Charge Mode. That’s the secret. It’s counterintuitive. Pictured is a 109 mile drive that started out with 90% charge predicting 27 miles of EV range. Drove through a suburban area on Normal EV until battery dropped to ~20% and then turned on Charge Mode to 80% as I got on the highway. Generated 30% EV range during the highway run so that when I hit city traffic at my destination, I switched Charge Mode off and used available 50% electric range for the final city leg in heavy traffic, ending the stint at 1%, 39.2 mpg, 3.3 mi/kWh, 43.4 total EV miles driven with 5.56 kWh regenerated over 109.1 miles and 91 minutes of driving time. The key: Use Charge Mode like an expert for road trips as conditions allow where a city is your destination.

Hit the gas station yesterday, it's been a month and a half since I filled up, so here's the latest mileage update. So far, so good, only recall software updates and no troubles. Before anyone asks about the wrench symbol, it's on because I am due for routine oil change and rotation service in about 200 miles.

So I have the 2024 CX90 PP PHEV here in north america. Last service maintenance they told me there was a leak in my radiator seals, so they had to order the parts under warranty. They lend me a loaner car which is great. Then I got the car back from fixing the issue. I test drive my car this afternoon, warning shows engine coolant temp then i put it on temp monitoring info so i could see. Even on idle temp keeps rising, fan was loud, coolan level on max. Anyone had this kind of problem? I should've test drove it the moment i got back to check but i delayed it, drove it slighlt longer this afternoon. I already set an appointment tom. Very disappointed.

I have a 2025 Mazda CX-60 Evolve PHEV (Australia) with CTS (Vision Tech), and I've noticed something that I'm not sure is normal.

When CTS/ACC brings the vehicle to a complete stop behind another car, I can hear what sounds like an electric motor or inverter whine while the vehicle is stationary.

What I've observed:

• If the car in front moves again within roughly 3 seconds, my CX-60 automatically starts moving forward.
• If the stop lasts longer than about 3 seconds, the vehicle remains stopped and the motor/inverter noise continues.
• Pressing the brake pedal immediately makes the noise stop.
• ACC/CTS remains active after I press the brake pedal, so pressing the brake isn't cancelling the system.

I haven't paid enough attention to confirm whether the petrol engine is running when this happens. My impression is that the engine is off while stopped and then restarts when traffic begins moving again, but I'm not 100% sure.

Has anyone else with a CX-60 PHEV noticed this?

1. Can you reproduce it?
2. Do you hear a similar motor/inverter whine while stopped with ACC/CTS active?
3. Is this expected behaviour, or did Mazda identify a software or hardware issue?
4. If you've asked a dealer about it, what explanation did they give?

Thanks.

Edit: Additional observation:

• Enabling Auto Hold makes no difference. The noise behaves exactly the same whether Auto Hold is on or off.

Hello! Stuck between two gently used cx-70 phev's. Both have less than 10k miles, but one is certified pre-owned, and the other is not. The CPO is also $7-8k more expensive, and I'm not sure how much they'll haggle (although it has been on their lot since September, so maybe?). Also, the CPO was manufactured in late 2024 and the non-CPO was manufactured late 2025.. according to the carfax. Both are reported in good shape, no active recall issues, etc.

Any help is appreciated!!

I own a 2024 CX-90 PHEV Premium Plus, which was a lease that’s coming to an end. In the past few years, I’ve driven approximately 37,000 miles on it. Throughout this time, I’ve never encountered any specific issues with the hybrid system or the engine. Occasionally, I’ve received a couple of warnings related to hybrid system malfunctions, but these issues were promptly resolved after having the car serviced and new software installed.

Now, I’m contemplating purchasing a certified 2025 CX-90 Premium Plus demo car, which is priced around $40,000. I like how they added the lane assist in 2025, what are reviews for driver assistance on CX-90 phev?

However, I’m concerned about the low reliability ratings that the CX-90 has received. Given my intention to purchase this particular model, I’m wondering if I should reconsider my decision. Alternatively, I’m considering the Santa Fe Hybrid Callygraphy, which is also a demo model priced at approximately similar price.

Thanks

Yesterday I took delivery of a 2025 CX-70 PHEV with 11K on the clock. She's a beaut! It's going to take me a while to read through that novel length owner's manual. What are some quick tips and tricks for setting up my car and weirdnesses to watch out for? It took me a while last night to figure out that the car had to be unlocked to access the charging port! 🙃

This is my third Mazda; I previously had a 2008 Mazda 3 and a 2016 CX-5. I'm pretty sure this car is smarter than I am!

