Hybrid Audi Q5, Mazda CX-60 & the end of the Station Wagon in Australia

CarExpert

Joining Sean this week are Jack Quick and podcast debutant James Wong.   The boys rue the demise of the station wagon in Australia, James fills us in on the new (but very late) Audi Q5 plug-in hybrid and the group compare the new Mazda CX-60 against the ageing Mazda CX-8.  Welcome to our new video podcast! While we've been publishing the CarExpert podcast as an audio podcast for some time, we wanted to change things up with a video podcast! It is hosted by Sean Lander (one of our videographers).  Read the full Audi Q5 TFSI e review: https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-reviews/2023-audi-q5-55-tfsi-e-review  Skip Ahead: Intro: 00:00 RIP Station Wagon: 01:01 Audi Q5 Hybrid: 04:37 Mazda CX-8/CX-60: 11:53 Outro: 25:40  We review every new car on the market, bust car myths, cover the latest car tech and answer your burning questions.  Whether you need new car advice, purchase validation or simply love learning more about new cars and technology, we are your car experts.  Subscribe to Car Expert: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7DvMhvy3H7ntEgn9n3xQcQ?sub_confirmation=1  You'll find us dropping new video content three times a week. If you'd like to ask a question about one of our videos, simply leave us a comment. If you'd like to give us any feedback on our content, feel free to email us, or alternatively, hit us up on social media.  Finally, we want this channel to grow with your support and feedback. If there's anything you don't like or would like to see us change, we'd love to hear from you!  Follow us on social media to see what we're up to and to ask any questions!  CarExpert: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarExpertAus Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CarExpertAus Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carexpert.com.au  Paul Maric: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulMaric Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/PaulMaric Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PaulMaric

Transcript

00:00 G'day, I'm Sean and welcome to the all-new Car Expert podcast.

00:03 Now grab the kids and load up the family bus,

00:05 because today we're going to be talking about some family cars

00:08 from station wagons to SUVs to hybrid SUVs.

00:12 So I guess it's a very SUV heavy episode.

00:14 Back in the hot seat, we couldn't keep him away.

00:16 Jack Quick is back, ladies and gentlemen.

00:18 Jack, how are you doing?

00:19 I'm good, thanks, Sean.

00:20 Thank you for having me back so soon.

00:21 You couldn't get enough of me.

00:23 Thank you for coming back.

00:24 Now joining us for his first ever trip

00:28 to the video podcast here at Car Expert,

00:31 the man with the best hair in the office,

00:33 and I should know because, well, this,

00:36 ladies and gentlemen, Mr. James Wong.

00:38 Hello, thank you for having me.

00:39 It's so good to be here finally.

00:41 Yes, it's about time.

00:42 It only took us five weeks to get you here,

00:43 but we got you here in the end.

00:44 I know that people have been asking,

00:46 so hopefully their questions have been answered.

00:48 Well, I personally asked anyway.

00:50 But we ask for your feedback,

00:52 so we take all of your feedback on board.

00:54 So thank you for requesting James.

00:56 Any other requests you have,

00:57 any feedback you have, do leave a comment below.

01:00 But we're gonna get straight into it.

01:02 We've heard some sad news just recently

01:05 that the Golf Wagon is no more in Australia.

01:09 Yeah, some sad news indeed.

01:10 So yeah, the Golf Wagon,

01:11 along with a whole heap of other Volkswagen

01:14 passenger vehicles are getting the ax in Australia.

01:17 So the 2023 model year will be the last model year here.

01:21 So it includes, obviously,

01:22 as we spoke about the Golf Wagon,

01:23 but it also includes the entire Arteon lineup.

01:26 So not only the wagon version of that,

01:29 the shooting brake, but also the lift back.

01:31 And then last of all,

01:32 there's a new Passat on the horizon,

01:34 but that's not going to be coming to Australia.

01:36 So it's gonna be SUVs moving forward

01:40 at Volkswagen at least anyway.

01:42 I know you're a big Volkswagen fan, James.

01:44 This must cut really deep for you.

01:46 Yeah, I'm sort of wondering,

01:47 do I call it just Volks now 'cause there's no wagon in it?

01:50 But yeah, it was really disappointing actually.

01:52 I actually nearly bought a Golf R wagon

01:55 when I bought my GTI hatch.

01:57 So I'm a really big fan of wagons,

01:59 especially these days.

02:00 They're very, very hard to come by and fairly niche.

