The Azami is the flagship offering in what Mazda calls it flagship five-seat SUV, the CX-70, and you can have it with one of two big and powerful engines.
The cheapest options is the 3.3-litre, six-cylinder turbo petrol, which will set you back a not inconsiderable $82,970. For $2k more, or $84,970, you can swap petrol for diesel — again a 3.3-litre, six-cylinder turbocharged engine, though this time making 187kW and 550Nm. Both are equipped with a 48-volt mild hybrid system to marginally reduce fuel use.
As the flagship trim, the Azami scores everything the cheaper GT grade gets — 21-inch black alloy wheels, adaptive LED headlights, a panoramic sunroof, twin 12.3-inch screens with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12-speaker Bose stereo and three-zone climate control — but it adds extra niceties like black Nappa leather seats, which are now heated and ventilated in the front, footwell lighting, body-coloured wheel arches and lower cladding and body-coloured door handles.
Every one of Mazda’s CX-0 models (60, 70, 80 and 90) all get slightly different suspension tunes, and while you can find harsh edges in the other models, the CX-70 feels utterly composed and refined, at least on the smooth-ish roads of our launch test route.
Perhaps most surprising, though, is the CX-70’s ability to hold its own on a properly twisting road. We expected lots of weight transfer and the high-pitched sounds of tyres screaming out in pain, but instead found Mazda’s massive SUV served up grip, composure, and very little in the way of sea-swell-style body roll.
The two big six-cylinder engines also feel perfectly suited to a vehicle in this space. There’s tons of power whenever you need it, and solid levels of refinement in terms of engine noise or diesel rattles.