Built on the Escape platform but priced like it earned the Bronco badge, this compact crossover delivers more off-road capability than 90% of its rivals while spending its life explaining it's not the cool two-door. The 8-speed transmission shifts like it's announcing each gear change, a systematic complaint that turns commutes into a counting exercise. Early models (2021-2022) suffered water pump failures on the 1.5L three-cylinder and electrical gremlins that required recalls. If you're buying, skip the base engine entirely and get the 2.0L Badlands, which owners actually trust. It's genuinely capable in snow and mud, gets 30+ mpg highway, and has the boxy practicality crossover shoppers claim to want. But at $33k+ you're paying a heritage tax for a vehicle that shares more with a Maverick than a Wrangler. Buy it if you need real capability in a compact package and can stomach the name confusion. Skip it if you want a Forester's reliability without the identity crisis.
Mazda built a $50k SUV that drives like it costs $70k, sharp handling, a silky inline-6, and an interior that embarrasses the Highlander, but shipped it before the transmission learned its lines. The 8-speed shudders and hesitates at low speeds across enough reports to call it systematic, not a lemon-lottery issue, and early PHEVs needed steering racks and 12V batteries replaced under warranty. If you prize driving feel over appliance-smooth operation and can live with first-year quirks (2026s show real improvement), the CX-90 delivers shocking value; if you need bulletproof out-of-the-gate execution, wait a year or stick with the boring-but-reliable competition.