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As an editor here at Entrepreneur.com and a writer of a bunch of car-centric books, I’ve had the chance to slip behind the wheel of some amazing vehicles — from a Lamborghini Urus to a Bentley to a truly beastly Raptor.
I wouldn’t say that I am jaded because being in the driver’s seat of anything besides the lame wheels sitting in my driveway is a true treat. But I’ve grown accustomed to being wowed. But having said that, test driving the Mazda CX-90 PHEV Premium Plus got my car-loving blood pumping.
I spent a week driving it between Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina, for a string of business meetings with my family in tow, and I have to say I was impressed — not by any single flashy feature, but how it all plays together.
Stress-Free Cruising
South Carolina is a mix of long, flat interstate stretches and dense, historic city grids — Columbia’s wide boulevards give way to Charleston‘s tight, cobblestoned downtown blocks packed with tourists, delivery trucks, and the occasional horse-drawn carriage. It’s a good stress test for any vehicle, and the CX-90 handled both extremes without missing a beat. On I-26 and I-77, it settled into a quiet, composed cruise. And once I hit Charleston’s narrower streets, it felt noticeably smaller and easier to place than a three-row SUV has any right to feel.
As a plug-in hybrid, the CX-90 constantly has to decide whether to run on its battery or its gas engine, and I appreciated that I never had to think about that decision myself. The car’s computer quietly made the call, leaning on electric power around town and blending in the gas engine on the highway, all in the name of squeezing out the best possible fuel economy: 56 MPGe combined (gasoline + electricity). I didn’t drive around babysitting a power meter or second-guessing which mode I was in. I just drove, and the car handled the optimization in the background. That let me focus on what really mattered — spotting the next roadside BBQ joint.
Room for the Fam — and All of Our Junk
I traveled with my wife and two kids, plus the usual pile of luggage, laptop bags, and the inevitable junk you bring that you never unpack. But storage was never a concern. The CX-90 swallowed everything we brought with room to spare, and folding down the third row for the return trip opened up even more space for the souvenirs and groceries we picked up along the way. Did I mention it is about 12 trillion degrees in South Carolina in the summer? We easily went through a case of water and Gatorade a day. A special shoutout to the cupholders that transform into flat surfaces, and the Nappa leather trim and ventilated seats that kept us cool even in the blistering-ist heat of high noon. It’s all at once very practical and very luxe.
Photo credit: Mazda
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