The first astonishment came even before we set off: after the transfer from Leverkusen to Stuttgart, the fuel consumption display in the virtual instrument panel showed a consumption of 6.5 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers. I think that’s really excellent for a 4.75 meter long, 2 ton SUV. After all, the all-wheel-drive Mazda CX-60 e-Skyactiv D 254 HOMURA is unmistakably powered by an in-line six-cylinder engine, which also has plenty of displacement. (3.3 liters, 254 hp and 550 Nm torque, as I later discovered from the data sheet). But that’s just the icing on the cake – after all, the Bose sound system was the focus of my test drives.
I was recently able to experience the combination of the Mazda and Bose brands with the MX-5. The flat roadster, which weighs just over a ton, naturally fits my automotive preferences better than an SUV weighing around 2 tons, which is enthroned high above the asphalt. However, I got the Mazda in the CX-60 e-Skyactiv D 254 HOMURA version, which starts at around 60,000 euros, for a business appointment in Hamburg, which is over 650 kilometers away from Stuttgart in the north of the country. In short, a welcome opportunity to get to know the diesel mild hybrid SUV with its 17 hp electric motor acting on the input shaft under practical conditions. And one of the few situations in which I am happy to deviate from my sporty principles and prefer the “monster Mazda” to the sports roadster, despite my enthusiasm for its driving pleasure.
As I was able to take delivery of the Mazda CX-60 in an eventful week shortly before my Hamburg appointment, I decided to familiarize myself with the special features and settings of the vehicle and sound system while driving. I hadn’t even noticed the “Straight Six” lettering on the side when I got in early in the morning. I was all the more surprised when, after the somewhat grumpy warm-up phase, I heard the highly appreciated turbine-like sound of an inline six cylinder, which is unmistakable for petrol heads. At first I didn’t want to believe it because I associated Mazda more with a V6.
Six-appeal with Diesel power
Over the decades, most of my cars have had straight-six engines. So I know all the pros and cons. From a purely engine point of view, the straight-six is a six in the lottery. Alongside a V12 with a 60-degree cylinder bank angle, this design is considered the optimum in terms of running smoothness and low vibration. In practice, however, it is more difficult to integrate into a vehicle than a V6. It is not only lower, which is good for the center of gravity. Above all, it is much shorter, namely exactly half the length of an in-line six-cylinder engine. It can therefore also be installed transversely and the vehicle’s center of gravity can be better balanced. This is why it is so popular with many car manufacturers, because it is also compatible with the widespread front-wheel drive. For a long time, only the rear-wheel drive high priests at BMW adhered to this principle, which can operate more efficiently and with greater torque without the balancer shaft that is usual with V6s.
Mazda can easily compensate for the disadvantage that a significant part of the engine protrudes over the front axle in many cases due to the length of the 4.75 meter long CX-60 with its stretched hood. In the fast, demanding bends of the Kassel mountains, there was therefore nothing to complain about in terms of balance, even from the perspective of a roadster and coupé enthusiast. The velvety soft suspension, which decouples from the road surface, was also convincing if you approached it with a round, even driving style.
Thrilling me softly
Actually, I like it tough and crisp. But years of underinvestment in our transport infrastructure have turned even well-developed highways like our north-south axis A5 into moguls to such an extent that as a Mini Cooper driver I would probably sue for a car tax refund in Karlsruhe. In my sporty coupé, I seriously consider whether I could actually drive rally-cross on such routes?
Obviously, the Japanese have recognized the German dilemma exactly and provide the solution, while our domestic manufacturers revel in former greatness and prefer to rely on taut set-ups. In the Kassel mountains, I selected the Sport mode, which made the suspension a little firmer. Because of the soft rolling comfort, I would even have bet on an air suspension. For the 650 kilometers or so, this was a blessing. And the economical diesel engine was a blessing too, even though fuel consumption rose steadily with my brisk driving style. However, the figures were so good, especially for an SUV in this weight class, that I could hardly believe my eyes or the display. This also confirms my conviction that downsizing is primarily effective on paper or on the test bench, but less so in real life.
Apple and Android on board
Of course, a good sound system is always a blessing on long journeys – quite apart from the fact that this is also the focus of the test. For my listening tests, I used Apple CarPlay to connect to my iPhone. ( Android Auto is available for Apple renegades). With the Mazda CX-60, you have the choice between USB and wireless connection via Bluetooth and WLAN. I chose the latter and was able to start driving after the straightforward setup. What I couldn’t do, however, was set up the Bose hi-fi system individually.
