Mazda is finally learning from its mistakes. They used to put a lot of shiny black plastic in the inside of their cars, especially where people touch a lot. But now, our long-term 2024 CX-90 PHEV doesn’t use much of it, and it’s better this way.
This has been a problem with Mazda cars for a while. I know because I’ve seen it myself. Hurd, who bought his first new Mazda in 2006, can tell you the same thing. Back then, Mazda started using shiny black plastic in their cars, and they haven’t stopped since. Look at the center console of this 2023 Mazda CX-50 Turbo Premium Plus as an example.
I took this picture just a few days after the CX-50 arrived for a week-long test. It was clean then, but soon it was covered in dust and fingerprints, looking dirty. Shiny black plastic shows every bit of dirt on it. You have to clean it almost every day to keep it looking nice. And even when it’s clean, it gets scratched easily, especially on flat surfaces like the gear surround.
But our long-term CX-90 is different. Instead of shiny black plastic, it has a cool metal mesh pattern on the gear surround. It doesn’t attract dust or show scratches like the black plastic does. It looks way more interesting, and it works better too. The same material is used on the doors, and it’s just as good there. The only place you’ll find shiny black plastic is on the steering wheel buttons. They get fingerprints on them, but it’s not too bad.
And don’t worry, it’s not just our top Premium Plus trim of the CX-90 that avoids shiny black plastic. Other trims in the lineup also skip it. Mazda can do this, and the CX-90 still looks fancy and nice inside. Other car companies should learn from this.
