MAZDA'S PREMIUM PIVOT POINT

LIFE IS made more interesting by ambitious individuals. And companies.

- TONY O'KANE

Mazda is certainly not short on that attribute, for the car maker from Hiroshima - a relative minnow in the auto industry - has always been propelled forward by the spark of its own ambition more than anything else.

And right now, that ambition is well and truly manifest in the CX-60. Boasting a longitudinally-engined platform with a sporty rear-drive bias, the CX-60 also debuts two new inline-six engines (a format Mazda has never dabbled with before), its first plug-in hybrid implementation, and a level of in-car opulence that hasn't been seen since the company's experimental quasiluxe sub-brands Eunos and Efini back in the 1990s.

As a representation of Mazda's intent to take its brand image further upmarket, the CX-60 makes a strong impression in a glossy brochure too. In the metal it's even nicer to behold, its attractive rear-driven proportions standing it apart from typical SUVs in its size class. It needs to look good, though, for the pricing of this mid-sizer is like few other mainstream SUVs - in fact, with a starting price just a shade under $60K, the CX-60's sales stats are measured against things like Merc GLCs, BMW X3s and Audi Q5s by the official industry monitor. Things like Toyotas, Hondas and Hyundais are far too proletarian to compare to the CX-60.

Does it deliver on its aspirational posture, though? We drove the range at its national launch in NSW to discover more about what is arguably the most alluring Mazda of the past two decades.