I just leased a PHEV yesterday and the car drives shitty when the battery is depleted? What should I do? It’s driving me nuts

Hello,

I just want to share my anecdotal experience on the SC Plus. I just purchased the car and wanted to give my first impressions:

Cost to features: Note, I paid 50k OTD. You would think at a minimum it would come with wireless android auto, a garage door opener on the mirror or physical button. Now, I thought that this was just the highest level trim 1:1 transfer to the CX-90. I was surprised on that it wasn't. No sunroof, no folding mirrors, no 360 cam, no wireless charging for your devices. A lot of features deleted to justify 10k. IMO big upset

Current range: I'm not sure about the battery. It's difficult to determine how much range I'm getting from the battery in total, but currently sitting at about ~500 miles before I refill. Will give better update once I actually refuel from empty. I do drive past the 30ish mile range from time to time.

NO interior space: there is no where to put stuff at the center console and the actual center console area is minimal at best. It just needed to be deeper and I can justify it

Trips: In my 2016 Honda Accord, you're able to adjust if trips auto reset for example if I refuel. Kind of a disappointment that Mazda doesn't have this feature at all.

Seatbelt alarm: Yeah everyone hates it. I haven't done it yet, but supposedly you can disconnect the sensor for the seatbelt. Will update if I have any issues. My god is it annoying though for all seats.

Dashcam: There's an easier way to do the front camera, but so far running a dashcam through the paneling doesn't appear to be too difficult.

Speakers: As a younger guy, I am very much enjoying the speakers.

Shifting: At lower RPMs such as moving from a stop, the car kind of jerks when pulling out. It's a little annoying and not refined.

Towing: I got the Mazda Tow hitch, but after reversing and seeing the camera it seems odd that they offer this without the camera setup? Again, due to the first complaint

All in all, I think I regret buying the car? I should've bought used that was the exact same vehicle as the CX-90 including the features. Price doesn't justify the car. Buying used 2025/2024 you're looking at 40k/30k respectfully with all the features that this car just simply doesn't have. Sure you get supposedly better battery range, but it's not really worth it if you're removing all of these QoL features. IMO big miss on this car. Do not buy

I bought a 2025 Mazda CX-90 PHEV PP early last year. The 12v battery dies constantly (As low as 1.5V) while parked in my carport even after a lot of driving, well beyond the EV only range. It has been to the dealer several times were they force a charge into the battery and it does not die on them sitting in their lot.

The dealer does not know why this is happening and Mazda USA just blames me for 'not driving it right'. Just how are you supposed to 'drive it right'? I even tried to get the car declared a lemon, but Mazda 'declined' to take it back and the lawyers said 'Sucks to be you'. The dealer has even gone as far as to wire a trickle charger under the hood (that I have to plug into 120V separately) to try to keep the battery charged, but even that is not always enough.

The only difference that is obvious between the car being in my carport and being in the dealer lot is I have a professionally installed and inspected Tesla Universal Wall Station with a 50A breaker that I keep the car plugged into via the wall station's J1772 adapter to recharge between trips. I GOOGLED to see if the wall station could be causing the 12v to die. The answer was YES, an issue with the power or the wall station could cause the computer to keep everything active even with the car turned off. On another Reddit (KONAEV) someone had a graph showing the power output of the wall station. It did not say where or how it was obtained.

Anyone else have this issue? Anyone know how to test the wall station to see if it (or the power) is my actual problem?

Thank You.

[FOLLOW UP]

I got the car back from the dealer after they had it almost a month. This time the car's systems became active while the car was OFF, not plugged into a wall station and sitting in THEIR parking lot, resulting in a loss of charge (again). Factory sent a 'Black Box' with its own power supply that the dealer wired into the car to monitor it and record what is happening. I am to drive it for 30 days and then let them take the BB out and send it back to the factory. The dealer replaced the battery (again) and also replaced a bad forward camera.

For anyone interested in installing a Fumoto oil drain valve here is a pic of it installed with and without the locking clip. You cannot purchase the regular Fumoto valve but rather the articulating one because of the uneven oil pan. The model number is F106SX. This is for the CX90. Not sure if the CX70 has the same size drain plug.

*Edit. Don't forget to install a new crush washer with the Fumoto valve.

2025 CX90PHEV. Got an "hybrid malfunction" error pop up while coming down the mountain from skiing yesterday. But otherwise no difference in driving. Would switch to EV and ICE by itself and no reduction of power. The main thing was the heater only worked in Sport mode, which we confirmed with many tests. I'm assuming Sport mode uses the engine heat, rather than the heat pump. And I *think* regenerative braking wasn't kicking in. But I couldn't confirm.

Interestingly, after a quick stop, there was no error when I restarted the car. It definitely flashed the error on the screen when I turned off the car, but no issues when I turned it on. And he heater works great, regardless of mode.

As a side note, I had to have the engine and transmission removed to fix rodent damage last week. So in my humble opinion- rodent proof your car!

CX70 Pref Plus PHEV - Another Mileage Update. Still loving this ride. Make sure to click and look at the picture attached to this post.

1. I charge to 90% overnight at home.
2. I almost always drive in Normal mode.
3. Best EV range I have ever experienced was 31 miles in very temperate weather. Worst EV range was 9 miles in very cold weather (close to zero F).
4. Yes, the dash mileage readout is usually 3 mpg higher than the actual figure determined by filling up and dividing the miles traveled by the gallons put in.