02:03 And I think there's still a place for cars like that

02:07 where you can have a lot of boot space

02:08 in a more streamlined passenger car body.

02:11 They handle better than SUVs.

02:12 So it's a shame, but luckily within the Volkswagen group,

02:15 there's still a few brands within their umbrella

02:17 that offer wagons.

02:18 You just can't get a Volkswagon.

02:20 So I guess that that raises a good point.

02:22 So Skoda have some really beautiful wagon options,

02:26 but could they be on the chopping block next

02:28 if this is Volkswagen moving away

02:30 from the wagon sort of thing?

02:31 It's hard to say because I feel like the Volkswagen

02:35 in Australia or whatever Volkswagen group

02:37 is gonna be pushing the people that want a wagon to Skoda.

02:41 So Volkswagen, sorry, Skoda has already confirmed

02:44 that the new Octavia is going to be coming in wagon body.

02:48 So that's a Passat buyer if you want that.

02:52 - Octavia, that's about all I can think of.

02:54 - They still do that in the RS as well, the Octavia RS?

02:57 - I haven't seen just yet.

02:58 I know that there's going to be a plug-in hybrid version

03:00 of that globally, but that's not coming to Australia.

03:04 So there's a whole heap of things

03:06 that aren't coming to Australia, unfortunately.

03:08 - So where does that leave us in terms of,

03:10 back in the day, you could buy a Holden SS sports wagon,

03:14 which was the 6.2 litre V8.

03:16 - Those were the days. - With a horsepower.

03:19 In terms of fast, fun, but not M3 touring budget wagons,

03:24 where does that leave us?

03:27 - Not with a lot. (laughs)

03:29 - Really depressing.

03:29 - Yeah, it's interesting.

03:31 I'm actually currently writing a review

03:33 of the current Octavia RS wagon now

03:35 and trying to think of competitors.

03:37 All I could think of was the Subaru WRX sports wagon,

03:40 which used to be called the LeVorg here,

03:42 and it's still called the LeVorg in Japan,

03:44 but we call it the WRX.

03:45 And that comes in a few different trim levels

03:48 between the 50 and 60 something thousand dollar mark.

03:52 Beyond that, there's the A4 45 TFSI Quattro,

03:57 which is available in just the one variant,

03:59 and that has the same engine as the Golf GTI

04:02 with a little bit more power,

04:03 but it's a little bit more expensive,

04:05 closer to $80,000.

04:07 So other than that, there's not really anything anymore.

04:09 I guess you could throw in the Peugeot 508 sports wagon,

04:12 but they're about to kill the normal petrol one, which--

04:16 - There's three people that are gonna buy that anyway.

04:18 - Well, there are three people that like good looking cars,

04:22 'cause I think they look really cool, but yeah.

04:23 - Good looking is about the only good

04:24 that comes with them, unfortunately.

04:26 - Very niche, so yeah, very, very limited options

04:29 in Australia compared to what you can get in markets

04:31 like Europe and the UK,

04:32 which still have a high ratio of wagons sold there.

04:34 - Yeah, they have a lot of Mercedes wagons and--

04:36 - Absolutely.

04:37 - So we'll move on.

04:38 Sticking with the Volkswagen family group,

04:40 James, you recently went on the launch

04:42 of the new Audi Q5 Hybrid,

04:44 which let's be honest, is kind of a long time coming,

04:46 'cause the Q5 is fairly old now in Australia,

04:49 but we've finally got a hybrid.

04:51 Tell us a little bit about it.

04:52 - Yeah, so the Q5 TFSIE, as they call it,

04:56 is a plug-in hybrid.

04:58 More specifically, they launched this drivetrain

05:01 with the pre-facelift version of this generation

05:04 five, six years ago,

05:05 and it's only just come to Australia now

05:07 when the current Q5's probably in the last year or so

05:09 of its life cycle.

05:10 They're sort of trying to bring in a plug-in hybrid

05:12 that's sort of a little bit different in that

05:14 it offers a performance boost

05:16 as well as the electrified aspect

05:19 and the EV running that you can do with a plug-in hybrid

05:23 compared to something like a RAV4.

05:24 - So they're really dipping their toes in

05:26 to see whether there's actually interest.

05:28 And I think one of the issues that we're gonna start with

05:30 is it starts at around $100,000,

05:32 which is a lot of money for people

05:34 that are trying to be environmentally friendly,

05:36 especially when you can get in some EVs

05:38 for low $40,000, right?

