In the fast-moving world of automotive tech, the 2025 Mazda CX-60 has been officially introduced in Australia, bringing a number of chassis enhancements and significant price reductions, however an investigation shows that Mazda’s premium SUV challenger lacks cutting-edge in-car tech that drivers have grown accustomed to.
The Infotainment System Could Use an Update.
Although Mazda touts the CX-60 as a move into premium territory with its ultra-modern appearance and high-performance selection of powertrains, the car’s infotainment setup appears to have a different tale to tell. The base Evolve grade does get a smaller (10.25-inch) infotainment screen, however, with the larger 12.3-inch screen reserved for the higher-spec GT and Azami models. Tech-savvy buyers will be even more dismayed to learn that smartphone mirroring is only available with the bigger screen, so those of you with the base model are forced to use a much slower, rotary dial-only interface on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
That inconsistency in screen strategy seems particularly frustrating when you see that other brands have managed to deploy bigger, sharper and more responsive touchscreens in much of their respective ranges. And even though the new-for-2025 Pure trim level makes it easier to get into an R1T (the base price now dips under $50,000), it comes with the bare minimum 10.25-inch infotainment screen, still down a few features from what most folks expect to see in a 2025 model year car or truck.
Connectivity Options Will Not Excite You
During a time when the seamless interaction of smartphone and vehicle is expected, the CX-60 approach seems dated. Today’s luxury vehicles come with wireless charging and a sophisticated voice command system and are designed to install updates over the air – all items we noted the CX-60 lacks or has as an option.
Inconsistent touch response across the various versions seems especially out of touch with what consumers expect. Now that car interfaces are becoming more like those of smartphones, Mazda’s determination to offer a different interface in every car is an ever bigger headache for consumers like us who hate fronting up with a complex new control problem.
Poor Digital Cockpit Experience
Mazda has fit the higher trim CX-60 models with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, but the functionality is still lacking compared to the competition’s offerings. The digital display is mostly a reimagining of the old analog gauges but there are no navigation maps – which are normally part of the package in rivals at this price.
The head-up display, included across the lineup, is very much at the simple, basic end of the by-now-exhaustive options list in the premium-car class, with few or none of the augmented-reality possibilities that only recently began trickling in to other premium cars. Where for a brand that’s looking to shift a gear in the market, these inabilities are lost opportunities to get people in their showrooms to look at what’s new.
Uneven cluster centres distribution.
Possibly the most annoying thing for potential buyers is the way Mazda has spread the feature load across the CX-60 line-up. The Vision Technology Package – adding key safety and convenience features – was previously available as an option on most grades, but is now standard from the Evolve upwards.
This package includes “additional tech and safety improvements including larger instrument display and cruising and traffic support” – the latter two features are as-yet unconfirmed options, as their availability has not been announced for the new entry-level Pure. This technology-tiered approach to features results in wide gaps between trim levels that may be confusing for some buyers who are used to equipment packaged in more defined increments.
Mechanical Changes Are Key
To its credit, the 2025 CX-60 does look to address some of the places where the vehicle was panned in the past. The new model has had a chassis update that has seen “softer rear springs, more rear rebound damping and firmer front compression damping applied in a bid to tame its ride”. These modifications lick some complaints that were endemic in earlier models of the car.
There won’t be any changes to the comprehensive engine range in 2025, which includes plug-in and six-cylinder petrol and diesel ‘mild-hybrids’. It’s this powertrain diversity that gives potential buyers options many rivals simply can’t offer and proves that Mazda’s engineering agenda continues to prioritize driving dynamics over digital novelty.
Price Repositioning Could Counteract Tech Limitations
The addition of new, more affordable trim levels might give the CX-60 an edge in spite of its technology downfalls. The Pure become’s the CX-30’s poster child, with a $50,290 starting price before on-road costs – a mighty $10,560 drop on from the current entry point. For price-conscious shoppers, this value equation may outweigh questions about infotainment technology.
Mazda Australia is certainly positioning the CX-60 to reach a wider audience, offering national drive-away pricing for the new entry-level G40e Pure variant from $53,990. The focus on value points to drive buyers to the CX-30 despite its tech constraints, a strategy that might help mitigate the vehicle’s tech shortcomings by attracting buyers who prioritize Mazda’s traditional strengths in design, driving dynamics, and build quality.
The Premium Paradox
How Mazda is handling the CX-60 is illustrative of the difficulties Japanese carmakers have in moving upmarket. Though the brand’s design language and material quality have been a success, really upping the ante to nearly luxury standards, its technological laggardness when compared with European competitors and even with some mainstream rivals who have given priority to digital innovation is increasingly noted.
The CX-60 best selling points continue to be its bold design, ass-kicking powertrain options, and now vastly improved ride and handling. For buyers who don’t need the most recent digital capabilities, the 2025 offers very good value, especially in the new simplified pricing model.
Looking Forward
As we continue to see consumer demands change in favor of more fully-integrated digital experiences, Mazda will need to eventually tackle the CX-60’s tech shortcomings in order to keep pace with others in the premium market. The question is whether the brand will fast track these improvements or will opt to stick to its knitting while gradually lifting its tech game.
For now, the 2025 Mazda CX-60 is a product with premium dreams but mid-tier reality — a mix that will work for some, not for others. The positioning also places challenges, as well as opportunities, in an increasingly competitive SUV category in Australia as the brand seeks to establish a foothold in the premium segment.
Its fate more broadly will all come down to whether Mazda’s known strengths outweigh the CX-60’s dated or clunky – pick your poison – tech as far as Aussie consumers are concerned. The new low entry cost and mechanical upgrades offers a lot with the 2025 model, despite the tech limitations.