Navigating Your Choice: 2024 Mazda CX-90 vs. Ford Explorer

The market for family-sized SUVs is competitive, but the 2024 Mazda CX-90 and Ford Explorer stand out for their style and performance. At Hiley Mazda of Fort Worth, we’re committed to helping you make an informed choice by exploring both vehicles’ strengths and differences. Join us as we investigate the defining features of the Mazda CX-90 and Ford Explorer. We’re confident we can guide you to make the right choice for your driving preferences and lifestyle.

Design and Aesthetics

2024 Mazda CX-90

The 2024 CX-90‘s exterior design gives it the feel of a premium vehicle, while the Explorer goes for a bold, rugged look. The sophisticated KODO design language of Mazda’s all-new midsize SUV helps it cut a sleek silhouette on the highway and is evident in its LED headlights and taillights, heated folding mirrors, aluminum roof rails, and power-sliding panoramic moonroof. The Explorer features black lower body cladding, a chrome finish on the liftgate, a body-color rear spoiler, and LED headlights and taillights. These features enhance the Ford’s practical appearance. These two family-friendly vehicles have similar dimensions inside the cabin. However, the CX-90 has a slight edge when it comes to passenger seating. It can seat up to eight people, surpassing the Explorer’s capacity of seven. It’s a different story for cargo storage, where the CX-90 marginally loses out to the Explorer. With all three rows in use, you’ll have 14.9 cubic feet of cargo space in the Mazda and 18.2 cubic feet in the Ford. These numbers increase to 40 cubic feet and 47.9 cubic feet, respectively, with the third row folded flat, and 74.2 cubic feet and 87.8 cubic feet, respectively, with both rear rows down.

Performance and Efficiency

The CX-90 offers plenty of power under the hood, including a plug-in hybrid option to help you improve your fuel efficiency. Most CX-90s come with a 3.3-liter inline-six engine that churns out 280 horsepower in its base setup or 340 horsepower in its premium Turbo S configuration. Alternatively, you can opt for a 2.5-liter inline-four engine with a battery pack for some all-electric driving range and 323 horsepower. All Mazda CX-90s operate in all-wheel drive. The Explorer’s engine options focus on raw power. The base engine is a turbocharged four-cylinder unit that puts out a solid 300 horsepower. If you step up the Explorer’s long trim ladder, you can access a twin-turbocharged six-cylinder engine that pumps out an impressive 400 horsepower. Both engines provide plenty of power for city and highway driving.

Technology and Connectivity

The CX-90 has its nose ahead on the infotainment front, with larger touch screens and more powerful stereos than the Explorer. For example, the CX-90’s base setup features a 10.3-inch display and an eight-speaker stereo, whereas the comparable Explorer gets an 8-inch screen and a six-speaker stereo. Mazda’s infotainment system stands out for its intuitive and user-friendly approach. You can upgrade the Explorer’s equipment to include a 10.1-inch touch screen and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, while the CX-90 is upgradeable to a 12.3-inch touch screen and 12.3-inch instrument cluster. Other attractive features in both vehicles include a Wi-Fi hotspot and smartphone compatibility with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Safety Features

Ford and Mazda equip their midsize SUVs with a long list of standard safety features to protect drivers and passengers on the road. These include forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking to help you avoid accidents, lane-keep assist to help you stay on the right track during a highway drive, and adaptive cruise control to automatically adjust your speed to keep a safe distance from other highway motorists. To make parking these three-row SUVs a bit easier, you can rely on their rear parking sensors. Alternatively, you could opt for a surround view parking camera so you get an aerial view of your vehicle as you move into position. Both vehicles also offer automatic high-beam headlights to help improve visibility in tough conditions and avoid blinding other drivers.

Pricing and Value

The CX-90 and Explorer each have extensive trim lineups with eight options. The advantage of so many choices is that everyone can find the price point and features that best meet their needs. In terms of price, the Explorer has a slightly lower starting MSRP, but that’s to be expected given the CX-90’s more upscale design and standard feature offerings. The base 2024 Ford Explorer’s MSRP is around $36,860, while the base CX-90 starts at approximately $39,220. Both vehicles have a three-year or 36,000-mile factory warranty and a five-year or 60,000-mile powertrain warranty, which is standard for most automakers. The CX-90’s eight trims are Select, Preferred, Preferred Plus, Premium, Premium Plus, Turbo S, Turbo S Premium, and Turbo S Premium Plus. All models with the Turbo S name are equipped with the stronger powertrain. The Preferred trim is equipped with leather upholstery and starts at around $41,820. The Premium Plus adds ventilated front seats and heated second-row seats, and it retails for around $50,275. The range-topping Turbo S Premium Plus has an MSRP of around $57,325 and features a second-row central console and second-row ventilated seats. The Explorer’s eight trims are base, XLT, ST-Line, Limited, Timberline, ST, Platinum, and King Ranch. The ST-Line trim starts at around $48,595 and gets you synthetic leather upholstery, a 12-speaker stereo, and multicolored interior lighting. The Timberline is a great choice for off-roading, boasting skid plates and all-terrain tires, while the ST gets the larger engine. The King Ranch and Platinum both cost over $56,500 and feature upgraded leather seats.

Your Ideal SUV Awaits at Hiley Mazda of Fort Worth

It’s a tough choice to select one of these two SUVs. We think that the optional electric powertrain, better infotainment equipment, and extra seat in the interior give the CX-90 a slight edge. If you’d like to test-drive a CX-90 in Fort Worth, we’d be delighted to arrange that for you. We can also assist with your auto financing or leasing queries. Don’t hesitate to contact us today.