05:40 - That's exactly, that's what I was going to mention.

05:42 For a hundred grand, I can get myself

05:45 a really nice Tesla Model Y or something very similar

05:49 and go fully electric.

05:51 Whereas in this Q5,

05:53 I imagine it's only like 50, 70 km

05:58 before you start doing petrol power once again.

06:02 - Let's just wanna look at the credentials

06:03 on paper for a second.

06:05 It's a two litre four cylinder turbo

06:07 with the hybrid assist.

06:08 Now the power output is actually,

06:12 again, let's cast our minds back a few years again

06:13 to the Ford Falcon XR6 and in turn the Turbo Territory,

06:18 which put out about the same amount of power.

06:20 That's a huge amount of power, 270 kilowatts,

06:23 500 newton meters of torque.

06:24 Like that's verging on a performance car, right?

06:28 - Yeah, absolutely.

06:29 It's actually the most powerful Q5 variant ever.

06:31 It's more powerful than- - More than the SQ.

06:32 - It's even more power than the SQ5,

06:34 which has, I think, 250 kilowatts.

06:36 So yes, the Q5, we only get the 55 TFSIE.

06:40 They also have a lower power 50 TFSIE overseas.

06:43 So it gets a 270 kilowatt, 500 newton meter,

06:45 two litre plug-in hybrid system.

06:47 It basically pairs the two litre turbo petrol engine

06:50 from all of the various Volkswagen wagons

06:53 that we spoke about before.

06:54 So it's a very popular engine.

06:56 - Basically the Golf engine.

06:57 - Pretty much.

06:58 Audi claims up to 55 kilometres of EV range

07:01 on a full charge. - That's actually not bad.

07:03 - It's not bad, but it's not great.

07:04 - Yeah, I think- - There's more, isn't it?

07:05 - Exactly.

07:06 Most of the new plug-in hybrids that you're seeing now

07:08 are getting higher energy density batteries

07:10 that can do between 80 and 100 kilowatts.

07:12 The next generation of VW products will have

07:15 up to 100 Ks of electric range from their plug-in hybrids.

07:17 In our testing, we didn't really get to do a proper

07:20 EV range test on the launch,

07:22 because there was quite a mix of higher speed country roads

07:25 that you wouldn't necessarily do often in a plug-in hybrid.

07:29 But using the efficiency figure

07:31 that was like in the low 20 kilowatt hours per 100 Ks,

07:33 which is still not great either

07:35 by electric car standards,

07:38 you should be able to get 50 to 55 Ks reliably,

07:41 which means their claims are accurate, which is good.

07:43 - How quickly can you travel on electric power alone?

07:46 Are you limited to like 50 Ks now or 80?

07:48 Or couldn't you go highway speeds?

07:49 - Yeah, you can actually go 130.

07:50 So, you know, in Germany on autobahns,

07:53 there would be people that would be able to

07:54 put the cruise control at 130,

07:56 and you'd be able to stay in EV mode

07:58 as long as the battery has charged.

07:59 - That's pretty cool.

08:00 - Yeah, and it's got like 100,

08:02 I think it's 105 kilowatts and 350 Newton meters

08:06 from the electric motor alone.

08:07 So in terms of power,

08:08 it's actually running the same amount of grunt

08:10 as the base diesel Q5 pretty much.

08:13 So it actually gets up and goes quite well.

08:16 It's over two tonnes, so it's a bit heavy.

08:18 But, you know, there are some plug-in hybrids

08:20 that I've definitely tested

08:22 where the electric motor feels too weak

08:23 to move certain cars up hills, for example.

08:26 Like I live in Doncaster in Melbourne's East,

08:27 and we have hills and, you know,

08:30 almost little mountains everywhere.

08:31 And if you're just in EV mode,

08:32 sometimes you're really struggling

08:34 with that electric motor.

08:34 So it never feels underpowered, even in electric mode,

08:37 and you can get up to highway speeds just fine,

08:39 and it's very quiet and refined when it does it.

08:41 So yeah, quite impressive.

08:42 - So XC60 plug-in is one of the few

08:45 sort of actually properly close competitors to it,

08:47 but there are quite a few competitors

08:50 that are a lot cheaper.

08:51 I guess you could argue a slightly different segment,

08:53 but like something like an Outlander FEV,

08:56 just on paper feels like a better buy.

