For years, premium SUV shoppers have been quietly shortchanged. BMW and Mercedes-Benz, chasing tighter emissions targets and efficiency benchmarks, methodically phased out their silky six-cylinder SUVs and swapped in turbocharged four-cylinders — often at the same price or higher. Mazda saw the opening and took it. Rather than follow the European playbook, the Japanese brand developed its own inline-six engine and dropped it into a full-size crossover that undercuts the Germans on price while beating them on displacement, refinement, and standard equipment. That crossover is the CX-70, and it makes a persuasive argument that Mazda has found exactly the right moment to make its move.
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