2024 Mazda CX-60 PHEV long-term review part 2 – All the bells and whistles for family life

While the plug-in hybrid powertrain might be this CX-60’s major point of difference, it is still – at its core – positioned as a family car.

And, cutting-edge engine aside, that means it still needs to deliver on the practicality and useability to make daily family life a breeze.

And here, the CX-60 GT PHEV gets greens across the board – with one big caveat.

Measuring 4740mm long, 1890mm wide, 1675mm tall and with a 2870mm wheelbase, the CX-60 is larger in all aspects barring height than a Toyota RAV4 or Mitsubishi Outlander – the latter even with a seven-seat capacity.

And for families that have car seats to contend with, sometimes the second row can be just as important as the front.

In the smaller CX-5, a rear-facing car seat behind the passenger means the front seat is pushed all the way forward, leaving little room for occupants.

The CX-60, however, does not suffer the same fate, as the cabin is noticeably more generous than its segment-sharing sibling.

Even two car seats won’t be trouble for the CX-60 – I can certainly attest to this – leaving ample room for passengers up front.

And without the car seats in place, the CX-60 affords plenty of space for 185cm-tall adults like myself, with a good amount of head, leg and shoulder room.

Amenities in the second row include bottle holders in the door cards, a fold-down centre armrest with two cupholders, air vents, heated outboard seats, and back seat map pockets – so pretty standard fare.

The boot is also generous, able to swallow 477 litres with all seats in place, but keep in mind, if you want to lug around the charging cable, it eats a little into that space.

In real-world terms that means a full-sized pram, nappy bag, groceries, and more will fit in without a problem.

Fold the second-row seats down, and space swells to 1726L, making the occasional trips to Bunnings or Ikea that much easier.

In the front seats, space is just fine, with storage options including large door pockets, cupholders, an underarm storage cubby, and a smartphone charging tray.

It’s not the best when it comes to finding a home for all the stuff in your pockets, but it’s enough for my daily carry.

Another great aspect of this CX-60, and all of them for that matter, is the luxe-like cabin and high level of equipment.

Inside there are lashings of leather on the seats, steering wheel and door cards, which makes the interior look high end, but of note is that it is all soft to touch, really elevating the cabin experience.

Family buyers should take note that the leather seats are a breeze to clean after split drinks, smooshed banana and cracker crumbs, so you can keep that high-end feel with a bit of elbow grease.

One of my favourite aspects inside the CX-60 GT, though, is the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster that offers a clear readout and fancy graphics befitting a car of this Mazda’s calibre.

The infotainment screen also measures 12.3 inches, which is big and bright, but it does have its quirks you need to overcome.

For starters, it’s a touchscreen, but not via the native software – it’s only a touchscreen when using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and even then, it’s not on by default.

You have to dive into the connectivity settings and turn it on per device for functionality – weird, but if you owned this car, you would do it once and it's sorted.

This system also supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and as a Google Pixel user, well, the smartphone mirroring can drop out going under certain CityLink tolls.

At least there is a wireless smartphone charger to support the wire-free connection.

There is also a massive list of equipment on offer here too, some of which are mandatory for an easier family life.

As standard, the CX-60 GT comes very well appointed, with dual-zone climate control, digital radio, a surround-view monitor, keyless entry, push-button start, in-built satellite navigation, and LED headlights – all of which are also available on the base grade.

Of course, the mid-spec GT has some added extras, like electronic steering wheel adjustment, exterior mirror position memory, hands-free tailgate operation, full leather interior, a panoramic sunroof, 12-speaker Bose sound system, heated front and rear outboard seats, and heated steering wheel.

The dual-zone climate is handy for drivers that run a different temperature than other occupants like myself, while this grade of CX-60 also has switchable driver profiles that remember seating and steering wheel positions – handy for households with multiple drivers.

The best feature, however, might be the hands-free tailgate, which is also operable from the key fob, that makes it so easy to access the pram or groceries when your hands are full with other things.

But chances are, if you are looking at a CX-60, it’s because you have a family to cart around, and with kids in the back, safety is paramount.

Luckily the CX-60 delivers on the safety front with a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating with strong results in the adult and child occupant protection crash tests.

But even better than knowing you will be relatively safe in an accident is never getting into one in the first place, and the CX-60 suitably has enough gear here to lower your chances.

There’s forward autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, a surround-view monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring, traffic sign recognition, and blind-spot monitoring – all as standard across the entire CX-60 line-up.

In fact, stepping up to the GT adds no new safety features, while the Vision Technology Package fitted to our car adds driver monitoring, front cross-traffic alert, and a see-through view for the surround-view monitor.

So, what’s the downside?

Like almost all things in life, there is a cost – and here it is a not so insubstantial one.

That recommended retail price of $81,600 before on-road costs can be a hard pill to swallow, especially as there are more affordable plug-in hybrids, well-equipped family cars, and even a mixture of both.

At the time of writing, Mazda Australia does have the CX-60 GT PHEV on special, priced around $78,000 drive-away, so there is some wiggle room in that price.

With just a month of motoring to go in the CX-60, it has already proven a fantastic family car, but ultimately the test for whether the plug-in hybrid powertrain is worth the premium will come down to the multitude of long trips planned over the Christmas break.

Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.

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