Whatever I tried during the trip to Hamburg, unlike with the Mazda MX-5, I couldn’t get out of the Apple menus and into the vehicle’s menus to deal with things like sound distribution or the surround settings. I made up for this before my journey home the next afternoon. I started with the setup and then launched CarPlay. And so, after a few actions on the central 12.3-inch touchscreen, a good sound system became a very good one.
Purely a matter of attitude
Tonally, there was nothing to complain about even with the basic settings. But there could have been a little more punch, a little more oomph and better stage imaging. This was easy to fix in the sound system menus if CarPlay was not yet activated. As far as staging is concerned, I was able to optimize it with the fader and balance controls for the driver’s seat. However, these are nuances that are not as important while driving as they are when listening intently while stationary. What proved to be a real sound booster, however, was the Bose AudioPilot 2 control. Behind this catchy name is a dynamic equalizer that adjusts the bass and treble in particular depending on the driving noise. This ensures that they are not masked by low-frequency drive and rolling noises or the noise of the airstream.
If, like me, you set the AudioPilot 2 noise compensation to level 3 for maximum effect using the manual adjustment, you’ll be in for a real surprise. This is when the well-maintained background noise becomes a real sound experience. Even at the high highway speeds I reach on that Friday afternoon when there are gaps in the traffic. There is also a bass and treble control in the sound settings. But this hammer-and-peen method of sound adjustment is out of the question for serious listeners, especially in view of a smart, adaptive solution that takes driving noise into account.
Best of Bose worlds®
But AudioPilot 2 is not the only one to reach into Bose’s bag of tricks. It contains a series of digital tools for sound processing, which are hidden behind numerous terms that are usually garnished with copyright symbols in all documents, full of inventor pride. For STEREO GUIDE®, these are old acquaintances whose tasks we would like to briefly explain before we move on from the settings to the components of the optional Bose Premium Sound System with twelve loudspeakers.
Centerpoint 2 Surround Sound plays an important role here. With this algorithm, Bose uses DSP support to create a multi-channel sound from the usual 2-channel recordings from the radio or smartphone, which is then distributed all around the speakers in the vehicle cabin. How strong this surround sound effect, familiar from home cinema, is can be adjusted to taste using the center point control. Purists can also set the virtual slider to “0” and enjoy stereo with various sound presets such as “Linear”. The DSP equalizer in the digital Bose amplifier under the passenger seat then attempts to produce a sound that is as natural and balanced as possible.
Perfect Match
Another special feature that promises a good effect has also been given a catchy artificial name, which Bose has of course had protected. But behind BassMatch lies mechanical craftsmanship instead of smart algorithms. The 11.5 centimeter diameter neodymium woofers of the front 3-way systems in the Mazda CX-60 are not simply located in the doors, where cold and damp can damage them. And where they also do not find the optimum acoustic working conditions. Instead, Bose and its Japanese partner worked closely together from an early planning stage in the development of the CX-60 to accommodate the woofers in their own BassMatch enclosures with a defined air volume of 4 liters. But that’s not all. Mazda is obviously serious about its sound ambitions.
The Meaning of Drive
The car manufacturers from the land of the rising sun also offered Bose the opportunity to place the bass drivers at the optimum “drive points”. These are points in the vehicle where the drivers develop their optimum effect and achieve maximum output with much less power. You have to imagine the principle behind it like this: If you don’t place a speaker freely in the room, but place it with its back to the wall, it produces more bass. And if you place it in the corner of the room, it will produce even more bass. What can quickly lead to a large hi-fi speaker booming can be used to advantage if it is taken into account from the outset during development. For example, the legendary Eckhorn by Paul Klipsch, one of the greatest US audio pioneers alongside Amar G. Bose, achieved world renown in a similar way to the Bose 901, which was also optimized for room acoustics.
The ideal drive point at the front in the A-pillars has another advantage in addition to the most effective sound propagation. As a load-bearing part of the crash structure of the passenger compartment, the front roof pillars are particularly stable. This ensures tight, powerful bass without vibrations. Combined with the subwoofer in the trunk and optimized sound tuning, this improves the dynamics, clarity and bandwidth of the sound system.
