Which Mazda Vehicles Have Third-Row Seating?

Third-row seating is a luxury that becomes a necessity when one has a larger family. When looking for a Mazda with enough space for seven passengers, it's easy to think most of its SUV crossovers have enough room for the whole family since they're all decently spacious. However, something like the CX-5 or CX-50 doesn't have third row seating. For something so spacious, Mazda only has two models in its current lineup, and a third one if buyers are interested in purchasing pre-owned.

The CX-9 used to be Mazda's only vehicle with three rows of seats, but the automaker discontinued its line with the 2024 model year. Now it has been replaced by the CX-90 and its plug-in hybrid counterpart, the CX-90 PHEV. Third row seating might have been a rare feature in cars during the '90s when old station wagons and a few select minivans had them, but they're much more common now, especially with the proliferation of SUVs. The difference now is that some vehicles with that extra row can come with three seats or just two, depending on the trim of the vehicle.

The discontinued CX-9 served as the only Mazda SUV with a third row of seats for 17 years, beginning in 2007. Depending on the trim a buyer purchased, it could come with a rather comfortable interior where the front and middle row of seats could be heated. If it was filled to capacity with passengers, it only had about 14 cubic feet of storage behind the last row of seats. Traveling cross country might have proved difficult unless the family got creative with its organization, but it had no trouble bringing the whole family and then some out to dinner or to the beach.

Our own Chris Davies rated the 2023 Mazda CX-9 an 8 out of 10, noting that not every trim came with the same amount of seating. The Touring and Carbon editions could seat up to six passengers, while the touring Plus and Grand Touring versions bumped that up to seven. Each version of the CX-9 featured a different configuration with captain's chairs that either had a center console for storage, or a walkthrough.

Unlike Mazda's new flagship SUV, the CX-9 didn't come with multiple drivetrain options. The CX-9 was only designed with the Skyactiv-G 2.5 Turbo, a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The 2024 model year was the last year for the CX-9, making room for the new, more spacious CX-90.

Mazda's 2024 CX-90 SUV crossover rewrites the benchmarks in its seating alone. The third row might lack some legroom that the CX-9 offered, but this new flagship SUV is larger, with the ability to squeeze up to eight people into its more affordable trims. As buyers look at the more expensive models, the number of seats drop, but their quality can't be dismissed. Once you get to the 3.3 Turbo Premium version, the number of seats drops to seven, while the top two trims only have six. Again, they're very nice seats: The Turbo S Premium Plus interior comes standard with tan Nappa leather interior that reminds the family they're driving in luxury.

The back seat is really only a bit too constrictive for adults, as there's only 30.4 inches between it and the second row. Children should have no issues with their legroom, however. Depending on the trim, the second row can be configured with either bench seating or captain's chairs, and each configuration can come with a center console. Then there's the cargo space. A larger SUV, even if only slightly, means more cargo space.

The dimensions for the CX-90 are mere fractions larger than its predecessor (200.8 x 78.5 x 68.7 inches, versus the CX-9's 199.4 x 77.2 x 67.6 inches), but that's enough to give families more space for their belongings. The initial cargo space in the rear provides 15.9 cubic feet, which can be increased if the third row is folded down.

Unlike the CX-9, which came with only one drivetrain, Mazda created the CX-90 with multiple, including the CX-90 PHEV. Just like its gas-powered counterpart, the PHEV model can seat up to eight passengers if drivers go with its Preferred trim. The Premium and Premium Plus trims, however, lose one seat, giving enough room for only seven passengers. They might not seat as many people, but those seven passengers will be riding in comfort even if the driver decides to test its estimated 490 mile max range.

The latter two trims also give those in the second row heated seats, a luxury commonly enjoyed by those only in the front seats for most vehicles. If you have the Preferred trim with its three seats at the rear, the trunk can hold 14.9 cubic feet of belongings when both the second and third rows are sitting up. Lowering the third row increases that storage space to 40 cubic feet, and 74.2 cubic feet with both third and second row of seats folded down. Opting for the seven seat arrangement increases the cargo space to 15.9, 40.1, and 75.2 cubic feet, respectively.

There's no denying that being able to fit more passengers in a single car is the most obvious reason to purchase an SUV with three rows of seats. Whether you have a big family or just a lot of friends, that extra row can be useful. It also comes in handy for those who prefer to carpool to and from work, saving money on inflated fuel prices.

If there's an instance when you need to pick up some lumber from Home Depot or you need to transport boxes, those extra seats don't force you to sacrifice cargo space. As long as nobody needs to sit in the back, both the second and third rows fold down in Mazda's SUVs. Furthermore, the CX-90 can hold more cargo than one of the other Mazda SUVs with only two rows of seats.

The CX-50, for example, only has 31.4 cubic feet of cargo space when the rear seats are sitting up (56.3 when they're folded down). With the third row down, the CX-90 has 40.1 cubic feet of available space and even more with the middle row down. So, even if you don't need the seats, it could be advantageous to consider a vehicle with three rows. Whether that means there's room for eight, seven, or six passengers is up to you.