09:00 Like, but, well, like having been in both of them,

09:03 well, how would you feel about that?

09:04 - I think they're still very different cars.

09:05 I think an Outlander buyer is, you know,

09:08 looking at that as a, like a dress,

09:10 the highest version of a mainstream car.

09:13 The trims and finishes are obviously

09:15 very different in the Audi.

09:16 The technology in the Audi is far superior.

09:19 And I think the performance as well.

09:21 Audi made a point to say that the performance boost

09:25 is a key part of the TFSI-E brand,

09:28 that they've also confirmed the Q8

09:30 will get a plug-in hybrid soon,

09:31 which runs the same drivetrain as the Volkswagen Touareg R.

09:34 So, you know, that's the sort of level of performance

09:36 you're looking at.

09:37 It's a car that can do, you know,

09:38 it's just over five seconds sprint to 100 kilometers an hour.

09:42 For somebody that perhaps does most of their driving

09:45 to and from work in the city,

09:47 and, you know, averages 30 to 40 Ks of their daily commute,

09:51 they're only gonna be running it as an EV anyway.

09:53 And then when they want to really gun it from the lights

09:55 or, you know, take it on a longer trip,

09:57 they have the performance from something equivalent

09:59 to an SQ5.

10:00 And it's actually more affordable than an SQ5.

10:03 - I might just reiterate what I said

10:04 at the start of this little segment

10:06 is that you can get an electric SUV for the same model Y.

10:10 And there's also the BMW iX3

10:11 that's around about a hundred grand too,

10:13 and we get you similar amounts of performance,

10:16 if not better performance numbers.

10:18 And I think that's just worth considering as well.

10:20 - Yeah, absolutely.

10:21 I think, speaking of things to consider,

10:23 I think what we need to remember is, you know,

10:25 I don't think we're necessarily saying you can only go EV

10:28 or you can only go plug-in hybrid or you can only do this.

10:30 I believe with plug-in hybrids as well

10:32 is that there is a place for them,

10:33 but they're not for everybody.

10:34 They're a fairly specific use case in that, you know,

10:37 you may want to move into the electrified world,

10:39 but you perhaps aren't ready for a full electric car

10:42 because you're worried about charging it,

10:44 or you still prefer the engagement

10:45 of an internal combustion engine,

10:47 particularly in a performance application like this.

10:50 I know I sort of fall into that camp.

10:51 So for me, this probably suits me a little bit better

10:54 than something like an IX3,

10:56 but yeah, it's really down to personal preference and choice

11:01 and I think the more choice we get, the better.

11:02 - Right, so are you considering maybe purchasing

11:05 an Audi Q5 or anything else,

11:07 Mitsubishi Outlander, a Ford Ranger?

11:09 Well, we have the perfect tool

11:11 to help you get a great deal on a new car.

11:12 Head to Google, type in Help Me Car Expert.

11:14 It's going to take you to a landing page

11:16 where you'll see lots of pictures of Paul

11:18 and he'll be able to help guide you through the finding,

11:21 getting a good deal,

11:22 connecting you to a wide range of dealers,

11:24 all across the country to get a brand new car.

11:26 So if that's what you're looking for,

11:27 if that's what you want to do right now,

11:29 head to Google, type in Help Me Car Expert

11:32 and we'll help you find a great deal.

11:33 If you do buy a car through Help Me Car Expert,

11:35 leave us a comment and let us know.

11:36 We want to know what you bought.

11:37 We want to know how easy it was for you to do it.

11:38 So please let us know.

11:40 We're going to move on to the last topic, guys.

11:43 Bit of a, I don't want to say hybrid,

11:44 but a hybrid topic here.

11:45 We're going to talk about two cars here

11:48 because I think they're actually kind of very similar cars,

11:53 but one's old and one's new.

11:55 So the Mazda CX-8 has been around for quite a while now.

11:59 It's starting to feel a little bit old,

12:00 but still quite popular, I think, among buyers.

12:03 But Mazda's also just released the new CX-60,

12:05 which is, it's similar but different.

12:09 Similar pricing, but different engine configurations,

12:12 different seating configurations.

12:14 But the price is very close.

12:16 So Jack, I know you drove the CX-8 recently.

12:18 Tell us how that felt, 'cause it is a fairly old car now.

12:21 - Yeah, so you did mention that it's quite old

12:24 and it is old, but they recently just got an update

12:27 to look similar to the CX-5.

