Rental Reviews: Four Days with the 2025 Mazda CX-90 3.3 Turbo S Premium Sport

This is the car you want—just not the one you should get.

My company flew me out to Phoenix, Arizona, to meet with some clients, which means it’s time for a new Rental Review. I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled up to the Avis counter and was upgraded to the 2025 Mazda CX-90 3.3 Turbo S Premium Sport. After setting my bags inside and climbing into the driver's seat, the giddiness from this surprise left my body.

The CX-90 is an SUV, so it feels big. Granted, it’s not that much bigger than its competitors, but behind the wheel, I realized that my trip in a new city would be trickier than if I had rented a Mazda3, for example. Add to that the eager turbo engine and touchy brakes, my trip into the Phoenix metro gave me the nerves. I was, however, impressed by the upscale, spacious cabin and the tech it offered. The price tag, not so much. The starting MSRP for my particular build is $47,480, which left me wondering who should buy this painfully beautiful SUV.

Article Quick Takes:

• 2025 Mazda CX-90 review: The design and first impressions
• 2025 Mazda CX-90 review: The interior and practicality
• 2025 Mazda CX-90 review: The engine and drive experience
• 2025 Mazda CX-90 review: Technology and safety features
• 2025 Mazda CX-90 review: Pricing
• Is the 2025 Mazda CX-90 right for you?

The 2025 Mazda CX-90's Exterior: Striking Looks Can't Overcome Poor Dirigibility

In the parking garage, the 2025 Mazda CX-90 stands out amongst the typical vanilla drab that makes up most rental fleets. The deep Artisan Red Premium paint is a showstopper, a color that would inspire Rembrandt. Like all Mazda's, my SUV was impeccably designed. Curves in all the right places, and a roofline that stands out in a school pick-up line.  

Beyond the exterior design, the sheer girth tends to get in its own way. It’s big, but not in a fun, look at me, kind of way. More like a clumsy, friendly giant way. The turning radius feels restrictive, hindering the SUV's derigibility in parking lots and on narrow streets, which you end up dealing with in a rental.

Design aside, the car's sheer girth gets in its own way. The CX-90 feels big, but not in a fun, imposing way, rather in a clumsy, friendly giant way. The turning radius is constrained, hindering overall maneuverability in parking lots and narrow streets. The rearview camera, even with a 360-degree view, doesn’t provide the confidence you’d expect. I found myself second-guessing a lot and nearly bumping into dumpsters and moving trucks (city living—am I right?). My Kia Carnival has a better, more reliable backup camera.

While the CX-90 makes a strong first impression when parked, its limitations in daily use quickly become apparent. These challenges extend beyond the exterior to the rest of the vehicle.

The 2025 Mazda CX-90's Interior: Premium Materials Meet Cramped Realities

Stepping inside, I was greeted by a cabin that was clearly Nordstrom quality. Soft-touch materials are prevalent throughout the interior and are devoid of rattling, creaking, or anything that would make me question durability. This rental had over 30,000 miles on it and had clearly been through the wringer, but every component inside felt solid.

I was grateful for the ventilated seats in the Phoenix heat. They worked flawlessly and quickly, which was much appreciated. The overall layout was thoughtfully engineered, with decent storage and a sense of refinement that punches above its price point. One small note: the almost-carbon-fiber-style trim on the center console felt slightly out of place, a little more after market BMW than Mazda, but it looked nice enough.

But this is where practicality takes a hit. At six foot one and two hundred ninety pounds, getting into the back row is nearly impossible. The captain’s seats in the middle row are comfortable for front passengers, but they make the third row feel like an afterthought instead of real seating. For someone my size, or honestly most adults, the rear is so cramped it’s unusable for anything longer than a short ride, and you can forget sitting three across.

The trunk is equally limiting. There’s more room in a kangaroo’s pouch, which fundamentally undermines the CX-90’s  versatility as a family hauler. When you're planning a long road trip, you're constantly negotiating what fits and what doesn't.

Overall, the interior’s quality stands out. However, there are moments where style takes priority over function—one example being the infotainment screen.

2025 Mazda CX-90 Infotainment: Good Features Hampered by Poor Layout

The CX-90 does have a touchscreen, thank goodness, but they are still holding onto that rotary control knob. Because of Mazda's death grip on that, Apple CarPlay or Android Auto is terribly inconvenient. The screen is also positioned a little too far away for comfort, making it hard to easily use the touch feature properly. For anyone who relies heavily on infotainment integration, this layout will wear on you over time.

Below is a wireless charger, which, when it worked, was handy and charged quickly. But it did have trouble actually charging my phone.

