2026 Mazda CX-60 G40e Pure review

The CX-60 has been the most successful of Mazda’s new family of luxury-oriented SUVs, and its lineup of variants is now more expansive than ever.

An entry-level ‘G25’ 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, along with a rear-wheel drive configuration, was introduced in late 2025, undercutting the previously most affordable CX-60 variant on test here.

That makes the CX-60 a fairly unique offering in Australia’s booming mid-size SUV segment, in which many rivals also offer four-cylinder hybrid powertrains. But despite tightening emissions regulations, Mazda has gone against the grain and offered a pair of ‘old-school’ six-cylinder engines to set its larger SUVs apart from the pack.

That seems especially good in the base CX-60 Pure, which offers six-cylinder power for just over $50,000. However, despite that significant drawcard, it’s impossible to ignore the fact the entry-level CX-60 is priced similarly to mid-to-high-spec mainstream rivals.

With that in mind, how does the six-cylinder Mazda CX-60 G40e Pure stack up in 2026?

How much does the Mazda CX-60 cost?

The G40e Pure is the cheapest all-wheel drive CX-60 variant currently on sale, priced at $50,740 before on-road costs.

Once the cheapest CX-60 overall, the G40e Pure has now been undercut by the 2.5-litre, rear-wheel drive G25 Pure and G25 Evolve variants. It’s still the cheapest CX-60 with genuine distinction over the smaller CX-5, primarily due to its beefier engine.

It’s also much cheaper than the CX-60’s entry price was at launch in 2023, when the G40e Evolve cost $59,800 before on-roads.

Rivals are mostly premium-leaning mid-size SUVs, but you could also cross-shop large SUVs like the base Hyundai Santa Fe AWD ($57,000 before on-roads) and Skoda Kodiaq Select at $56,990 drive-away – both of which have seven seats instead of the Mazda’s five.

In terms of mainstream mid-size SUV competitors, the CX-60 G40e Pure is slightly cheaper than an all-wheel drive Toyota RAV4 GXL, priced similarly to a high-spec Nissan X-Trail Ti, and closest to the most expensive non-hybrid Subaru Forester.

To see how the Mazda CX-60 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

What is the Mazda CX-60 like on the inside?

The same luxurious bones we’re used to across the rest of Mazda’s CX-badged SUV family are still present in the CX-60 Pure, but its surface-level finish is lacking some sparkle.

It’s plastic-on-plastic in here, offset by padded armrests and cloth-upholstered seats. It therefore lacks the visual edge and ‘wow’ factor of its more expensive alternatives, but there’s still loads of space in here, and you won’t be as worried about dirtying any high-end upholstery.

There’s plenty in here to remind you that you didn’t spring for a better-equipped model, though. The big-ticket item is the instrument cluster, which in the base Pure is a traditional three-dial arrangement (with a digital middle screen) that mirrors the unit fitted to Mazda’s smaller cars, like the CX-30.

Don’t get us wrong, these dials are perfectly legible and still look fairly tidy. The only issue is that the CX-60 is part of an SUV family that’s supposed to push the ‘premium’ envelope for Mazda, and this basic setup blurs the lines between that and Mazda’s more mainstream models.

At least our tester still has a six-cylinder engine, and not the CX-5-esque four-cylinder. It’s just interesting to come back to this stripped-back interior once you’re used to more expensive CX-60s.

Though lacking the customisation and graphical personality of the 12.3-inch digital cluster found elsewhere in the range, there’s still a handful of menus to scroll through on the central digital portion. The digital speedo gauge is our favourite.

In a similar vein, the base model also lacks powered seat adjustment, heated front seats, and a head-up display, much of which you get in similarly priced rivals. The Forester, for instance, has heated and power-adjustable seats for roughly $46,000 plus on-roads, while the X-Trail has both for about $42,000 before ORCs.

Further, the new-generation RAV4 has a 12.3-inch digital instrument display as standard and starts at $45,990 before on-roads.