12:29 So it gets like different front and rear ends.

12:32 The interior tech is a little bit different.

12:35 And I spent the majority of my time

12:37 in the top spec Azami LE.

12:39 - For you, Jack. - Yeah, oh no.

12:42 Which has the really cool, the two captain's chairs

12:44 in the second row, they're electrically adjustable.

12:47 Very cool.

12:48 Also had the 2.2 liter twin turbo diesel engine,

12:52 which I thoroughly enjoyed.

12:54 I was a little disappointed it's not available

12:57 in the CX-9, for example, which I understand

12:59 is like the full fat family SUV

13:02 that's getting the ax very soon in Australia

13:05 and everywhere to make way for these new luxury models.

13:09 But yeah, the CX-8 felt just like a big CX-5 to me

13:14 in all the best ways.

13:16 Like it was really comfortable.

13:18 It felt solid on the highway

13:20 and it was just a good car to me.

13:23 - To go to the other end of the scale,

13:24 now you went and spent a lot of time in the CX-60.

13:27 I think you were driving a diesel one as well.

13:29 So this might be a good comparison to it.

13:32 - I've driven all of them 'cause I did the launch

13:33 and then I more recently had a bit of time

13:35 in the inline six petrol,

13:37 but I have driven the diesel as well.

13:38 - Yeah, okay.

13:39 So if you're watching on YouTube,

13:40 we're gonna put a picture up of both of them

13:41 side by side now.

13:43 How does the new CX-60 feel?

13:45 Just initial the impression straight out of the gate.

13:48 - I think when you come out of like a CX-5 or a CX-8,

13:52 the CX-60 feels just like a new generation

13:56 of an old formula.

13:58 It still feels distinctly Mazda.

14:00 I think what really shows you the development

14:05 is those engines.

14:06 The new inline six engines are notably more powerful.

14:09 Being inline sixes, they've got a distinct sound as well.

14:12 So they don't sound rattly

14:14 and whatever like four cylinder diesels do,

14:16 they have almost sound European

14:18 and it's got a really big car feel to it.

14:22 It doesn't feel like a blown up small car,

14:25 perhaps like the CX-8 does.

14:26 It feels more substantial

14:28 and feels like a shrunken big car.

14:30 So it's very got high shoulder lines,

14:33 very wide body, straight lines in the cabin as well,

14:37 much more focus on some of the tech

14:40 and like the luxury details,

14:42 particularly in the higher end grades.

14:43 And I think that inline six diesel in the new one actually,

14:47 compared to the old four cylinder

14:49 is just so refined and so punchy

14:52 and it's actually more efficient as well

14:54 with that 48 volt mild hybrid system.

14:56 - Just to have a bit of a spec battle here,

14:59 the CX-8 only came in four cylinders.

15:01 You have a petrol or a diesel.

15:03 Both made 140 kilowatts.

15:04 The petrol made 250 Newton meters

15:07 and the diesel made about 450.

15:09 Jumping up to the CX-60 now,

15:11 is they're both six cylinders.

15:12 They're both 3.3 liter petrol or a diesel.

15:16 The petrol makes about 200 kilowatts

15:18 and about 450 Newton meters.

15:19 The diesel makes a little bit less in the power range,

15:22 187 kilowatts, but it does make 500 Newton meters.

15:25 So on paper, they're kind of similar.

15:28 I guess the big difference is you get three rows of seating

15:30 in the CX-8.

15:31 You only get two rows of seating in the CX-60,

15:35 but pricing's fairly similar.

15:36 One gripe I had was the hybrid system.

15:40 So all the CX-60s are hybrid, a variation of hybrid.

15:44 And I know Jack, you had the same problem when you drove it

15:46 where if you're slowing down and you're coasting

15:49 and you, I don't want to say catch it napping,

15:51 but you just go to accelerate,

15:54 it lurches and carries on.

15:56 It sort of doesn't know where it is.

15:58 - Yeah, from my understanding,

16:00 unfortunately I didn't actually get a chance to drive.

16:02 I was in the passenger seat when I experienced it,

16:04 but I really felt like a noticeable lurch.

16:07 And from my understanding,

16:09 it's from when the 48-volt mild hybrid system

16:13 cuts in and out and it turns off the engine and back on,

16:16 because once the engine turns off

16:17 and then you're asking it to switch back on,

16:20 the transmission has to do a whole thing.

