Mazda says it's now a premium brand, but it isn't giving up on 'cheaper' segments

You've likely read our review of Mazda’s new CX-60 by now, and if you come to the conclusion that Mazda might be forgetting about the regular mums and dads of Australia in its pursuit of premium status, we don’t blame you.

But the company says it’s not going to turn its back on a mainstream audience just so it can stand behind the velvet rope. Rather, Mazda’s intent is to sit astride the mainstream/premium boundary, and the CX-60 is the first product that will properly enable it to do so.

“In terms of where Mazda is and where we are expanding to, we intend to remain in the mainstream,” Mazda Australia’s managing director Vinesh Bhindi said to Wheels at the local launch of the CX-60 last week.

“But, we are also pushing the boundaries and pushing what we call ‘Mazda Premium’ to give us more room to play in.

"We don’t see it as us now being with the [premium segment] ‘big boys’, but we’re pushing into territory where we can comfortably say to an existing CX-5 owner. ‘hey, we’ve got another option for you, another step up in technology, craftsmanship and vehicle dynamics.

“That’s what our intent is when we say ‘Mazda Premium’.”

The CX-60, though it sits within the same medium size class as the CX-5, is both slightly longer and wider than the CX-5, and utilises an entirely new platform that orients the engine longitudinally and directs most of its drive to the rear (unlike the transverse-engined and primarily front-driven CX-5).

There’s also a vast gulf in price – the CX-5 range opens at $35,510 and tops out at $54,500.

The CX-60 range spans from $59,800 to $85,675, and as far as the official industry sales monitor VFACTS is concerned, the Mazda CX-60 sits firmly in the premium SUV category alongside the BMW X3, Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Volvo XC60 and Porsche Macan.

Mazda Australia’s top brass say the company remains committed to serving the needs of the mainstream, and vehicles like the Mazda 2 and 3 as well as the CX-3 are staying where they are for the foreseeable.

However, the CX-60 now enters a new kind of competitive space, and with significant price overlap with premium contenders like the Volvo XC60, Audi Q5 and Alfa Romeo Stelvio, it will be interesting to observe Mazda’s fortunes in this new realm.

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The company is confident of success.

“I think also, we are still offering exceptionally good value even at these different price points,” said Mazda Australia’s marketing director Alastair Doak.

“[Recently] there was an updated version of a German brand hatchback which now starts at a few hundred dollars more than the CX-60 starts, but it’s a Mazda 3 sized vehicle with 120kW. Even though we’ve moved up, we’re still very much playing in our wheelhouse, which is offering value for money and lots of equipment.”