► Month 4 with the diesel Mazda
► We’re not enjoying the damping
► Read month 3 here
Blame the combination of heavy car and high centre of gravity. The CX-60’s ride is ridiculously firm for a premium SUV – potholes crash through the cabin harshly, and at least once on every journey I’ll hear everything in the boot leave the floor and come crashing back down, triggered by nothing more reckless than driving over a regular-looking bump.
The car feels over-sprung and under-damped, especially at the rear. While that may contribute to the nicely weighted feel of the steering, it’s bad for ride quality. On longer corners the car gains mass mid-bend, as the suspension compresses further and the dampers do very little to help keep the CX-60 level. The feeling of increasing lean angle is unwelcome.
On uneven road surfaces the suspension groans and creaks loudly at low speeds and in tight corners. At normal speeds, undulations leave the car pitching and yawing long after they’re in the rear-view mirror. Catch a bump while the wheels are even slightly turned and the CX-60 can feel as if it’s about to step out on you.
It’s odd that these fundamentals are so far wide of the mark in a car that has many strengths.
Logbook: Mazda CX-60 Homura e-Skyactiv D MHEV 3.3 (month 4)
Price: £50,705 (£54,357 as tested)
Performance: 3283cc diesel six-cylinder, 251bhp, 7.4sec 0-62mph, 136mph
Efficiency: 53.3mpg (official), 44.0mpg (tested), 138g/km CO2
Energy cost: 16.8p per mile
Miles this month: 890
Total miles: 6554