2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV: How Much MPG Do Real Drivers Get?

[@offtheshelfrides]

Watch the Full Review of the CX-90 here kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKDCm6Znbr2ihq8

[@AnthonyReviews-uc5ip]

I love this video. Thank you for the data and hard work. I crunched the numbers and here’s another way of thinking about it. 103 miles 40.4 mpg according to the author, 38.9 according to car. 2.546 gallons used of gas 17.8kwh battery size , fully depleted. Then, 17.8kwh @ $0.20 / kWh = $3.56 2.546 gallons of premium @ $5.00 = $12.73. $12.73 + $3.56 = $16.29 to go 103 miles. In this scenario, you are paying $16.29 to go 103 miles which is equivalent to 31.6mpg in a fully ice engine. $16.29 gets you 3.258 gallons of premium gas. 31.6 mpg is the break even. Reason for using $0.20/kwh is because that’s what I pay here overnight charge in California. Much lower obviously elsewhere. A 31mpg is the same as say a Civic or a small car. If we accept that the CX90 is equivalent to a 31mpg on a cost basis- then we can assume it’s getting awesome mileage for such a large family hauler.

[@offtheshelfrides]

Better yet, it only cost me $0.09/kw and I would have to check the video but I believe premium here was closer to 4.50 at the time.

[@AnthonyReviews-uc5ip]

@@offtheshelfrides how many miles did you get from the EV battery before the gas kicked in? Curious how many miles 17.8kwh got you! Please and thank you!

[@offtheshelfrides]

I had to go back and check the video and I didn't show it but I said it was about 25 miles, I think it is rated for 27. But if you haven't seen, I did an electric only range test - kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3uZmaChpt2mfNksi=V_YF0TgwtNbznh7E

[@AnthonyReviews-uc5ip]

@@offtheshelfrides had not seen it, til now! Awesome, thnx. This is pretty good. 28.1 on a 26 marketing. Not bad.

[@dr.feelgood9067]

My work has free electricity so ya there's that too. Impressive either way.

[@isaacs9022]

Also keep in mind that while driving in charge mode you are able to recharge the battery which gives you additional ev range. I've read that about 100 miles or so of driving can recharge the batttery. These Mazda numbers are impressive.

[@offtheshelfrides]

Yes that is true, but you will lose an additional 1-2mpg while running the charge setting

[@emidyl24]

saw another reviewer get only like 21mpg when charging the battery back up

[@WazZappening]

Thank you sir for an actual real world driving test, everybody else just talks but nobody shows or does the real testing.

[@offtheshelfrides]

Thank you!

[@msteele999]

I have a new CX-90 and I think there are a couple of things that need to be clarified: - you were initially driving in EV mode (the blue colored dash indicates EV mode) - not Normal mode. - when the battery shows zero, there is still a charge (it is padded so it does not deplete 100%) - in normal mode when EV is engaged (usually below 25 mph or when decelerating) you will see and EV symbol illuminated over the gear indicator on the dashboard With all that said - really good mileage and great video Thanks!

[@offtheshelfrides]

Thank you, i will clarify, since you own one. I was driving in the Normal mode, it was set on Normal mode. I did not switch it to EV mode. It was set to prioritize ev mode 1st. This test was to determine the mixed MPG if people drive their PHEV the way it is intended to be used.

[@offtheshelfrides]

There is a setting in the infotainment to utilize ev mode 1st, otherwise you are not utilizing the battery and just treating it like a traditional hybrid. Use your free miles, I will make a bug difference in your wallet.

[@robertwilliam9558]

Excellent fuel economy for such a large SUV.

[@offtheshelfrides]

The Electric range of the Plug-in hybrid makes all the difference!

[@marilynwilliams9102]

50 mpg in rural Kentucky

[@offtheshelfrides]

That's great!

[@DaveRappo]

Does mpg that last the whole tank?

[@retgi1]

Other reviewers have stated they can use 87 octane in this Mazda PHEV though you won't get the full rated HP about 20 or 30 less than premium.

