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LOS ANGELES () — The Mazda CX-90 is a really nice three-row SUV. Stylish, room for families, and a fender badge that’s pretty distinctive these days. It proclaims that this Mazda is propelled by an inline six.
Mazda is often known for its engines, and this one breaks out of the mold a bit. Inline six vehicles were a staple of the automotive world for decades, and are making a bit of a comeback. In the case of the CX-90, it’s turbocharged and pairs with a mild hybrid system. Base price for a 2026 CX-90 with the 3.3 Turbo engine is $40,830. There’s also a full-hybrid version of the vehicle with a four-cylinder engine.
So what is an inline six, you might be wondering? As its name suggests, the six cylinders are lined up in a row. In contrast, a V6, which is the dominant layout in the industry, arranges the cylinders in a block which is V-shaped. An advantage of an inline six is that they are naturally very smooth.
Jeep is among the brands of Stellantis, and the company is substituting the corporation’s powerful Hurricane inline six for V8s in some cases, in vehicles like the Ram pickup, and the big Grand Wagoneer full-size SUV. This is the first inline six the company had developed since the Chrysler days and the legendary Slant Six of the ’60s.
When the Grand Wagoneer first came out as a 2022 model, it had a 6.4 liter V8, but for the past few years it’s had the 3.0 liter Hurricane six. Now even though it’s less than half the displacement of the V8, it puts out more horsepower, more torque, and offers the same towing capacity. At the same time, it puts out fewer emissions, and gets a slightly better mpg number.
And guess which brand has re-discovered the old layout? Mercedes-Benz. Numerous current models have a turbocharged inline six, with the design allowing plenty of space for the turbos and other hardware on the side. “Rediscovered” because Mercedes was famous for its inline-six engines going way, way back. After moving to V6 power in the 1990s, the inline six is the company’s new hero when it comes to power and performance, paired with hybrid systems, and even plug-in hybrid layouts. The power of a V8, with better fuel economy and lower carbon output.
So what’s old is new again, in a way. An engine layout thought to be old-school is helping the industry tackle the present and the future, with power and efficiency at the same time.
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