REPORT 2

It’s exciting getting to ‘know’ a new vehicle, and the visually imposing CX-60 has – in its first month – already become a family titan, providing limo-like transport for five on holiday. It excelled on our first outing, when we headed north to the Yorkshire Dales. There, the same engine that burbled unobtrusively as we exited central London made mincemeat of hills and dales, never needing more than a handful of revs thanks to the eight-speed automatic gearbox’s knack for matching power with torque curves.

The 3.3-litre straight-six diesel engine in this generously sized SUV is a gem, providing waves of instant, low-revving power that made touring relaxing, and negotiating hillier parts of Yorkshire fun. I love the sound too, which reminds me of a throaty, sporty motorboat. There’s room a-plenty for three passengers in the rear and 570 litres of boot space proved sufficient for the week-long trip, although we cheated a bit. The car came with two load nets, one short enough to run from the roof to the top of the rear seats, the other long enough to reach the floor. The short one let us load vertically without fear of objects hurtling into the cabin under heavy braking. I’m mad about having enough space – especially while away – for storing caps, sunglasses, maps, water bottles, dog leads, and so on and the CX-60 doesn’t disappoint. All four door pockets are decently sized, and the central, lidded driver’s centre console box is good for keys, hand wipes, spare glasses, tyre pressure gauges, and so on. 

The CX-60’s forte is long-distance luxury cruising. Quiet and very comfortable, it’s great at eating miles, although compared to its smaller ‘brother’, the CX-5, less sporty on twisty B-roads. And while there’s enough ‘feel’ in the nicely weighted steering, the ride is harsh over poor surfaces, especially if there’s a nasty ridge mid-bend. The Sport setting in Mi-Drive increases its appetite for bends, but with even more firmness.

There are paddles for changing gear but, with all that low-down power, they’re almost superfluous. It’s perfectly possible to hustle this big car sure-footedly cross-country without them, letting the gearbox and engine combo do all the work.

Back in ‘The Smoke’, the CX-60 felt rather large initially compared to the Jaguar F-Pace I drove immediately before. But, apparently, it’s shrunk, and now performs errands through London traffic with the aplomb of a Black Cab, thanks to the commanding seating position that offers clear lines of sight, together with the decent turning circle, parking cameras and relaxing, low-revving diesel engine.

Other likes so far? The full-length panoramic sunroof that can be tilted or slid open. The way Apple CarPlay links seamlessly with my iPhone for navigation (but why won’t the instructions appear in the head-up display in this mode?) I wish it were possible to turn off lane-assist permanently without sifting through menus each trip; I don’t like being nudged back into line when I cross white lines without wishing to indicate.

This car’s other big highlight that kept my passengers blissfully happy on our tour up north – its spectacular, light, and airy interior, which made us all feel pampered. When you step in, it’s like being unexpectedly bumped up to First Class. Nice!

Mileage 2,210
Arrived 16th June 2023
Price when new £50,755
Price as tested £53,305
Economy 54.3mpg (combined) 48.1mpg (on test)
Costs None Faults None