[@offtheshelfrides]

Yes, Mazda uses an adaptive fuel system

[@javierpereira7580]

Should top charge after gas, but it it’s a good test since battery was high on charge

[@offtheshelfrides]

I ran it on Gas only to the gas station so it didn't use the battery.

[@alfontana6242]

Thanks for your video. We have a 2020 Toyota Highlander hybrid, all wheel drive, model LE. Its also a 8 passenger vehicle and also has a 4 cylinder engine that uses regular 87 octane gasoline. We have been averaging nearly 35 mpg as a hybrid as this is not a plug in. I don't like the idea of having to use premium gasoline in a vehicle in todays world. I think if Toyota made the highlander as a plug in hybrid like they did with the RAV 4 Prime it would surpass Mazda CX90.

[@offtheshelfrides]

I haven't has the opportunity to drive the Highlander yet, but I do have the Grand Highlander Hybrid Max coming next week. I am really excited to Test it.

[@yankeesusa1]

Just drove this for the first time for the weekend. I loved it. But it definitely feels bigger but not as much storage as it could have with all that space. And compared to the cx9, when you take turns it does feel a little wobbly but it's not a deal breaker. I'm still looking at buying the cx9 since repairs on this vehicle will most likely be very expensive due to the fact that the timing chain was placed in back of engine and will require the engine to be lifted for many major repairs. But i do love that HUD, by far one of my favorite features along with wireless Android Auto.

[@offtheshelfrides]

It is really nice, but I wouldn't put a lot of weight into having to replace the timing chain. Mazda has really good engines and most failures happen before the warranty is up.

[@emidyl24]

not for the PHEV, you're referring to the inline 6. AMD actually likes the setup/design of this drivetrain.

[@JWE2013]

looks like you had the vehicle in "EV" mode at the start (Looking at the Dash display and theme), which is why the engine never ran in your first 30 odd miles. Would be interesting to see the results in you had it in "Normal" from the start. I expect you wouldn't have seen the battery fully discharge and it would have used more gas power. It would be really interesting to see if that had any effect on MPG's overall for the 103 miles driven.

[@offtheshelfrides]

The normal mode starts in EV and runs out the battery 1st. That is the whole point of driving a PHEV.

[@frgggggdsedd6913]

What if I drive only 30km everyday does that mean I will never need to pump?

[@offtheshelfrides]

If that is all you drive, then as long as you plug-in every night...you will not have get gas. But make sure you have some in there for emergency situations.

[@anthonyf7169]

Only owner of 2016 X5 40e plug in. I have found that each system has advantages. Battery for low speed and gas for highway speeds. Can the CX90 be manipulated to force ICE on the highway and EV in the city? I think the drive mode would force EV as long as the battery has a charge?

[@offtheshelfrides]

Yes, you can switch between engine only and EV mode, you can also charge the battery while driving although you will likely lose 1-2 mpg.

[@davids7998]

Nice video. If I'm only able to publicly charge the car 2 times a week (full charge), and drive 100 miles a week, is it worth getting this car? Meaning will I be saving on gas?

[@offtheshelfrides]

If you only drive 100 miles per week and you are able to charge twice per week, that should give you about 50 miles of Electric and only 50 miles of gas or basically 2-3 gallons of gas. There is also a feature that once the battery depletes, you can have the engine recharge the battery while driving, also I believe there is a setting where you can conserve some of the battery so it will be used like a traditional hybrid.

[@davids7998]

Thank you. I see you were able to drive 100 miles off of one charge. I'm wondering if I could save it to 1 charge if I'm driving the same amount? If this is too technical, no worries and thanks again

[@offtheshelfrides]

The test was for 100 miles but only the 1st 27-30 miles was electric, then it switched to the gas engine for the remainder of the trip.

[@minthos4045]

if you do long range Trip in a vacinity of 300km+ , you will never get this sweet MPG. it will be lot closer to 25-30 MPG which is still decent.

[@offtheshelfrides]

Of course the farther you drive, the lower it will be, except you can recharge the battery while driving then use only electric again which would boost you back up. The point of this is 100 miles each day. The national average is less than 50 miles per day.

