LOTS TO LIKE, NIGGLES TO FIX

MAZDA'S BOLDEST SUV YET WAVES GOODBYE, BUT IS IT A HIT OR A MISS?

- ALEX INWOOD

MAZDA CX-90 D50e GT

Price as tested $85,550
This month 1519km @ 7.2L/100km
Overall 4579km @ 6.5L/100km

HERE WE ARE then: crunch time for Mazda's biggest, grandest and boldest SUV yet. After four months and 4500km, the CX-90 is heading back to company HQ, which means we now have to answer the questions we posed at the beginning: is it a worthy flagship? And more crucially, is it worth its near-$90K asking price?

I wish the answers were more clear cut but unlike most farewell reports, which sign off with either a cheery "Yep, it's a goodun' or a cautious "maybe give this one a miss", the CX-90's verdict is more complex.

On the one hand, there's so much to like. Mazda's big 7-seater has real presence in the metal thanks to its sheer size, elegant detailing, and sporty proportions that come from its long bonnet and short overhangs. The interior is beautiful. The boot is big. And the all-new six-cylinder diesel engine fitted to our test car is smooth and freakishly frugal.