Family Car Review: 2024 Mazda CX-60 Azami

How big is the boot of the 2024 Mazda CX-60?

Around in the boot, the Mazda CX-60 is very spacious and practical for families. With a large boot opening, you can easily post prams, etc.

The retractable roller blind in the CX-60 is attached to the boot door, so it automatically raises out of the way when you open the tailgate, which is a really handy feature for families. The net section of the roller blind allows you to still see into the back of the car when the kids are getting in and you are loading the boot, so you can see they are not getting into trouble!

The boot of the 2024 Mazda CX-60 will hold fourteen shopping bags, which is the same as the less expensive CX-5, one more than a Honda CR-V and two less than a Kia Sportage.

The Jiffle Wagon 6-in-1 pram with its seat fits nicely in the boot of the Mazda CX-60 with room for four bags of shopping.

The Jiffle Wagon with its bassinet fits in Mazda CX-60 leaving room for three bags of shopping.

The Jiffle Wagon with just its cart fits nicely in the CX-60 with room for seven bags of shopping.

If your family has a fur baby, then you can transport a medium/large size dog in the boot of the Mazda CX-60.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as the kids lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

The twin side-by-side stroller fits in the boot of the Mazda CX-60 with five shopping bags beside it.

How good is storage in the 2024 Mazda CX-60?

There are two cup holders in the central seat fold-down armrest. Older passengers can use reusable or disposable coffee cups, or a child's cup will fit in them, too.

Map pockets on the back of both front seats will hold an iPad or book and conceal it.

The rear doors bins will hold a refillable water bottle.

In the front, central console, there are two cup holders that will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup…

…and in front of them, a wireless phone charging pad and 12V socket.

The central console box, under the armrest, is a good size…

… and the glove box is nice and spacious for families.

The front door bins will hold a refillable water bottle and an iPad fits in them too.

There is a lined glasses case in the ceiling which is fantastic for giving you somewhere to store your glasses without them getting scratched.

How noisy is the 2024 Mazda CX-60? How good is the media system in the Mazda CX-60?

The Mazda CX-60 is a quiet and smooth drive and there are few unnecessary beeps and whistles.

The media system in the Mazda CX-60 is lovely and modern and very easy to use and navigate.

Using the rotary dial down in the central console…

… you rotate through the infotainment list on the media screen.

It has built-in sat-nav…

… and you can change the sound settings also.

As well as changing the settings of the vehicle.

The Mazda CX-60 has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which allows you to easily access your phone's navigation, listening and communication apps while driving.

The climate controls are below the media screen and are easy to use while driving.

In reverse the camera images are lovely and crisp and clear.

You can view from different angles…

… and turn the cameras on while driving for better visibility around the car.

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

The indicators in the Mazda CX-60 are not too loud, and you can lock the doors and windows using the buttons in the driver's door control panel.

How many child seats fit in the 2024 Mazda CX-60?

When it comes to installing child seats in the Mazda CX-60 there are ISOFix points in the two outer rear seats, within plastic guides, that are nice and easy to connect to.

There are top tether anchorages on the back of all three rear seat backs in the Mazda CX-60, they are clearly labelled and the outer two are within plastic guides.

Three child seats fit really nicely across the rear seats of the Mazda CX-60. I have two forward-facing 0-4years child seats and a rear-facing infant capsule behind the driver's seat.

Legroom is good in the back of the Mazda CX-60. A 180cm driver can fit in front of the rear-facing infant capsule.

Posting Bub into their child seats in the back from inside and outside the car is nice and easy. The door openings are big, the doors open wide, and there is plenty of interior space.

Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!

I found there is room to feed Bub in the back with a child seat installed.

Rear passengers are kept comfortable with aircon vents in the back of the central console box, so you can keep them a comfortable temperature while driving along. There are also two USB-C sockets and a general household plug socket, which is great for plugging in laptops and Eskys etc. There are also rear heated seat controls in the model I have tested, these are within toe-reaching distance of little ones!

How comfortable is the 2024 Mazda CX-60? And How good is the new CX-60 to drive?

The front seats of the Mazda CX-60 are very comfortable and adjustable using controls on the side of the seat bases. They are divided by a slim central console giving much-needed personal space to parents. This is the top-spec Azami hybrid model with (optional) beautiful tan leather interior. 

For a mum travelling in the back with bub, the seats are very comfortable, too. I found I could sit between two child seats in the back.

The seats are perforated leather in the front-end back, which will trap kids' crumbs and spills.

For the first year of my first daughters life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with her so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!

The steering wheel is fully adjustable in/out and up/down.

The cruise controls are on the right set of controls on the steering wheel and are easy to use. I found the cruise control to be very accurate on both motorways and at lower speeds on undulating roads.

The gear lever is a traditional gear stick in the central console.

There are four air-conditioning vents in the front of the Mazda CX-60. Four across the front dashboard; two below the media screen and one at either end of the dash…

… and air-conditioning vents in the back of the central console box for rear passengers.

There are climate controls on the dash below the media screen that you can easily reach and use while driving.

There are handles above both rear doors that are well-positioned to hang a toy for little rear-facing passengers.

I have found our kids do not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.

Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a five-minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!

It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.

Visibility is pretty good in the new 2024 Mazda CX-60 and it is improved even more by the rearview camera…

…and the driving camera views.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and my daughter has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Mazda CX-60 was simple to park as the visibility with the cameras is very good!

How safe is the 2024 Mazda CX-60?

The Mazda CX-60 has been given a 5-star ANCAP safety rating. It comes with eight airbags as standard including;

Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags, as well as a driver knee airbag, are standard. A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard.

In the ANCAP crash testing, the Mazda CX-60 scored 91% for adult occupancy protection and 93% for child occupancy protection.

Of the child occupancy testing, ANCAP said;

As standard, all models of the Mazda CX-60 come with adaptive cruise control (ACC), anti-lock braking system (ABS),  autonomous emergency braking (AEB)-(Car-to-Car, VRU, Junction Assist), blind spot monitor (BSM), electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), electronic stability control (ESC), emergency brake assist (EBA), emergency stop signal (ESS), fatigue reminder, fatigue monitor/detection, forward collision warning (FCW), lane departure warning (LDW), lane keep assist (LKA), rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA), reversing collision avoidance (camera), roll stability system, secondary / multi-collision brake, speed assistance – auto / intelligent speed limiter, speed assistance – manual speed limiter and speed assistance – speed sign recognition & warning.