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.
The Land Cruiser built a bulletproof reputation over forty years, but the 2024 reboot trades the proven V8 for an unproven turbo hybrid that accelerates poorly and handles like a boat on pavement, brake squealing and body roll are expert-confirmed. The $60,000 base trim delivers cloth seats and minimal features, a value proposition that's hard to defend when the legendary durability you're paying for hasn't been proven yet on this generation. Buy it if you need genuine off-road capability and trust the nameplate enough to bet on it; skip it if you want a refined daily driver or need third-row seating.