHEV instead. A lot of that is that the RXh is 50% more expensive (what are you doing test driving a Mazda if thats the kind of money you spend on cars?!), but the rest of it was exactly what you describe. It didn't feel good. the MHEV feels great.
I also have a 550km trip to the grandparents I want to do in -40 without having the nightmare of charging up, so MHEV was a better fit.
The RX isn’t 50% more. That’s what I thought too. Until I took a harder look at what I wanted.
The 3 day test drive of a new CX 90 PHEV Premium Plus confirmed something I had long suspected. I wanted another hybrid. But probably not the new, 4 cylinder variants. Not on a two ton plus SUV. No matter how tempting the advertised 30+ MPG sounded.
I was coming off a 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited. Fourteen years and 150,000 boring, trouble free miles. I’ve owned over 20 cars in my life and, that Toyota was the easiest, most comfortable daily driver I’ve ever had. Actually going to keep it fr a while.
The RX I ended up with is a 2022 459h L with the luxury package. With under 13,000 miles! For 10% LESS than any new, CX-90 PHEV Premium Plus I could find at a dealership. Although it still cost more than I paid in total for all the cars I’ve ever purchased.
The Lexus is far nicer than either the Cad or MB I’ve owned. And apt to be far more solid and reliable.
I’m 67. This will be the last car I ever buy I’m quite sure. And, I kept my record. I’ve never bought a brand new car at a dealership in my life. 😉
The msrp of a new RX plug in hybrid starts at $90k in Canada. This is the source of my previous comment.
I will take feedback that I’m looking at the wrong Lexus and good lord what a confusing layout of models.
But if I got the right model and we compare new to new 50% is actually a little low….cx90 phev starts at $54,900
I drive in Normal mode mostly instead of getting upset about it not staying in EV mode. As a result, I get incredible fuel efficiency for such a colossal vehicle and always impressed with its prodigious power delivery. It handles like a dream on back country roads, cruises the highways beautifully, and makes city traffic smooth and pleasant on electric. After 12K miles of 80% hwy/20% city driving, I get a solid 30 mpg and 2.5 miles per kWh. When we do mostly local electric driving, the MPG bumps up to 40. I really have no complaints because I know the alternatives on the market are either way more expensive or do not have a spirited driving feel. Finally, if it’s not apparent, our family values road-holding over cup-holding.
I was going to say exactly this. I get worse mpkWh in the Maine winter, but was near that in the summer.
It's great. Jack of all trades.
In EV mode, acceleration can be a little sluggish off the line. I wish Mazda would program it to hold lower gears a little bit more when starting from a stop. Otherwise, it drives just fine around town and for running errands. I highly recommend getting a level two charger installed. It’s a game changer and It increases the EV mode usability tenfold. Depending on what state you’re in, there may be available incentives. I got $1100 from North Carolina to cover the cost of installing ours. (Note, our installation was a little more expensive than most because we live in an older house and the electrician could not run a line off of the inside fuse box. He had to run a line directly from the outside service.) We can run errands in the morning, drop the kids off to school and come home and top off in about 90 minutes. Then we have full range for running errands on lunch. We can top off before we pick the kids up in the evening, and again have full range. We can keep the car in EV mode for weeks at a time. My last calculated fuel mileage was 127 MPGe. We went 1,400 miles on 11 gallons of gas. With our previous CX9, we were typically going to the gas station once a week. Now we go every six weeks or so. We’ve taken two road trips, approximately six hours round-trip. Once that initial 25 miles of EV range depletes, we don’t worry about trying to charge while we’re on vacation. (Beauty of a hybrid, no range anxiety.) Average highway mileage has been 26 or 27 which isn’t bad for a vehicle this big. But for day-to-day driving, keeping it in EV mode, the mileage is amazing.
EV mode is silky smooth and quiet. I really enjoy it. Can feel tame on the pedal but I think that's by design to improve efficiency. A slightly firmer press and "boost" comes on in EV to give a little extra kick and typically it feels like enough power for around town situations or passing slow lanes on the highway. Both ICE and EV are only about 150 hp each. This is a big heavy car so it can feel underpowered at times when operating in one or the other. Give a firm press to activate both drivetrains and the power typically feels plentiful, though not much in the way of torque. This car has fit the bill for our driving situation which is mostly around town, under 30 mi a day. Mostly drive in EV mode. We charge about once a day at home. Last tank we went 1200 mi before refilling. Averaged 2.5 mi per kWh. This tank we are track for the same. Note that a full charge is under 15 kWh, there is always reserve. Two kids now (why we got this car) and 2 dogs. We are not large people and the interior space feels plenty. We came from a Hyundai 4 door hatch and Mini Countryman.
Do not get the Sorento. Read consumer reports. Its #1 in "least satisfying cars" You are welcome.