These weird spec choices can make it feel like you’re being forced into a more expensive CX-60 if you want to stick with the Mazda badge. Yes, those rivals lack the unique engine, but does that make up for the omission of basic features? We don’t think so.

The Pure’s infotainment system is also shrunken compared to what’s available elsewhere, but you’ll have to jump to the CX-60 GT to get Mazda’s largest unit. This one’s still legible and clear, though it looks a bit odd perched atop the expansive dashboard.

Wireless smartphone mirroring is standard, but you’ll still have to use Mazda’s console-mounted rotary dial to navigate everything. This is especially cumbersome in the Apple CarPlay interface, but it’s easy enough to live with once you’ve figured it out – I like being able to navigate the screen without reaching for it.

Elsewhere, you’ll notice there’s a physical climate control panel, which features a hell of a lot of button blanks. As mentioned, this is because the Pure lacks features such as seat heating/ventilation and steering wheel heating.

The seats themselves are comfortable enough, and there’s ample manual adjustment to get into a comfortable position. Ergonomics are therefore decent, provided you can get around the reliance on that rotary dial.

Storage is adequate, with a moderately sized split-opening centre console, lidded cupholders, large door card bottle holders, a sunglasses holder, and a generous passenger-side glovebox. There’s no wireless phone charger, leaving a 12V outlet and USB-C ports as the only options up front.

The second row is spacious. The rear doors open to nearly 90 degrees to make ingress and egress easier, and there’s plenty of headroom and legroom in the outboard seats – the middle is compromised by a driveline hump.

Amenities are about what you’d expect for this segment, with only dual USB-C ports, a 220V outlet, and dual air vents on the back of the centre console. Higher CX-60 grades get heating for the outboard seats, but that’s a forgivable omission in the Pure.

What’s less acceptable is the lack of a power tailgate, especially given this SUV’s size. The tailgate opens easily enough, but a power function would be preferable here.

Once you’re inside, the boot is fairly expansive. Its 477 litres of capacity may not match its rivals on paper, but the large, squared-off boot floor extends well towards the front of the cabin and creates a workable loading area.

There’s also a net on the passenger side for holding small items, but no extra storage under the floor. That area is taken up by a space-saver spare wheel.

To see how the Mazda CX-60 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

Powering the G40e Pure is Mazda’s characteristic 3.3-litre inline six-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, which produces 209kW of power and 450Nm of torque. Drive is sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Unlike a traditional torque-converter auto, the transmission in Mazda’s large CX family utilises a multi-plate clutch setup to reduce reliance on the torque converter. We’ll discuss why that’s important in our driving impressions.

Our week with the CX-60 primarily involved highway commuting, albeit in heavy traffic, resulting in recorded fuel consumption that was comfortably close to Mazda’s claim.

To see how the Mazda CX-60 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

How does the Mazda CX-60 drive?

Even with the option of the four-cylinder, the base CX-60 makes a lot of sense with the petrol six; it just feels correct for this application.

Performance is as strong as ever, and power delivery as smooth as ever. The fake engine noise is more palatable with the petrol option than it is with the diesel, and makes this an enjoyable drive – once you’re up and moving.

Unfortunately, the transmission is still flawed. The use of a multi-plate clutch means there’s something in the transmission constantly engaging and disengaging as it shifts gears or comes to a stop, and it’s impossible to avoid the fact that this takes time.

It may be slightly more defined in its shifts than a traditional torque converter auto, but it isn’t as consistently smooth, and it’s often slow to react. That makes it difficult to crawl smoothly in traffic, and the i-Stop idle stop/start system could also be a bit smoother.

The result is an SUV that isn’t best suited to low-speed urban environments. That’s not to say it’s undriveable in the city, but it’s far more enjoyable once the road opens up.

Under harder acceleration it shifts well, getting you up to highway speed with no real fuss. As mentioned, engine performance is quite good, which is especially helpful here. Peak power output is nicely matched with transmission ratios too, but you can shift to manual mode if you want to control things yourself.

