The 2026 Mazda CX-60 refines its transmission and suspension for more comfort

The Mazda CX-60 is not a new crossover, having been introduced to the Philippines back in 2023. This crossover was one of the more unique offerings in its class, with Mazda aiming to compete with premium European offerings.

It has a combination of a 3.3-liter inline-six available either as a turbodiesel with 254 horsepower and 550Nm of torque, or a turbo gasoline engine with 284 horsepower and 450Nm of torque. It’s mated to a 48V mild-hybrid system with a 0.33kWh lithium-ion battery, an eight-speed automatic multi-clutch transmission, and it sends power to a rear-biased all-wheel drive system.

However, despite the car’s compelling package, the all-new Large Vehicle Platform on which the car was based had some teething pains, according to feedback from both consumers and the press, mainly with how the car rode and the jerkiness of the transmission.

Mazda has continuously improved the vehicle over the past few years, and for this year, the automaker is releasing the 2026 model year variant with further improvements to the suspension, transmission, steering, and other aspects, like NVH.

Like before, the updated Mazda CX-60 comes in two variants, the 3.3L AWD HEV Turbo (gas) for Php 2,890,000, and the 3.3L AWD HEV Turbo-D Sport for Php 2,990,000, a Php 100,000 increase compared to the previous year.

The front suspension sees new firmer compression rates, new relocated front knuckle mounts, and retuned dampers to improve stability on rougher surfaces. Meanwhile, the rear suspension gets softer springs and new bump stops, new dampers with increased rebound rates to control the vertical motion (to reduce the frequency of bottoming out), and the removal of the strut bar to improve comfort.

This is followed by the recalibrated steering and stability systems. The power steering has been made slightly lighter and smoother, plus additional bushings in the steering column for improved comfort on longer drives. The rear-biased all-wheel drive system, dynamic stability control, and Kinetic Posture Control have been tweaked to deliver a little more understeer, making the car feel more confident and relaxed through the corners.

Then, the transmission sees its clutch pack optimized, alongside clutch control and hydraulic valve improvements for smoother shiftingall throughout, and more responsive engine-to-electric motor transitions when engaging the i-Stop system during coasting and start/stops.

Finally, improvements to noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) are courtesy of thicker, denser, and more coverage in the area behind the dashboard and near the engine firewall, now including the upper cowl, alongside additional insulation in the trunk side trim. The doors have been reinforced for a crisper door closing sound, and also to reduce unwanted interior vibrations. Other than that, the majority of the car remains unchanged.

The exterior still features 20-inch alloy wheels (two-tone silver for gas, black for diesel), chrome accents with a bar-type grille for the gas or dark chrome and black accents with a honeycomb grille for the diesel, adaptive LED headlights, and various colors such as Rhodium White, Soul Red Crystal, Machine Gray, Jet Black, Sonic Silver, Platinum Quartz, and Deep Crystal Blue.

The interior is covered in Nappa Leather upholstery—Black or White with Maple Wood trim for the gas, or Tan with Leganu Suede for the diesel. It comes with power-adjustable and ventilated front seats, a panoramic sunroof, hands-free power tailgate, ambient lighting, two 12.3-inch screens for the digital driver’s display and infotainment with wireless smartphone integration, a 10.4-inch heads-up display, a wireless charger, and a 12-speaker Bose sound system.

It also comes with the complete suite of i-Activsense advanced driver assistance systems, the Driver Personalization System, which uses facial recognition to remember up to 250 stored settings and preferences for up to six users.

The car comes with a five-year free service plan (free PMS) at six-month or 10,000km intervals for up to five years or 100,000km, on top of a three-year bumper-to-bumper warranty and a five-year hybrid battery warranty.

With the changes made to the CX-60, would you consider this more over its European contemporaries?

^{Photos by Sam Surla and Julian Panlilio}