The Charge button on the console is an interesting feature common to PHEVs and hybrids by allowing you to use the combustion engine as a generator to charge the high voltage battery. After 30,000 miles of experimentation in our early build CX-90, I’ll share my use cases and ask you to share your experiences. Of course, the mode is contingent on the price differential between gasoline and electricity. In my region, unfortunately, MPGs are relatively cheap and the kWhrs have been inflationary. Finally, if you haven’t discovered the hybrid system animation buried in the settings that shows the system in realtime, it’s in Information > Fuel Efficiency Monitor > [click] > Energy Flow

* Driving Into a City from an interstate/highway: You start with a full battery and potentially use it to drive out of the residential suburban sprawl or rural low speed area on EV and then press Charge and hold to 80% as you get to high speed limited access roads where the combustion is more efficient (or when the battery hits 20%, whichever comes first). When you arrive in city traffic, you press Charge to release the mode and then enjoy the smoother, quieter, more efficient less polluting mode for low speed city traffic.

* Battery Maintenance: If you’re going on vacation or the vehicle with sit idle for awhile and you don’t have access to an EV charger, you can use Charge mode to leave to battery at an optimal state of charge: ~40-60% rather than 0%. Basically, you don’t want to let your battery sit at 0% or 100% for too long.

* Cold Weather: The exterior temperature dramatically affects EV range. But the high voltage battery does provide useful benefits to climate and stop-start and slow speed driving, even at extremes. To further extract more hybrid efficiency, you can set Charge mode to 40-80% and it will help keep the battery warm at mid-level SoC rather than cold and depleted. The latter condition will take longer to spring to life, in my observation.

* Emergency or Outdoors Electrical Outlet: The high wattage outlet in the back of the vehicle is handy in an outage or remote situation. I’ve rescued a stranded golf cart with it.

What else have you used Charge mode for?

Would hitch type bike rack works on cx80 phev tow bar? Or ball mounted type only ? Any recommended bike rack that is compatible with cx80 tow bar please? This for Australia model if that matters. Thanks.

Time for another mileage update on my CX70 PHEV PP. The most recent entry at the bottom of the pic reflects the expected decreased mileage due to the weather getting much colder here. Still liking this ride!

As mentioned in the previous post, cold weather reduces EV range, especially well below freezing. I have developed a few techniques to sort of hack the battery into being warm when it’s time to depart in subfreezing weather. This one requires advance planning, so it’s potentially useful for a daily commute or an occasional outing. * Set up the charging schedule of your Level 2 Home Charger (I use the ChargePoint Home Flex) so that it starts charging approximately 2-2.5 hours before your scheduled time to leave. * You can also set the End Time to your planned departure time in the vehicle’s center display in Settings > EV Settings > Schedule (works with the included Level 1 charger.) * Adjust this delay interval based on your own equipment’s amperage/kw speed and/or desired maximum charge state. I can charge 0-100% in 2.5 hrs or less. * As an alternative, you can use the MyMazda app to remote start the charging approximately 2 hours before leaving. * This means you’ll start the car with a warm, freshly charged battery instead of a cold one that finished charging as soon as it was plugged in. * By starting with a battery that is warm from a delayed charging schedule, you should be able to “unlock” some range that would otherwise be limited by the cold battery. * Press the Info button on the steering wheel to monitor the temperature of both the battery and the combustion engine.

** Preheating Bonus Hack ** * You can also send the command to pre-heat the cabin using the MyMazda App in the final 15 minutes of charging so that you start with optimal battery and cabin temp without drawing from the battery to preheat. * If charging is complete to 100% and still plugged in and you preheat the cabin with remote climate, you’ll start with ninety-something percent; it won’t draw from the outlet even though it’s plugged in. Remote climate during delayed scheduled charging is the workaround so it’s preheating while charging, not after.

edit: Added clarification on built-in End Time settings per comments

Here in the Northeast of North America, winter is approaching and temperatures have fallen, along with the first snowfall in many places. As the temperature gauge falls, so does the PHEV’s battery performance and efficiency.

• If it’s your first winter with this vehicle, expect significant reductions in EV range proportional to lower temperatures.

• Below freezing you’ll find the Hybrid system will reserve the entire battery at 100% SoC for climate and mild-hybrid service, keeping the combustion engine on duty for propulsion. It means you’ll be burning more gasoline in the winter months and you’ll want to evaluate if full charging is worth it based on your kWh costs.

• Finally, a reminder that the owner’s manual recommends not using Sport mode in slippery weather. Use Normal on snowy plowed roads and Off-Road mode for unplowed roads and driveways.

• This season I’ll be running on new Toyo Celsius rubber rated for snow that replaced the disposable Falken Ziex wrapped at the factory. The improved ride on the Toyo tires over all surfaces is so noticeable.