Thrilling by the dozen
The dozen speakers of the Bose Premium Sound System in the Mazda CX-60 include an 80-mm center speaker in the middle of the dashboard, two 2.5-cm neodymium tweeters in the mirror triangle, two 115-mm neodymium woofers, each located in a 4-liter bass cabinet in the front footwell. In addition, there are four 8 cm neodymium mid-range tweeters in the doors and two 6.5 cm surround speakers in the C-pillars at the rear. A space-saving 13 cm subwoofer with neodymium magnets in a ten-liter housing is concealed in the underfloor compartment of the trunk.
Enough of the dry theory. Let’s move on to the topic of driving pleasure, which resulted from the interaction between the well-fed, remarkably economical turbo diesel and the Bose sound system. Due to the business trip to Hamburg, I was able to combine the good with the useful and get to know the Mazda CX-60 with Bose hi-fi sound in all its facets over a total of around 1,500 kilometers in fast motion.
With the right setup, the sound system did a great job. It offered the necessary naturalness for predominantly acoustic tracks such as “Thunder Road” by Bruce Springsteen (brilliant: Live at Hammersmith Odeon or Live at the Wlater Kerr Theatre, New York) or “Swimming Pool” by Trvor Horn with Tory Amos, but at the same time provided the drive for electro-pop such as “Till Tomorrow” by Yello with trumpeter Till Brönner. As I had connected my iPhone via CarPlay for the infotainment, I also used the navigation on it. I didn’t like the Google Maps display as much as the Apple Maps app. Their directions were also shown in the head-up display. And I’m a big fan of this technology adopted from military jets, which I’ve been longing for in my car since the mid-1990s after my FA-18 Hornet flight simulator.
Night rehearsal
In addition to the “Night Flight” playlist I had created for such occasions, all of this was of course perfectly suited to the situation that presented itself to me when I set off on my return journey from the Elbe to the Neckar late on Saturday afternoon. The sound system was now perfectly adjusted as described. And from Kassel onwards, the traffic became smoother and smoother and I made myself comfortable at a cruising speed of around 200 km/h. I was already formulating the first paragraphs for the test report in my mind. What a great engine! Economical, powerful and very appealing in sound, especially for a diesel. The eight-speed automatic transmission also surprised me positively, despite years of experience with the excellent ZF8-HP from Friedrichshafen. What I also liked was the comfortable chassis, which in sport mode offered the necessary stability to have a relaxed amount of fun in the Kassel mountains despite the much higher seating position than a few weeks earlier in a flat coupé.
Although SUVs are not really my thing, I was very impressed with the handling of the CX-60. The brakes easily coped with the weight and power and were easy to modulate. The agile steering behavior made the heavy vehicle feel lighter. And when maneuvering, you were even amazed at the tight turning circle. Added to this was a pleasantly grumbling in-line six-cylinder sound. The Japanese engineers did a really good job and the American sound system provided a sophisticated background with natural tones and rich bass for the price range.
The spirits I did not call
However, the devil was in the detail with the Mazda CX-60. As a sports car-loving octane junkie, I’m so convinced by a 2-tonner that I could imagine living with a diesel engine and a four-door SUV that, to make matters worse, doesn’t even come from southern Germany. And then there are a few small problem areas that spoil the harmony. I’ll keep it short so as not to spoil the very positive impression in key mechanical points. What didn’t convince me in the late summer outside temperatures was the control and air distribution of the air conditioning. The Mazda gave me the choice between a direct blast of very cold air or sweating. I wasn’t able to find a really pleasant balance here on my tour.
Another point of criticism was the digital assistance systems, which I would have liked to see a little more fine-tuning. It happened to me a number of times that when I was merging into the right-hand lane at high speed, the lane departure warning system aggressively counter-steered and tried to throw me back into the left-hand lane. And the drowsiness detection system had a massive problem with me resting my head on the window frame with my left arm and covering my mouth with my hand. The logic doesn’t quite make sense to me, but the unnecessary alarm was annoying, especially in moments of relaxed driving with one hand.
The Japanese Kraftwerk on the German Autobahn
But the biggest surprise came when I was really in the flow on the A7 after Kassel. I was just reveling in the perfect interplay of a comfortable but stable chassis set-up, superior brakes and an engine that made it fun to accelerate back up to cruising speed with a full thrust from the rev limit after every speed limit.