[@warthog123]

Hows the driver assistant? Does it turn significantly on highways?

[@offtheshelfrides]

I was surprised to find out that this did not have lane centering, only lane keep assist, which worked well.

[@m2193d]

Hard to hear you properly while you are driving back on the interstate. I am considering purchasing this car towards the end of the year hoping there will be some deals available. I just wish that it would offer more range out of its 17.6kWh battery. It will cost me approximately $4 to charge that battery, which is the approximate cost of a gallon of gas here, and this one cost at least $10k more than the inline-6 trim.

[@offtheshelfrides]

Sorry about that, the mic on the go pro was broke, I just figured it out. That is quite the cost for electric, it would only cost me about $1.80. Hyundai Santa Fe will have a plug-in hybrid 3 row late next year for around $50k, but I believe they are only 2 row now.

[@sostareci]

I have a 2021 Toyota Avalon XSE Hybrid. I will trade it for the new 2024 Mazda PHEW Premium Plus. I am not sure if I am doing the right thing. I was averaging 48 MPG and with 22 miles to work and back, hopefully I will have a vehicle with more room, more horsepower and a new warranty. Time will tell

[@offtheshelfrides]

You would barely use any gas for your work commute. None if you meant 22 miles round trip.

[@safaakhouri1491]

Was the AC ON? I am getting 30 MPG Max on daily plug in charging Bases and with AC ON all the time.

[@offtheshelfrides]

The climate control was on and set between 68-72

[@David_Journey]

For longevity of battery it’s better to set the battery charge to hold at 20% as depleting the battery completely may shorten its lifespan. I was able to get 40mpg in normal mode with reserve charge hold set at 20% on my trips ranging 20-30 miles easily.

[@offtheshelfrides]

0% never means 0%, there is always a buffer, just like EV batteries. There is likely 2% up top and at the bottom plus AC charging does not damage a batter like DCFC will.

[@MIKEVFIT]

Even at full battery you dont use 100% of the battery. You use like 15kw approx of the 17.8kw of the full battery so there is no risk of charging it everytime at 100%.

[@David_Journey]

@@MIKEVFIT how do you verify this information? Is this part of user manual?

[@MIKEVFIT]

I work for mazda dealer

[@offtheshelfrides]

​@michaeltechreviews5390 That is the way I understand it also, when the engine kicks in, there is still a small amount of battery left also to run the hybrid system

[@viacheslavkrasin3119]

What the miles will be if we are not going to recharge car and use it in mixed modes ?

[@offtheshelfrides]

Even if you don't plug it in and charge it, it keeps energy in reserve to drive like a hybrid, you just won't get many electric miles out of it. You might get 3-5 MPG above the Engine only mpg.

[@viacheslavkrasin3119]

@@offtheshelfrides is it ok if we will use car without plugging to grid at all a potentially let it recharge from an engine if it available? Any constraints from a manufacturer?

[@offtheshelfrides]

Not that I'm aware of, but you probably would lose an extra 1-2mpg while charging with the engine.

[@viacheslavkrasin3119]

@@offtheshelfridesthan I cannot understand the value of this phev. It’s premium gas, it’s requires some electricity. I think too many hassles to save couple galons of premium gas out of electricity from a socket. Taking into the consideration the cost of gas vs phev version it’s really a question ? We are living in a rented apartment with no way to connect to a grid.

[@offtheshelfrides]

I understand, they do have the turbo s version. Inline 6 cylinder with a mild hybrid system, you Don't have to plug in.

[@riderNdriver]

How is the braking in cx90 phev compared to the inline 6 trim?

[@offtheshelfrides]

Sorry, I can't help you there. I haven't driven the inline 6.

[@riderNdriver]

​@@offtheshelfridesor at least was the braking in phev adequate because of the heavier battery

[@offtheshelfrides]

@sijoyusa yes, Braking was good. You have regenerative Braking so you start slowing way faster and when you press the brake you get more regen. If you hit the brakes sharply, you will engage the friction brakes and it stops very well. You won't notice the battery weight.