16:22 And there's a slight little delay

16:24 before that actually all gets moving again.

16:26 It can feel a little bit clunky, unfortunately.

16:29 - I feel like that's, a lot of cars have 48-volt systems.

16:33 And I know we're talking about a different class of car

16:35 in terms of the cost,

16:37 but the new Mercedes GLC 300 is really smooth on and off

16:41 that 48-volt system.

16:42 I feel like Mazda just haven't quite nailed that.

16:44 - Yeah, I think it's a case of what the manufacturer is

16:49 targeting in terms of how they tune it.

16:51 So in the Mercedes, 'cause I drove,

16:52 I'm actually running a comparison between the CX-60

16:55 and the GLC.

16:57 And so the 48-volt technology behaviour

17:00 was quite different between the two cars.

17:02 Mercedes was obviously going for smoothness and refinement

17:05 in the sense that it doesn't necessarily

17:06 turn the engine off every time as you're coasting to a stop

17:09 and it fires up very quickly.

17:10 Whereas Mazda, like other companies like Audi and Volkswagen

17:14 that use similar tech,

17:15 is that it's prioritising fuel efficiency.

17:17 So it's turning off the engine at every opportunity

17:20 to make sure that the engine's not running

17:21 and saving every drop of fuel that it can.

17:23 But I know that for yourself and a lot of other people,

17:25 when you're driving it for the first time,

17:26 it can be a little bit jarring.

17:27 So I think it's, again, very down to personal preference,

17:32 how the manufacturer's tune it.

17:33 And I guess with the industry moving to

17:36 all forms of electrification now,

17:38 where mild hybrids are sort of becoming the baseline now

17:41 for a lot of the higher-end marques as well,

17:43 you're sort of just gonna be stuck with this

17:45 and you're either just gonna turn it off

17:47 or you're gonna leave it on and learn to drive around it.

17:49 - I think that brings me to the point where

17:51 Mazda in all of its advertising

17:53 is calling the CX-60 all hybrid,

17:56 whereas it's mild hybrid apart from the plug-in hybrid,

17:59 which we'll talk about in a sec.

18:01 But going back to the clunkiness,

18:03 I remember experiencing that with the Tenale as well,

18:06 where there was this quick little dip of nothing

18:08 until it all happened.

18:10 But yeah, does the CX-60 have the,

18:13 on the licence plate, have an EV little badge?

18:15 So what does that mean?

18:17 - I think that's the standard thing now

18:19 for all electrified vehicles

18:21 with high-voltage batteries in them, because--

18:23 - It's for firefighters to know--

18:24 - Yeah, for like emergency services,

18:26 if you're in an accident,

18:28 it lets them know to be careful of the batteries

18:32 because the car's metal and that conducts electricity.

18:34 - Don't cut through the orange cable, basically.

18:36 - Exactly right.

18:37 And 'cause I think in the past,

18:38 there have been serious injuries or even death

18:41 if people have not catered for that.

18:43 So that's why they do it.

18:44 - Well, even yesterday, I saw it just pop up on Facebook.

18:47 Tesla had burned for three days,

18:48 ended up digging a trench,

18:50 filling it with water and dragging the car in there

18:51 to put the battery out.

18:52 So it is one of those,

18:54 there is a lot of dangers around

18:56 electrification of cars and accidents.

18:58 So if you're driving an EV, don't crash.

19:00 That's my advice to you.

19:02 Now, Jack just touched on it.

19:04 There is a plug-in hybrid version

19:05 which pumps out a little bit more power.

19:07 So it's about 240 kilowatts, about 500 newton meters.

19:10 Did you get to drive the plug-in hybrid?

19:11 - I did on the launch, yes.

19:12 - Any good?

19:14 - It's fast.

19:15 But again, sort of like a similar thing

19:18 around like the transmission niggles and things like that.

19:20 Mazda has put in a new in-house transmission.

19:24 This is probably another reason,

19:25 perhaps why you're experiencing this issue

19:27 with the way the CX-60 drives in traffic

19:30 is that the transmission doesn't actually have

19:34 a conventional torque converter.

19:35 It uses the electric motor

19:37 from either the mild hybrid system

19:39 or the plug-in hybrid system

19:40 as a makeshift torque converter.

19:42 And it's almost like it's got a clutch

19:44 and it's almost like an automated manual.

19:45 - They try to make it too complicated for its own good.

19:47 - Sort of, yeah.