The 2025 Mazda CX-90 Engine: Responsive Power Undermined by Transmission Quirks

The 3.3-liter turbocharged engine in the CX-90 accelerates quickly and without hesitation. Merging and passing feel effortless once the turbo spools up, and for a car of this size, that has come in handy multiple times on the freeway.

But driving the CX-90 takes some getting used to; for example, the first time I hit the gas, the pedal responded as expected, and instead it instantly lurched forward, touched the brakes, and stopped immediately. There is a potential for 340 ponies under the hood, but the reality with a rental is that it had regular unleaded gas, so I was capped at 319 horsepower, and boy, is it eager to show off.

The eight-speed automatic transmission is where things get genuinely clunky. The shift from first to second gear is abrupt and bumpy. You definitely feel that transition, and it doesn't match the premium feel of the rest of the cabin. For a car positioned as an upscale crossover, that kind of transmission behavior stood out, especially in stop-and-go traffic or around-town cruising.

I mostly stuck with Normal mode during my four days because Sport mode didn't offer a noticeable enough difference to justify the fuel-economy trade-off. There was a slight tightening of throttle response and shift mapping, but nothing worth writing about.

Still, when the turbo engages, the engine delivers genuine fun—though it takes some effort. When you finally enjoy the benefits of the turbo, you’ll be glad Mazda included a robust safety suite.

2025 Mazda CX-90: ADAS and Safety Features — Impressive Tech, One Scary Moment

The CX-90 comes loaded with the features you'd expect from a premium crossover, remote start, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, push-button ignition, a power liftgate, and a standard rear outlet that saved me when my camera battery died mid-trip.

The head-up display is genuinely excellent. It keeps your eyes on the road and projects key information cleanly onto the windshield. The one caveat it was a bit tough to read at peak Arizona daytime brightness. If you're driving in a sun-drenched climate, that's worth factoring in.

The adaptive cruise control, however, gave me a genuine scare. When a car cut me off on the highway, the system's response felt dangerously slow. It didn't brake with the urgency I deemed necessary. For a feature that's supposed to make highway driving less stressful, that moment made me grateful for ventilated seats.

On the positive side, the cabin is impressively quiet. I clocked sixty-six decibels on my Apple Watch. Which is what you expect from a car in that price range.

2025 Mazda CX-90: What Does It Cost?

The CX-90 lineup starts at around $38,000 for the base 3.3 Turbo Select, but the trim I drove— the 3.3 Turbo S Premium Sport— carries an MSRP of around $47,480. That puts it firmly in luxury crossover territory, which is exactly where Mazda is positioning it.

That price, however, magnifies the CX-90’s compromises. For nearly $50,000, you expect an adult-friendly third row, user-friendly infotainment, and adaptive cruise control that inspires confidence. Although the interior and engine excel at this price point, practical shortcomings become more pronounced when lining the CX-90 up against competitors in this segment.

Rivals like the Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander, which cost about the same fully equipped, provide much more functional space and deliver a more intuitive overall ownership experience. In the end, the CX-90 invites you to pay a premium for its badge and elegant interior which is a trade-off that may or may not suit your priorities in a family crossover.

Is the 2025 Mazda CX-90 Right for You?

The 2025 Mazda CX-90 3.3 Turbo S Premium Sport is a genuinely impressive vehicle in many ways. The build quality is exceptional, seeing as this rental had over 30,000 miles on it, and the interior still felt solid and tight. The turbocharged engine delivers real excitement when it gets going. The heated and ventilated seats are excellent. And that deep red paint looks stunning in person.

Yet, the CX-90 demands several compromises. The third row is best suited for short trips or smaller passengers, trunk space is tight considering its size, and the infotainment setup is likely to frustrate frequent Apple CarPlay users. My experience with the adaptive cruise control underlined these practical challenges.

Most importantly, this is not a city car. If you live somewhere with tight streets and busy parking lots, the CX-90's size and turning radius will wear on you fast. This is a vehicle built for suburban life where wide roads, open highways, and a garage big enough to accommodate it are plentiful.

In terms of competitors, I'd steer most buyers toward a Honda Pilot or Toyota Highlander before the CX-90. Both offer more practical interior layouts, more usable third rows, and a more intuitive ownership experience, all at a comparable price point. The CX-90 wins on style and engine character, but loses on the fundamentals that matter most to the family buyers it's targeting.

The CX-90 is the kind of car that makes you fall a little in love at the Avis counter. Four days later, you hand back the keys, knowing exactly why you shouldn't buy one. It's the car you want — just not the car you should get.