I had just relaxed and driven for an hour and a half without constant full throttle compared to the original calculation of the Apple Maps app when it happened: with a bing, the warning appeared on the digital instrument display: “Temperature management active. Maximum speed limited.” Maximum shock for me. I had just prepared myself for a cocktail in my local bar at the end of the long journey before the last lap was rung in. And then this.
I stayed at medium revs and the coolant temperature was also below half of the display range. Perhaps it was a twist of fate that I actually wanted to test the system and not the limits of the car. But I’ve been driving like this for over 40 years and have never experienced it before. After the initial surprise, I took comfort in the fact that the electronics still allowed me to do a good 200 km/h until the temperature was back within limits. From the point of view of most drivers, this can probably be regarded as a luxury worry.
A top car at heart
I didn’t get a response from Mazda, but I think it had to do with the temperature of the automatic transmission or rear axle. It was not for nothing that Ford set up a German highway simulation in a high-speed oval before the Mustang was officially imported and subsequently installed numerous oil coolers for the engine, rear axle and transmission in the pony car.
When you see how well the Mazda has succeeded in most driving-related aspects, our politicians should think about what will happen to our car industry if they impose a general speed limit on all highways. Adorning themselves with a lane departure warning system that does not intervene harshly at the wrong moment is unlikely to be enough to maintain the premium claim of German manufacturers in the long term. They may not go bankrupt, but they will probably stop producing …
Conclusion: Mazda CX-60 with Bose Premium Sound System
The Mazda is a really good SUV that doesn’t make a big fuss about it. Unlike our southern German premium manufacturers or brands such as Jeep or Alfa Romeo, it cannot simply rely on a brand-loyal fan base or a wacky design. The CX-60 has to score points with its technology and a reasonable price. And it succeeds in doing so. Its Bose system is also very successful. It suits all types of music, is fairly priced and scores points with its extensive, practical features and setting options. However, the system, which is somewhat pale in its basic settings, needs to be fine-tuned in the setup, which can be done in no time at all, especially with the AudioPilot 2 control at level 3. However, the high score in the final evaluation is not least due to the exceptionally good price-performance ratio. This is because the Bose BassMatch Centerpoint 2 sound system is part of a comprehensive equipment package.
As far as my minor criticisms are concerned, I’m very excited about the update to the CX-60 announced for April. Of course, it gives me pause for thought that the Bose system didn’t break a sweat as much as the car itself during my full-throttle test. So after the test drive, I still have some homework to do. Have I perhaps missed the boat and should apply for a job at a car magazine in my old age? Or should we simply introduce a STEREO-GUIDE test seal along the lines of “German Autobahn proof” or even better “tested at the Speed of Sound”? We’ll see.
Mazda CX-60 e-Skyactiv D 254 HOMURA with Bose Premium Sound – Technical data
- Recommended retail price e-Skyactiv D 254 HOMURA: from around 60,000 euros
- Recommended retail price Bose Premium Sound System: part of the Convenience & Sound package with electric tailgate, darkened rear and side windows, 360° monitor with See-Through View, Bose BassMatch Centerpoint 2 sound system with 12 speakers, Qi inductive smartphone charging for €2,550
- External dimensions / vehicle weight: 4.75 x 189 x 169 cm / approx. 1949 kg
- Drive power: 254 hp
- Acceleration 0 – 100 km/h: 7.4 seconds
- Vmax: 219 km/h
- Further information and technical data: www.mazda.de
STEREO GUIDE test verdict
A cream of the crop mild hybrid diesel drive and a great sound system as part of an extensive but affordable equipment package make the Mazda 60 e-Skyactiv D 254 HOMURA with its Bose BassMatch Centerpoint 2 sound system with 12 loudspeakers an insider tip among SUVs.
Advantages
- Balanced sound tuning with rich bass
- Practical setting options
- Extremely economical and melodious six-cylinder in-line diesel engine
- Very smooth rolling behavior
Disadvantages
- The sound system sounds a bit boring in the factory setting
- Some assistance systems could do with some fine-tuning
- For free-turning hi-fi testers, the full-throttle stability could still be increased with the facelift
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Sound quality7.9
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Price/performance sound system9.6
