Mazda CX-80 long-term test: report 3

The car Mazda CX-80 2.5 e-Skyactiv PHEV AWD Homura Run by Steve Huntingford, editor

Why it's here To see if Mazda's flagship SUV is worth a place on the shortlist of anyone looking for a frugal yet upmarket seven-seater

Needs to Combine comfort and refinement with a classy and family-friendly interior, and good real-world efficiency

Mileage 2314 List price £53,230 Best price £53,230 Price as tested £56,080 Test economy 38.6mpg Official economy 176.6mpg

12 September 2025 – Practically perfect?

An old proverb tells us that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I reckon practicality is, too.

You see, my Mazda CX-80 is such a spacious car that even its third-row seats can accommodate tall adults – especially if those sitting in the second row are prepared to slide forward a bit. However, surprisingly, the third row is actually far less useful if you want to put young children there, because it doesn’t feature Isofix child seat mounts.

Now, most of the time, this isn’t actually a problem for me, because my eight-year-old daughter can sit in her booster seat in the second row, alongside the family dog, while my wife and I ride upfront. And even if Granny and Grandad want to come along for the ride, two of the adults can get into the third row easily enough once the outer rear seat on the opposite side of the car to my daughter has been tilted forward and slid out of the way.

But what if you have two children in Isofix child seats? Well, they both have to go in the second row, because that's the only place with mounting points. And then the only ways to get in and out of the third row are to remove one of the child seats first (a bit of a faff) or to vault over the second-row backrest (not something Granny and Grandad are likely to attempt any time soon).

Perhaps Mazda realises this is an issue, because it does let you specify your CX-80 as a six-seater (rather than a seven-seater). This removes the central second-row seat, allowing you to walk between the other two. However, it’s only an option if you go for Takumi Plus trim, which costs £3600 more than the Homura spec of my car car – and then ticking the box for six seats adds a further £750 to the price.

So, do I wish the six-seat configuration was more widely available? Well, it wouldn’t hurt. But an easier fix would be for Mazda to put Isofix points on the third-row seats or the front passenger seat. Then the practicality of the CX-80 would be far less dependent on who is looking at it and how many children they have in child seats.

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