Mazda has long operated in its own distinct universe, considerably different than Honda, Toyota or Nissan, with vehicles that don’t conform to other Japanese carmakers’ style or content.

And while Mazda does not have a full-blown luxury sub-brand to compete with its competitors’ Acura, Lexus or Infiniti, the 2024 CX-90 SUV works to achieve a sense of presence and technological advancement that certainly rivals those companies’ larger SUVs.

To that end, I had a chance to drive two of its available powertrains, the 323-horsepower plug-in electric hybrid (PHEV) version of the CX-90 and the higher-output Turbo S model, which features an innovative, turbocharged 3.3-liter inline-6 combined with a mild hybrid system, producing 340 horsepower.

Both vehicles, which replace the outgoing CX-9, are considerably unlike your average three-row SUV, with long-bodied and long-hooded looks that are in a way more car-like than the competitors. They’re also fulsome enough to require 360-degree video assistance for parking.

CX-90s ride with a performance-tuned level of stiffness, accentuated by massive 21-inch wheels, and they offer an overall experience that’s vastly different than vehicles such as the Acura MDX, the Lexus RX and TX or Infiniti’s increasingly outdated QX80. And despite partial or full hybrid integration, both CX-90s I drove also lived up to their 25-combined city/highway mpg in longer drives.

First up was a Premium Plus edition of the PHEV, priced at $58,920, featuring a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and a 100-kilowatt electric motor, plus a rechargeable 18-kilowatt battery pack. It involves a bit of a learning curve when it comes to mastering its electric-only operations, which can seem lurchy and loud at first, especially when backing the vehicle.

As a full-blown EV, range is only 26 miles, fully charged, though that all-electric power becomes surprisingly competent when used at highway speeds, making it the fastest of the family. When the battery fades, there can be some jerky power hand-offs heading into gasoline-engine mode, but flooring it with battery support allows it to go like hell. Indicated mileage is subsequently confusing as it’s rated at 56 electronic mpg but works out closer to 25 after the charge begins to wear out. You can also select a mode to self-charge as you drive.

The CX-90 is now a considerably larger vehicle, with a wheelbase 7.5 inches longer than the CX-9, but the redesign also gives it a tigher turning circle. I found the mixture of electrified steering and those very wide tires made it a very big-feeling automobile, one that required very real steering inputs at all times.

The upside was a confident, relaxed and capable cruiser, with Mazda’s own version of torque vectoring (Kinetic Posture Control) helping to make a Peak to Peak Highway run an actual pleasure. In town, that suspension can be a killer, unfortunately.

The Premium Plus Turbo S model, priced at $61,920, offered its own mixed bag of power characteristics. If you run it on premium fuel, there’s 340 horsepower on tap from the somewhat curious six-cylinder engine and its built-in 48-volt hybrid system.

In addition to full start/stops at traffic lights, the system also includes a mode which occasionally turns off the engine while driving, presumably to save fuel. But there’s none of the jarring multimodal changeovers of the PHEV, and cruising power is consistent and plentiful, with mileage occasionally stretching as high as 28 mpg.

The safety systems attached to both vehicles can be a lot to deal with for new drivers. A full and active lane-centering system was very intrusive and even set off a few false alarms about obstacles, as well as loudly overreacting any time vehicles approached from behind. You can dull it down but it will still grab at your wheel to do minor lane corrections, or even grab at you on black tar-coated highway seals. This is apparently the future of the automotive experience, but I’m not a fan.

Comfort and accommodations are, however, fantastic, with oversized, 90-degree-angle-opening second-row doors revealing a gigantic second row, outfitted with widely spaced captain’s chairs and super-massive shades for those super-massive side windows.

Up front, it’s tall-edged and deeply contoured, two-tone leather seating, a flat dash with the extra wide 12.3-inch infotainment display, a leathery mid-dash and a low-profile bank of physical HVAC and seat controls. The Turbo S interior was even more distinctive, with yellow hardwood door and console inserts and a strangely cool denim-styled fabric on the dash and doors.

There are mixed feelings about Mazda’s new, oversized shift knob which sorta awkwardly needs to be clunked to the right before shifting into gear – and will not do so without seatbelts activated, especially in the PHEV version.

Watch, in a few weeks, for the debut of the all-new CX-70, a scaled-down, mid-sized offering with modified renditions of some of CX-90’s features.    

Andy Stonehouse’s column Mountain Wheels publishes Saturdays in the Summit Daily News. Stonehouse has worked as an editor and writer in Colorado since 1998, focusing on automotive coverage since 2004. He lives in Golden.