[@tharais]

@@riderNdriver I saw a test review and the PHEV took 14' longer than the mild hybrid versions to stop from 60 MPH IIRC. Due to the higher weight. But, it was mentioned that it was better than some of the competition. Of course, I can't remember where I read that review now. What else is new? 🙂

[@Hallowsaw]

Yeah why dont people just drive it like a traditional hybrid to see what mpg is without all the varying conditions.

[@offtheshelfrides]

Most people are not going to get in and switch it over to Hybrid mode everytime, plus if you want the hybrid, then buy the hybrid version. The point of the PHEV is to be able to drive in electric without using gas. I could drive this round trip to work without using gas.

[@marilynwilliams9102]

Idrive like regular gas car and get 50 mpg.

[@schwinnbiking]

Mazda is showing u what you got on gas only vs yours is with the electric range of 26 miles

[@offtheshelfrides]

No, it's not. If you watch the whole video, you will see it register on the car as we drive. Mpgs decrease when the engine engages until we completed the test. The mpg displayed is for the entire trip of 100 miles, electric miles and engine miles.

[@beea.9560]

You forgot to deduct the miles from the EV miles.

[@offtheshelfrides]

No I didn't forget. This is the mpg of the car as a whole over 100 miles, as if you plugged it in each night (the reason you buy a PHEV)got in and drove for 100 miles each day, not just the engine. If I was going to do that, then I wouldn't have driven any electric miles.

[@beea.9560]

@@offtheshelfrides how much has it cost you to charge it every month? I live here in California where it cost more to charge..

[@beea.9560]

@@offtheshelfridesI test drove one today. It was a little odd at first.. but it's a solid car!! Is there a better way to maximize efficiency when fully charged and using one tank of gas? Because I'm looking at people's numbers on Fuelly and they are getting like 40-50mpg..

[@offtheshelfrides]

It is a relatively small battery. Only takes 2.5 hours to charge to full. Where I live, it's $0.09/kw so adding 15kw so that's about $1.35 per charge.

[@offtheshelfrides]

Yes it is very good. The best way is to drive it in electric 1st and then it will switch to hybrid mode after that. You can also charge the battery while your driving up to 80% and then switch back to electric for another 20 miles or so. But you will lose 1-2 mpg while charging it when driving

[@tharais]

The thing is, the electric propulsion ain't free. It costs to charge the battery. And, where I live, with electricity pushing $0.50/kWh, it can be as much as gasoline in energy equivalence. That doesn't mean I don't like the Mazda. In fact, I just starting looking at them because we were planning to replace our Toyota Highlander Hybrid with a new one. But the Toyota dealers are off the charts these days, starting with $10,000 "market adjustment" to the MSRP. And the higher end versions of the Highlander Hybrid are unobtanium around here.

[@offtheshelfrides]

I understand what your saying. It's only $0.09/kwh where I live. Maybe take a look at the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe. It's redesigned for 2024 with a 3rd row if that's what you need. I have a review of the 2023 model and we loved it! No 3rd row for the 23 model though.

[@David_Journey]

Mazda gives you $7500 off if if you lease a CX-90 PHEV, that erases the price difference between gas and turbo S, and then some.

[@David_Journey]

0.5$/kWh makes it hard to break even for sure

[@David_Journey]

For most states in US the electricity rates off peak are way lower than 0.50$: www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.php?t=epmt_5_6_a

[@tharais]

@@David_Journey Well, not exactly. Mazda offers "customer cash" towards a lease of a CX-90 PHEV from the dealers EXISTING stock in lieu of the $7,500 federal tax credit that it otherwise doesn't qualify for. But, the dealers have already rigged this game. As they are apt to do. You won't find a $7,500 lower price on the vehicle. That is, the financed capital cost plus residual value. I've tried. They do play games with the interest rate though. Where the $7,500 supposed credit, will evaporate right before your eyes. Otherwise, I might be driving a CX-90 PHEV today. There is a reason people hate car dealerships. One can hope that Mazda takes note of these comments.

