Mazda built this two-row SUV to deliver luxury materials and a punchy inline-six at thousands below German pricing, but the brand-new platform wasn't ready for showrooms. Rear brakes squeal so persistently that Mazda extended the warranty and redesigned the pads, yet parts remain backordered six months out. Radiators crack at 17,000 miles. Rattles infiltrate the cabin after 20,000. MotorTrend's yearlong tester called it one of their worst long-term vehicles, citing quality lapses that shouldn't exist at $50,000. The CX-90 costs the same, adds a third row, and shares these same problems. If you want Mazda's excellent driving feel without the early-adopter tax, wait for the second model year or choose the CX-50 Hybrid, which uses Toyota's proven powertrain instead of this troubled architecture. Skip this one unless steep discounts compensate for likely warranty visits.
The 2020-2025 Outback hits a sweet spot: spacious, safe, snow-capable, and reliable if you change the CVT fluid every 30-40k miles like clockwork. Owners genuinely like them, crash protection is stellar, and the wagon shape still feels practical without crossing into bloated SUV territory. Then comes 2026, and Subaru torched the recipe, literally went boxy-SUV styling that's splitting the fanbase hard. The interior finally ditches the all-touchscreen nightmare for real buttons (thank god), but early units are showing infotainment glitches out of the gate. The base 2.5L engine has always felt gutless for a vehicle this size, and the CVT still demands religious maintenance or you're gambling on a $7k repair. If you want the Outback people actually trust, grab a 2024-2025 before they vanish. If you're eyeing the 2026, wait a year for the bugs to surface, and maybe test-drive something with the turbo engine, because the base motor is a chore.