PULL up at a filling station and there’s near 100 per cent certainty that you’ll be able to top up, which might not be the case if you’re down to your last 20 miles in your electric car.
One of the reasons there is still a healthy clamouring for petrol and diesel vehicles, despite what Miliband and his team are trying to force us all into.
It’s like being told to run before you can properly walk and hence the resistance from chunks of the motoring public.
Figures for the first quarter of 2025 shown car sales split down to 49 per cent petrol, 24 per cent hybrid and 21 per cent electric. What about diesel, you ask? Just six per cent.
But that hasn’t stopped Mazda introducing a barnstorming 3.3 litre diesel SUV onto the market in the rather long shape of its flagship CX-80, with its three rows of seats.
Available in the UK in five model grades, there’s a choice of that big six cylinder diesel or a 2.5 litre PHEV petrol and both have four wheel drive. 
It sits above the CX-60 in Mazda’s SUV range and with those extra seats is their most spacious offering to date. The wheelbase is 250mm longer to create that extra space, and it’s slightly taller but interestingly its the same width. Hence the visibly stretched look, and the fact you have to be a bit picky where you park it as normal spaces tend to leave the back end hanging out.
It features a number of option packs to allow you to tailor your seating needs in the middle row. You can opt for a three person bench, two captain’s seats with a walk-though space, or two captain’s seats with a fixed centre console.
The seven seat layout with the middle row bench is standard.
Behind the wheel you’re confronted with a clear display of information on the 12.3 inch display and the more traditional dials ahead of you.
Mazda’s Mi-Drive gives you different settings for different conditions – Sport does what it says on the tin, towing mode factors in there increased weight of what you’re pulling, and off-road keeps the wheels under control and reduces spinning.
Thanks to its Trailer Hitch View, lining up when reversing couldn’t be easier, giving a clear view and guidelines to make hitching up a more precise manoeuvre.
We also appreciated the Multimedia Commander located in the centre console which is easy to master and avoids the need to take your eyes off the road, being an intuitive link to the infotainment system.
Being a big vehicle, it’s also a heavy one, weighing in at 2718kgs, and that mass takes a bit of stopping. The brakes therefore take a little getting used to to get the response you want to bring it to a stop. Once mastered though, no problem.
Mazda CX-80 AWD Exclusive-Line
Price: £52,775 (£53,676 as tested)
Engine: 3.3 litre Skyactive Diesel MHEV
Power: 250bhp
Torque: 405lb/ft
Transmission: 8 speed automatic
Top speed: 136mph
0-62mph: 8.4 seconds
Economy: 49.6mpg
CO2 emissions: 148g/km
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