The CX-70 Costs More to Own Than It Does to Buy

Our calculator says owning a 2025 Mazda CX-70 for five years costs $45,296. The purchase price we assumed is $42,000. That means the running costs of the car are bigger than the car.

The monthly average is $755. That is before you pay a dollar toward the loan itself.

Most shoppers fixate on the sticker. The sticker is the smaller story here, and the rest of this review follows the money after you drive off the lot.

Where the $45,296 actually goes

Depreciation is the biggest line at $18,899. That is about 45 percent of our assumed $42,000 price, gone in five years. Nothing about that is unusual for a new SUV. It is still the single largest bill, and you never write a check for it.

The next two lines surprise people. Fuel is $11,166 and insurance is $10,308. Together that is $21,474, more than depreciation. If you think of a CX-70 as a car that loses value, you are missing that it also drinks and costs a lot to cover.

The small lines are small. Maintenance is $2,924. Repairs are $1,744. Registration is $255. Those three add up to $4,923, about a tenth of the total. Mazda's ownership story is not a repair-bill story. It is a fuel-and-insurance story.

Insurance here is our estimate based on the car's value and class. It is not a quote. Your own number will differ based on your age, ZIP code, driving record, and insurer.

What this vehicle is, and who it is for

The CX-70 is the two-row sibling of the CX-90. It uses the same rear-biased platform and the same engines, but it drops the third row and sells itself as a sportier, more upscale alternative to a family hauler.

It is for a buyer who wants a premium-feeling midsize SUV, does not need seven seats, and cares about how the car drives. Think couples, small families with one or two kids, and people who tow a light trailer. Mazda rates it for real towing, which many rivals at this price do not.

It is not for a buyer who wants the cheapest possible ownership. It is also not for anyone who needs to carry more than five people, or who wants the best resale value in the class. Mazda is not Lexus, and the depreciation number reflects that.

Trims and pricing

The lineup is wide and confusing. Mazda sells the CX-70 in a mild-hybrid six-cylinder form in two power levels, plus a plug-in hybrid. Each has several trim steps. The prices below are approximate, so confirm the current numbers on Mazda's official build page before you shop.

Trim	MSRP	What you actually get
3.3 Turbo (entry)	About $42,000	Mild-hybrid six, all-wheel drive, the core safety suite, a decent screen. The honest starting point.
3.3 Turbo Preferred Plus (mid-level)	About $46,000 to $48,000	More comfort and convenience features, bigger wheels, a nicer cabin. This is where most buyers should land.
3.3 Turbo S Premium	About $54,000 to $56,000	Higher-output engine, leather and wood trim, a better audio system, extra driver aids.
PHEV Premium	About $54,000 and up	Plug-in hybrid with short electric range and the highest price of the group.

Our $42,000 assumption sits at the entry end. If you buy a mid-level trim, every dollar figure in our calculator that depends on price, especially depreciation and insurance, will rise.

Engines and fuel economy

The core engine is a 3.3-liter turbocharged inline-six with a mild-hybrid assist. In the standard tune it makes around 280 horsepower, and in the Turbo S tune it makes around 340. The plug-in version pairs a four-cylinder with an electric motor for a combined figure in the low 300s.

For mileage, go to fueleconomy.gov and compare the exact configuration you want. Do not trust a number from a brochure or a forum. What we can tell you is the dollar side. Our calculator puts five-year fuel at $11,166 for the typical 12,000 miles a year. That works out to roughly $2,233 a year, which is a real line in your budget.

The six-cylinder wants premium fuel for its top output. You can run regular in some versions, but you give up power. If you plan to plug in the hybrid every night, your fuel line could land well below ours. If you will not, the plug-in is just an expensive, heavy way to buy a six.

What it gets right

The driving experience is the best argument for the CX-70. The inline-six is smooth and quiet. The steering has more feel than most SUVs in this price band. The ride is firm but not harsh. It feels like a car engineered by people who like driving.

