2024 Mazda CX-90's Inline-Six Offers Two Power Levels, 28 MPG Highway

The 2024 Mazda CX-90 will be offered with two output levels for its turbocharged 3.3-liter inline-six.Both engine variants will achieve the same EPA-estimated 28 mpg highway and 25 mpg combined, with small differences in city fuel economy.EPA figures for the plug-in hybrid have not yet been revealed.

Last week, Mazda unveiled the 2024 CX-90, a smooth new three-row SUV with equal doses of creature comforts and style. At the time, the automaker left a number of questions about the powertrain unanswered, but now, it’s time to shine a little more light under the hood.

The 2024 Mazda CX-90 will debut with not one, but two variants of its turbocharged 3.3-liter inline-six engine. Models with a Turbo designation will put out 280 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque using the recommended regular gasoline. If you want to swap that swill for the good stuff, output will likely rise, but Mazda declined to say by how much.

Mazda

CX-90s carrying the 3.3 Turbo S moniker will see figures rise to 340 horsepower and 369 pound-feet. Premium fuel is recommended here; regular fuel can be substituted in exchange for some power and torque, but again, Mazda didn’t delve into specifics.

It’s also unclear at this time if the difference between these two engines lies solely in software, or if there are some additional hardware tweaks. No matter how much power the inline-six makes, it bolts to an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard all-wheel drive.

Efficiency is nearly even between the two engines. The CX-90 Turbo and its lower output receives an EPA-estimated fuel economy of 24 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, and 25 mpg combined. Moving up to the burlier Turbo S variants will incur a 1-mpg penalty in the city, but the figures are the same otherwise.

And then there’s the PHEV. Net output remains at 323 horsepower and 369 pound-feet when using the recommended premium gasoline, and Mazda has not yet stated what it makes on 87 octane. More frustratingly, EPA efficiency figures remain a mystery. Considering models start arriving at dealerships in the spring, those estimates should be public in the near future.