Experienced by Adrian McQueen
Photography by Adrenaline Lifestyles
Mazda is known to make a solid vehicle that can be a great daily driver and add some flare as well. The 2026 CX-70 3.3 Turbo S Premium Plus widening that luxury lane that the CX-90 opened for Mazda. The Mazda CX-70 is a mid-size, two-row crossover SUV that was unveiled on January 30, 2024. The CX-50 is assembled at Mazda’s Hofu Plant that is located in Yamaguchi, Japan. It is produced alongside the Mazda CX-90, that has three-row’s.
The 2026 CX-70 3.3 Turbo S Premium Plus is eye-catching as soon as you see the long sloping hood that leads to the sharply angled front grille. The CX-70 has a sporty look with blacked-out accents around the vehicle surrounding the upper grille, side mirror caps, roof rails, rear spoiler, and wheel arch moldings. There is also black chrome “Inline 6” fender badges on the vehicle as well. The C-70 that Mazda provided us with came in a Soul Red Crystal Metallic hue. Mazda has beautifully designed the exterior with its’ steeply raked windshield and sweeping rear end.
This two-row, 5 passenger SUV, sits on 21-inch aluminum alloy wheels with a Black Metallic and machine-cut finish. The exterior side-view mirrors fold in automatically when the doors are locked. The rear roof spoiler, roof mounted shark fin antenna and bright finish exhaust outlets added to sporty look to this compact-size crossover SUV. There are also LED Headlights, LED Daytime Running lights and LED Combination taillights.
Inside the CX-70 there is an equally lovely cabin, dressed in leather and high-tech features like a 360-degree-view exterior camera system, SiriusXM Travel Link, a digital gauge display. The CX-70 has split-folding rear seats and hidden under-floor storage compartments that create more cargo storage areas when needed. There is also a panoramic moonroof, auto-dimming rearview mirror and ambient lighting in the cabin.
The CX-70 dashboard features a 12.3-inch color display touchscreen. The system can be controlled via the touchscreen, a rotary knob, buttons on the center console near the shifter and voice commands. The CX-70 comes equipped with Bluetooth, USB ports and a wireless phone charger. The tunes were blaring from the twelve speaker BOSE system as we grooved throughout the city. It was a pleasure to be able to choose from Sirius XM, Pandora, Stitcher, Aha, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto bring a whole new bounty of possibilities to the Mazda experience. The CX-70 includes a 12-volt power adapter, and an available 150-watt or high-output 1,500-watt AC power outlet in the cargo area.
The 2026 Mazda CX-70 3.3 Turbo S Premium Plus comes with a 3.3-liter turbocharged inline-six engine paired with a 8-speed automatic that puts out 340 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. The throttle response was quick and boost from the turbo is instantaneous. Sport mode in the six-speed automatic transmission definitely adds some pep in your step while the normal mode set us up for a more relaxed commute. The G-Vectoring Control system reduces engine torque to help settle the front end so the SUV would take the turns smoothly. The suspension setup has been refined to offer a smoother and quieter ride. The model that we tested was decent on gas averaging 23 mpg in the city, 28 mpg on the highway and 25 mpg combined.
Safety is not lost in the 2026 CX-70 3.3 Turbo S Premium Plus. It comes with the full suite of Mazda’s i-Activsense safety and driver-assistance features such as Smart Brake Support, Blind-Spot Monitoring, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Lane Departure Warning System, Lane-Keep Assist, Driver Attention Alert, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go, Automatic High Beams, Rear Occupant Alert, Vehicle Exit Warning, Windshield-projected Active Driving Display, Traffic Sign Recognition and Speed Limit Assist.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the 2026 CX-70 3.3 Turbo S Premium Plus top safety ratings and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety named the CX-70 as a 2026 Top Safety Pick+.
The warranty package for the 2026 CX-70 3.3 Turbo S Premium Plus is thorough. The CX-70 has a standard warranty that includes a 3-year/36,000-mile basic (bumper-to-bumper) warranty, a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. Roadside assistance is also provided for 3 years/36,000 miles. Key competitors to the Mazda CX-70 are the Mercedes-Benz GLE, Audi Q5, BMW X5, and the Lexus RX
The 2026 CX-70 3.3 Turbo S Premium Plus is a great find, considering the size, safety and comfort of the vehicle. The model that we tested came in at $59,675. The CX-70 is spacious, stylish, comfortable and definitely a fun vehicle in my book. This two-row crossover is great for a week of shopping, darting around the town and hauling family around. Please enjoy the photo gallery.