19:48 So basically the benefits of this system from,

19:51 at least from Mazda's end is that it is more responsive

19:55 and it is better for fuel economy

19:58 because there's less delay in input to output.

20:01 But what that has also meant is I think,

20:03 because it's a very early iteration of this technology,

20:06 you sort of get times when it almost feels

20:08 a little bit like a dual clutch

20:09 in that it's sort of trying to engage or whatever

20:12 and it sort of slurs between--

20:14 - Like old Volkswagens.

20:15 - Yeah, and it's an issue when you're coming to a stop

20:18 and you're sort of feathering the throttle at low speeds

20:21 and it can sometimes feel like it takes a moment

20:23 to realise what you're doing

20:24 or it sort of lurches.

20:25 And I've sometimes found that with the plug-in hybrid,

20:28 there's like this weird whirring noise

20:29 that almost sounds like a supercharger,

20:31 which is cool when you're giving it full beans,

20:33 but when you're in traffic

20:34 and the electric motor's making a lot of noise,

20:36 you either are like, it's a bit noisy or is it broken?

20:39 And it's just something you have to get used to.

20:41 But the Feb is good.

20:42 It can do up to 60 or 70 Ks of electric range,

20:46 which is pretty good.

20:47 They offer it across three different trim levels as well,

20:49 which is fairly unique in our market.

20:51 There aren't a lot of brands

20:52 that offer multiple trim levels of plug-in hybrid.

20:54 And I sort of found that because of the extra weight

20:55 of the battery pack in the rear,

20:57 sometimes the rear end slaps over the suspension.

21:00 - We did notice that.

21:01 The suspension is a bit too soft for its own good.

21:04 Like it's a comfy ride, but yeah,

21:05 we found on our sine waves,

21:07 it was not bottoming out, but damn close to it.

21:10 Like it's not very nice.

21:12 6.8 had the similar problem where it really-

21:14 - It's a common Mazda thing.

21:15 I've experienced it in a lot,

21:16 like the 3 and the 6 and you name it.

21:19 Especially the rear really likes to get a good slap

21:22 over speed bumps, at least in particular.

21:24 - Yeah, I think there's probably,

21:26 I don't know whether they do right in handling here.

21:28 If they don't, they should.

21:30 'Cause considering they are consistently

21:32 the top 10 best-selling cars in Australia.

21:35 Yeah, they really should be putting a bit more effort

21:36 into local ride and handling.

21:38 That being said, CX-90 is just around the corner.

21:41 And I know they did spend some time driving that

21:43 at our proving ground.

21:44 And I will put a link in the description.

21:46 Paul went and did a drive of it

21:48 at our proving ground here in Melbourne.

21:50 So they should know, they should be able to actually tell

21:53 what's good, what the car's doing here.

21:55 I feel like there's a whole heap of new investment

21:57 from Mazda.

21:58 The CX-60 platform's new.

22:00 It's a lot of similar stuff's gonna be in CX-90

22:02 and probably a whole bunch of cars going forward.

22:04 Is it? - Yes.

22:05 - Like there's sort of, no, so they should be putting in,

22:07 put in a little bit of effort,

22:08 do a bit of ride and handling in Australia.

22:10 - It'd be beneficial, especially if they're gonna be

22:13 investing and giving us all of the SUV models

22:16 based on this large architecture.

22:17 So the 60 and the upcoming 70 and 80,

22:20 and then also the three-row CX-90,

22:23 like there's gonna be heaps of these new SUVs,

22:26 premium SUVs from Mazda,

22:27 which we haven't really seen before.

22:29 And it would be great for Mazda to go all in

22:32 and make sure that they sell well in Australia.

22:35 - Yeah, so I think something worth noting quickly as well,

22:38 something really interesting that the Mazda team told us

22:40 at the launch was that, you know,

22:41 these four SUVs that they've got coming out on this platform

22:44 all have very distinct personalities.

22:46 So the CX-60 is meant to be like the really sporty one,

22:49 and that's probably why it's got that weird firmness,

22:51 but also like the soft tune as well.

22:53 But the CX-90 being very focused on the American market

22:56 will probably be quite soft and wafty.

22:58 I haven't driven it yet, we'll be getting one soon.

23:00 So it'll be good to see whether that's the case.

23:02 And then, you know, we've also got the CX-80 coming,

23:04 which will be a stretched CX-60.