The interior is the second strong point. Materials in mid and upper trims look and feel better than the price implies. Switchgear is mostly physical, which means you can adjust the temperature without a menu. The seats are supportive on long trips.

Cargo space in a two-row body is generous, and the lack of a third row means a flatter, more usable load floor than a seven-seat SUV at the same length.

Then there is the repair line. Our $1,744 five-year repair estimate is low for a premium-feeling vehicle. It is an estimate, not a guarantee, and it matters that this platform is still young.

What it gets wrong

The infotainment is the weakest part. Mazda's system uses a rotary controller, and it is fine once you learn it, but it is not as quick or as intuitive as touchscreen systems from rivals. Some people will love the knob. Many will not.

The cabin is also not as quiet as a true luxury SUV at highway speed, and the back seat is tighter than the exterior size suggests. Adults fit, but they will notice.

Then there is the price ladder. The entry car is reasonable. By the time you reach the higher trims you are paying luxury-brand money for a car without a luxury-brand badge, and the resale figures show that. Our $18,899 depreciation number is the cost of that missing badge.

Fuel economy is average at best for the class, and the plug-in costs a lot for a small amount of electric range. If you do not have a place to charge at home, skip it.

Finally, the platform is new. Early CX-90 models, which share these parts, drew recalls and owner complaints. Mazda has a good record overall, but this particular hardware does not have a long track record yet. We would not call it risky. We would call it unproven.

Safety ratings

We could not confirm a complete crash-test rating for the 2025 CX-70 at the time of writing. Check NHTSA and IIHS for current results before you buy. The CX-90's scores do not automatically transfer to the CX-70, even though the cars are related.

What we can say is that the CX-70 comes with a broad set of driver-assistance features as standard, including automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping help. Those are useful, but they are not the same as a crash-test score.

First-year cost on a mid-level trim

Take a mid-level trim at about $46,000 as an example. First-year numbers look like this.

Depreciation: new cars typically lose 15 to 22 percent in year one. On $46,000, that is roughly $6,900 to $10,120. Plan for the higher end if you buy at full sticker in a market with incentives.

Fuel: at 15,000 miles a year, scaling up from our calculator's figures puts you at roughly $2,790 for the year. That is a good amount more than a driver doing 12,000 miles would pay.

Insurance: our calculator's five-year figure averages about $2,060 a year on the $42,000 car. On a mid-level trim, a range of about $1,900 to $2,800 is a reasonable guess. That is an estimate from the car's value and class, not a quote. Get real quotes before you sign.

First service: Mazda uses a maintenance schedule tied to mileage and time, and the first oil service typically comes within the first year. Check your owner's manual or the car's maintenance reminder for the exact interval. Expect a modest bill, since our five-year maintenance total is only $2,924.

Add it up and year one is about $12,000 to $16,000 in real cost, most of it depreciation. That is why the first year hurts more than any other.

How it stacks up

Genesis GV70. The CX-70 wins on driving feel and a more traditional engine. It loses on warranty and on how much luxury Genesis puts in the cabin for similar money.

Lexus RX. The CX-70 wins on handling and on a lower starting price. It loses on resale value and on the Lexus reputation for quiet, long-term reliability.

BMW X3. The CX-70 wins on interior space and on value at the entry level. It loses on brand pull and on a more polished infotainment system.

The verdict

Buy the CX-70 if you want an engaging two-row SUV, you will keep it for many years, and you buy the lower or middle trims. At roughly $755 a month in running costs, it is not cheap, but it is a car you will enjoy driving, and the repair and maintenance numbers are friendly.

Skip it if you are chasing the lowest cost of ownership, if you need a third row, or if resale value matters to you. Skip the high trims especially. Past the mid-level, you are paying for features that do not come back to you when you sell.

Skip the plug-in unless you can charge at home every day. Otherwise it is complexity you pay for and never use.

The sticker price is the part of this car that looks like a bargain. The $45,296 is the part that tells the truth.