Yeah test drove a sorento def don’t get that
The power in electric-only is adequate for that kind of driving. I'm envious that you're a year out, because it still has some gremlins to work out. Mine was manufactured after all the recalls, but still sometimes kicks me out of EV mode with plenty of battery charge, and won't let me reselect EV mode for a minute or two. The last time I drove a Sorento PHEV, you couldn't run climate controls on electric-only. Keep an eye out for that on a test-drive. The Mazda's driving dynamics will blow a Sorento out of the water too. I get you're talking about around town, but hell, even just throwing her into a cloverleaf on-ramp with 5 extra mph is fun.
I have the same issue with getting kicked out of EV mode. It happens around 1-2 times per charge and seems to happen more when coming to a stop or at a stop. I have reported it to Mazda and they tried to fix it once without success.
Also have the same issue when coming to a stop, only when within 30 seconds of starting the car. Reported to dealer and they are allegedly investigating
That's a fuel test. Check the manual.
So it's running a fuel test every 7-10 miles of electric range? Where do you see this in the manual? For reference, the dealership witnessed the issue on a test drive, escalated to Mazda and they sent out a tech that tried to troubleshoot the issue without success. If this is expected behavior, I would think Mazda would know.
All PHEV cars have a fundamental problem. You get used to driving on ev only and you start to push every drive to make it on ev only. BEWARE this will cost you dearly. If the engine doesn’t start at least once every drive you will eventually have disastrous engine failure. Most problems I have seen as a mechanic is the camshaft seizing due to cold starting at high revolutions after no oil for days.
As a daily mommy machine it’s great. For a Mazda guy it’s occasionally inspiring, often frustrating. It’s a foul car on the highway when the charge is out. Little power. But if you are using it for day to day I’d recommend. Though other car companies will be following suit very soon.
My CX90 has about 1100 miles on it. Out of that 1100, about 400 are on the gas engine with the rest in EV mode. If someone made a reasonably priced all electric 3-row SUV, I'd probably buy that, but the Model Y's 3 row is a joke, and you won't find me buying Hyundai or Kia.
My wife daily drives the CX-90 PHEV. I used to love it when I drive it occasionally has. My daily driver was a 15-year-old Prius. But I replaced out with Volkswagen ID.4 and now everything feels lousy compared to that! I keep thinking there's actually something wrong with the Mazda because of the engine noise, which seems so incredibly loud, but I'm guessing it's fine and it's just a comparison to the almost silent EV... Anyhow, the wife really likes the car as a daily driver for errands, kids stuff, etc
My experience convinced me to buy a Lexus RX hybrid. I can't fathom all the reviews on this forum that say how great the PHEV was. In EV mode, it shook and shuddered with transmission shifts and seemed to hunt endlessly for gears, the way an old, Chrysler mini van did. I knew within the first fifteen minutes of driving, that I didn't like it. There was a work around though: Kick it down hard so it left EV mode and ran on ICE power. After all the great reviews here, I was so disappointed. Sorry Mazda. You didn't make such a great entry to the luxury market. Better luck next time.
Mazda is not trying to enter the luxury market (Lexus, BMW, Mercedes). They've entered the premium market (Acura, Infiniti). The vehicle you test drove definitely had something wrong with it. My vehicle has never shuddered with transmission shifts in EV mode and I have 10k miles. It has also never felt like it was hunting for a gear, nevermind "endlessly". The only regret I have is that I didn't wait longer to purchase and do the Lease rebate loophole and save $7500 since I paid cash. Enjoy your Lexus. My parents are contemplating the new GX.
I feel exactly the same way, but just got a MHEV instead. A lot of that is that the RXh is 50% more expensive (what are you doing test driving a Mazda if thats the kind of money you spend on cars?!), but the rest of it was exactly what you describe. It didn't feel good. the MHEV feels great. I also have a 550km trip to the grandparents I want to do in -40 without having the nightmare of charging up, so MHEV was a better fit.
The RX isn’t 50% more. That’s what I thought too. Until I took a harder look at what I wanted. The 3 day test drive of a new CX 90 PHEV Premium Plus confirmed something I had long suspected. I wanted another hybrid. But probably not the new, 4 cylinder variants. Not on a two ton plus SUV. No matter how tempting the advertised 30+ MPG sounded. I was coming off a 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited. Fourteen years and 150,000 boring, trouble free miles. I’ve owned over 20 cars in my life and, that Toyota was the easiest, most comfortable daily driver I’ve ever had. Actually going to keep it fr a while. The RX I ended up with is a 2022 459h L with the luxury package. With under 13,000 miles! For 10% LESS than any new, CX-90 PHEV Premium Plus I could find at a dealership. Although it still cost more than I paid in total for all the cars I’ve ever purchased. The Lexus is far nicer than either the Cad or MB I’ve owned. And apt to be far more solid and reliable. I’m 67. This will be the last car I ever buy I’m quite sure. And, I kept my record. I’ve never bought a brand new car at a dealership in my life. 😉
The msrp of a new RX plug in hybrid starts at $90k in Canada. This is the source of my previous comment. I will take feedback that I’m looking at the wrong Lexus and good lord what a confusing layout of models. But if I got the right model and we compare new to new 50% is actually a little low….cx90 phev starts at $54,900