On the freeway, the CX-60 chugs along happily. Engine noise is subdued when not in Sport mode, and road noise isn’t too bad due to the smaller alloy wheels of the Pure grade, which allow for chunkier tyre sidewalls.

That also positively affects ride quality. While the transmission has its faults, the CX-60’s biggest sore spot has long been its less-than-plush ride comfort, which has been well detailed by customers and journalists alike.

This has been improved (albeit not entirely fixed) by a series of updates since the model’s launch, and the improved ride comfort is noticeable across the whole CX-60 range. That includes the base Pure, which rides better than we anticipated – again, thanks in part to its smaller alloys and thicker sidewalls.

There’s still an acceptable, Euro-style level of firmness, and this makes the CX-60 Pure feel intentionally sporty rather than underdone. Mazda cars are generally known for their sportier vibes, and the CX-60 Pure continues that trend while still offering decent compliance for daily driving.

You’ll still notice the car buck over large bumps and clatter over smaller ones, but it’s now at an acceptable level in this base grade, and far better than it used to be.

Otherwise, the CX-60 has nice steering feel, and solid weighting that suits an SUV of this stature. It’s direct and communicative without being fidgety, which gives the car a premium edge when navigating twisty roads or suburban areas.

The suite of sensors and cameras is also well-calibrated and reliable, aside from the odd false alarm from the autonomous emergency braking system. Honestly, though, we’d hope these basic safety systems were flawless, because they’re all the CX-60 has.

Unfortunately, more of the base-spec CX-60’s omissions are found in the safety department. Cruising and traffic support is the big one, as the Pure is the only CX-60 grade to miss out on the steering assist function it brings.

It still has adaptive cruise control that works quite well, but it feels a little too basic as its only ability is matching traffic ahead. A see-through chassis function for the car’s surround-view camera is also absent.

Overall, the base CX-60 is relatively enjoyable to drive, but lacks some of the polish we’ve come to expect from models with premium intentions.

However, the entry-level CX-60 is now better than it’s ever been. Some additional safety gear and further suspension tuning would still go a long way, but the transmission remains its only real flaw.

To see how the Mazda CX-60 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

What do you get?

The Pure is the most basic of the CX-60’s five available trim levels.

2026 Mazda CX-60 Pure equipment highlights:

• 18-inch grey metallic alloy wheels
• Automatic LED headlights
• Auto high-beam
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Body colour exterior mirrors
• Side mirrors with:
  • Power adjustment
  • Auto-folding
  • Heating
  • Auto-dimming
• Black wheel-arches and lower cladding
• 10.25-inch infotainment system
• 7.0-inch instrument cluster screen (six-cylinder)
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster (PHEV)
• Wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Satellite navigation
• Rear console with USB-C and 150W AC outlet
• Rear 1500W AC power outlet socket (PHEV)
• Front USB-C charging points
• DAB+ digital radio
• 8-speaker sound system
• Black cloth upholstery
• 8-way manual driver’s seat adjustment
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Leather-wrapped gear shifter
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
• Dual-zone climate control
• Keyless entry and start
• Electric park brake with auto-hold

CX-60 Evolve adds:

• Remote-operated power tailgate (open/close)
• G-Vectoring Control Plus
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• Head-up display
• Wireless phone charger
• Black Maztex leatherette upholstery

CX-60 Touring adds:

• Exterior mirror position memory
• Black leather upholstery
• Heated front seats
• 10-way driver’s seat power adjustment including lumbar
• 8-way front passenger seat power adjustment
• Two-position driver’s seat memory

CX-60 GT adds:

• 20-inch black metallic alloy wheels
• LED headlights with ‘dark signature’
• Adaptive LED headlights
• Rear combination lights with signature illumination
• Power sliding panoramic sunroof
• Gloss black exterior mirrors
• Two-position side mirror memory
• Body-colour wheel-arches and lower cladding
• Gloss black honeycomb grille
• 12.3-inch infotainment system
• 12-speaker Bose premium sound system with amplifier
• Personalise system (auto restoration of settings)
• Electric steering wheel adjustment
• Heated steering wheel
• Heated outboard rear seats

CX-60 Azami adds:

• 20-inch black metallic and machined alloy wheels
• Adaptive LED headlights with ‘bright signature’
• Body colour exterior mirrors
• Front bumper with bar-type grille
• Personalise system with ‘Easy Entry & Driving’ position guide
• LED ambient lighting
• Frameless interior mirror
• Black Nappa leather upholstery
• Ventilated front seats
• Leather side door trim with courtesy lamp

Options

Two option packages are available for the CX-60.

Takumi Package ($2000, Azami only):

• Pure White nappa leather upholstery
• Bright decoration panel
• Cloth dashboard panel
• White maple wood console
• White maple wood door trim inserts

SP Package ($2000, Azami only):

• 20-inch Black Metallic alloy wheels
• Dark-coloured side signature
• Gloss black honeycomb grille
• Gloss black side mirrors
• LED headlights with dark signature
• Rear bumper guard
• Tan nappa leather upholstery
• Suede finish dashboard panel
• Two-tone steering wheel finish

To see how the Mazda CX-60 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

Is the Mazda CX-60 safe?

The Mazda CX-60 has a five-star ANCAP safety rating, based on testing conducted by Euro NCAP in 2022.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• 10 airbags incl. front-centre, driver’s knee
• Adaptive cruise control
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
  • Forward incl. pedestrian, cyclist detection
  • Reverse
  • Turn assist
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Forward obstruction warning
• Lane-keep assist
• Driver attention monitoring
• Parking sensors – front, rear
• Rear cross-traffic assist
• Reversing camera
• Surround-view camera
• Traffic sign recognition
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Vehicle exit warning

Evolve adds:

• Cruising and Traffic Support
• Driver monitoring
• Front cross-traffic alert
• Surround-view monitor incl. see-through view

To see how the Mazda CX-60 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

How much does the Mazda CX-60 cost to run?

Mazda Australia backs its range with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. Servicing for the CX-60 G40e is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.

Mazda’s individual service costs are detailed below.

We’ll outline three main points of comparison. One is the four-cylinder, non-turbo Mazda CX-5, which costs $3210 to service over seven years, making it considerably cheaper than the six-cylinder CX-60.

Then there’s the new RAV4, which has its first five services capped at $260 each for a total of $1300 over five years, and finally the Santa Fe, which costs $3668 to service over seven years.

To see how the Mazda CX-60 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

CarExpert’s Take on the Mazda CX-60 G40e Pure

The base CX-60 is solid, but it’s just a little too stripped-back for a ‘premium-leaning’ SUV.

Its unique straight-six turbo-petrol engine is certainly a strong point, and its on-road behaviour is now sporty rather than harsh following some more fettling. The only real thing holding it back from the driver’s seat is its clunky transmission, and it isn’t even that big of a deal in the scheme of things.

What’s more challenging is the fact this is a base-spec model that costs more than $50,000. Sure, Mazda may want to position the CX-60 as a more ‘premium’ SUV, but that isn’t how Australians perceive the Japanese brand, and they’re not going to start regarding plastic dashboards as fancy any time soon.

There’s also some equipment missing from the Pure compared to its similarly priced rivals, and its servicing costs are undeniably pricey. All that suggests this isn’t the best way to experience a CX-60.

A better option would be the Touring, which for around $8000 more includes leather upholstery, power seats, a power tailgate, digital instrument display, and a head-up display – all practical items that also improve perceived luxury.

They may be minor considerations for some, but the CX-60 is vastly improved by those premium touches.

CarExpert can save you thousands on a new Mazda CX-60. Click here to get a great deal.

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MORE: Explore the Mazda CX-60 showroom