[@jimmclean829]

Most data suggests the average daily commute in the us in terms of distance is 21 miles (42 daily). Or 30 minutes each way in terms of time. That is real world driving, not over 100 miles per day. I am quite certain if you re did your test on real world numbers your mpg will be far higher. I think many drivers over estimate the daily range they really need in an EV used for daily commutes which for now is where they make the most sense economically. Our daily driver EV has 100 miles of range and not once has range been an issue for daily driving. Now we would not take that car on long drives, but a PHEV as a second vehicle makes a lot of sense to us, which is our plan. We are going wait though to see what the cx 70 looks like.

[@offtheshelfrides]

Yes, I could drive a shorter distance, but then someone would say you aren't driving long enough so we can't see the mpg mixed with the engine. I chose 100 miles to show a reasonable mix.

[@jimmclean829]

I understand your point, but as a very experienced EV driver it frustrates me to see so many reviews focusing on driving distances that are just not in tune with reality. I do think you are closer to reality than most.

[@offtheshelfrides]

@jimmclean829 I owned an ID.4 for over a year and a Mach-E for about 3 months. I guess I should also say, I live in the Midwest, it's a 30 mile drive to get groceries or anything else. That is why I do 100 miles also, it isn't abnormal in this open area to drive a 100 miles in a day.

[@shashankshekhar2611]

@@offtheshelfrides thanks for this, bought the cx 90 phev here in Canada post watching your review :), very happy with it. built quality is good too!!

[@offtheshelfrides]

@jimmclean829 Glad I could help. We love Mazda and have never been disappointed when owning or driving them. Enjoy it!

[@nacholibre1465]

Toyota sienna gets 36 actual mpg, I wonder what the mazda gets without the "free EV" range.

[@offtheshelfrides]

It is rated at 25 mpg for the engine. You would also have to factor the Engines. Is the Sienna a Hybrid? A smaller turbo 4cyl? But, either way 36 is really good!

[@nacholibre1465]

@OSRGarage 25mpg for a hybrid isn't very good. I love the mazda brand but this phev isn't a great hybrid vehicle

[@offtheshelfrides]

The 25 mpg is engine only, not hybrid mode. That would be 30-32 mpg approximately.

[@David_Journey]

@@offtheshelfridesI am getting anywhere between 30-40 mpg consistently. You do not drive a spec sheet in real world. The CX-90 is an excellent hybrid and EV in one. Also it matters where you set the recharge % to use it has true hybrid on longer journeys. I have never seen 25 mpg as it would be stupid to not recharge the car overnight. The worst I have seen was 27 mpg on a longer road trip with 5 miles of charge in beginning of the day.

[@David_Journey]

Toyota Sienna is a low slung minivan, an SUV that sits higher up won’t be ever as efficient. However Sienna is underpowered compared to CX-90. If you need a minivan, you unlikely cross show an SUV like CX-90.

[@olgamarutiak9682]

24 mpg ,batery las 20 miles.Horrible quality, 0 functional space inside, to big outside. It's not worth it money money

[@offtheshelfrides]

Doesn't sound like it's the vehicle for you. Thanks for watching!

[@johnnyb.2355]

That's calculations are not accurate, drive for 200 miles, 300 miles and you get lower mpg.

[@offtheshelfrides]

The calculations are for 100 miles. Of course it would be different the further you drive, but if you drove 3 days, 100 miles each day, charged it to full each day, you would get or be close to my number. The AVERAGE person doesn't drive more than 100 miles in a day.

[@johnnyb.2355]

@@offtheshelfrides drive till you ran out of batts and gas, that's the real life mpg.

[@fransarj]

@@johnnyb.2355lol nobody drives till empty. What he did was realistic because if i drive 100mi/day, at the end of the day the car will always be charging ready for the next day. So his mpg is something the average person will achieve

[@Boston_canon]

How often you guys charge cx90? Every night?

[@offtheshelfrides]

We don't own it, but If we did, yes we would plug it in every time it is parked.

[@Boston_canon]

@@offtheshelfrides ok, thank you