23:07 So, but because it's more family focused,

23:09 perhaps it'll be a little bit softer or, you know,

23:11 a little bit more balanced in that respect to cater for the

23:14 fact there's a third row in the boot as well.

23:16 But yeah, they're all meant to be slightly different.

23:18 So I don't know whether that means-

23:19 - Their cars not dogs though.

23:21 Like, you know, like you just want them to do it.

23:23 Like, I'm sorry, like it's not a Ferrari.

23:25 It doesn't need to have a distinct personality.

23:27 It just needs to do the job and do it well.

23:28 And I feel like, like Mazda's been around for long enough.

23:31 They're not some quirky new brand, new kid on the block.

23:34 I love the styling of the CX-60,

23:35 but I feel like if they're going for personality traits

23:38 in a family SUV,

23:40 they're sort of missing the mark a little bit.

23:42 - But it's a family of SUVs.

23:44 In every family, there's always a wild child.

23:46 There's always the boring one, you know?

23:48 (laughing)

23:49 - Right.

23:49 So, okay.

23:50 So given the option, you have $65,000 to spend.

23:54 Would you buy a low grade CX-60 or a high grade CX-8?

23:58 - Oh, I don't know exactly.

24:01 I really liked the CX-8.

24:04 I think I would go for that.

24:07 Especially that Azami LE,

24:08 the one that I was talking about before.

24:09 I just really liked how unique it was to have the

24:12 captain's chairs and it felt special to just park

24:16 in the driveway.

24:17 And I kept on wanting to look back at it.

24:19 So I think I'd choose that one.

24:21 - You can also park in the pram parking section

24:23 at Westfield, so that's helpful.

24:24 (laughing)

24:25 What about you, James?

24:27 - Look, I didn't get to drive the base model,

24:29 but I've seen a couple of base model CX-60s around

24:31 and I think they still look really cool.

24:33 And I just love that inline six diesel.

24:35 So I think the G, sorry, the CX-60 D50E Evolve,

24:41 specifically with the luxury pack,

24:43 so you get the nice driver's display and leather seats.

24:45 - You've done some research.

24:46 - I have.

24:47 (laughing)

24:48 - You've spent a long time

24:49 just picking yourself up on the good things, right?

24:49 - I know, I'll probably end up talking to some

24:51 product planner being like,

24:52 "If I was to theoretically order this car,

24:55 would I be able to make it happen?"

24:57 But yeah, I think that,

24:58 I really like the styling of it as well.

24:59 And I think that at the moment,

25:01 they're still fairly new and cool

25:03 and they sort of stand out.

25:04 So I think for me, I'd probably go for an entry level CX-60

25:07 'cause it's even in the base grade,

25:09 it's got all the equipment that you really need.

25:11 - So if you haven't seen our CX-60 review on YouTube,

25:13 we'll put a link in the description for it.

25:16 Paul has tested both the petrol and the diesel,

25:18 so we're gonna cover off both sides of it there.

25:21 Gentlemen, is there anything else you wanna,

25:23 any final thoughts you have before we finish up for today?

25:26 - Not really, thank you.

25:26 But thank you for having me back, Sean.

25:28 It's nice to be back so soon.

25:29 - Thanks for coming in.

25:29 It's great, it's always lovely to have you here.

25:30 - I love to chat.

25:31 - And James, it's been great to have you on the couch

25:33 for the first time.

25:34 - Yes, thank you for having me.

25:35 I hope that the feedback from this episode

25:37 is not that they want me off the show now

25:38 after asking me to be on it.

25:40 - We'll show that to your boss.

25:42 We won't show it to you, so it's all good.

25:44 Look, we'd love to know any feedback you guys have.

25:46 Is there anything you'd like us to talk about?

25:47 Anything you'd like us to do?

25:48 Would you like more supercars, less EVs?

25:51 That's what I think we should do.

25:52 But what do you think we should do?

25:54 Write to us, podcast@carexpert.com.au,

25:56 or leave a comment on YouTube.

25:58 If you are listening to this podcast,

26:00 I do suggest you head over to YouTube and watch it

26:02 because we've got pictures, we've got images,

26:03 you can see all of our faces.

26:06 Maybe that's not a selling point,

26:07 but we'd love to know what you think.

26:10 Do like, subscribe, leave us a message.

26:12 Jack, James, thank you for joining us this week,

26:15 and thank you all for joining us as well.

26:17 We'll see you next time.

Category

Transcript

Recommended