First drive: The Mazda CX-80 is stylish and spacious, but is it better than a Skoda Kodiaq?

Say hello to the Mazda CX-80, a seven-seat family SUV that’s big on style, big on space, and genuinely lovely inside.

And while you might be expecting this to be yet another new electric car, that’s actually not the case. In fact, of the two engine options available, one is a plug-in hybrid and the other is – shock horror – a diesel. And it’s the pick of the pair, too.

Before we get into that, what do you need to know about this handsome hunk of metal? For a start, it really is good-looking. While most SUVs take an identical silhouette and hope some overdesigned headlights and a big grille will make it stand out, Mazda’s managed to give the CX-80 a sleek design that adds a layer of class and subtlety to this humungous seven-seater. There are some gorgeous paint colours, too.

The theme continues inside, where there’s a hint of the old school thanks to a bank of buttons for the climate controls, and an infotainment screen perched atop the dashboard just out of reach, rather than dominating the view ahead like you’re driving the TV section of John Lewis. It is a touchscreen, but only when you’re stopped. You have to use a rotary dial on the centre console the rest of the time, which is neat.

There are some quality materials and the dashboard has a lovely layered design. Materials generally feel pretty posh and if it all looks a bit dark inside for your tastes, Takumi models get white leather upholstery and light-coloured fabrics for the dashboard and doors.

Space is the real highlight, which is great news for a family car. The CX-80 is a seven-seater as standard, but you can swap the three-seat bench in the middle for two individual chairs on some trims. Whichever configuration you go for, the middle row seats are really spacious, though the third row is a bit of a squeeze. Save this for kids and/or adults you don’t like very much.

You get 258 litres of boot space with all three rows in place, which isn’t bad, and up to 687 litres with the second row in place. Again, decent (and more than most people will ever need) but the truth is that the Skoda Kodiaq has a bigger boot in both configurations.

The Skoda’s more comfortable to drive, too, and this is where the Mazda CX-80 disappoints. It crashes into potholes and jolts you around over speed bumps, which is just about forgivable in a sports car but not a family car. It’s not particularly refined either, as there’s quite a bit of road noise at high speeds and you can hear stones pinging off the bottom of the car at low speeds.

At least the diesel engine is lovely. Sure, the gearbox can be a bit jittery at low speeds but the engine pulls hard and sounds great in the process.

Company car choosers will be looking at the plug-in hybrid for the tax breaks, and it is nice and quiet when pootling around in electric mode. However, it’s not particularly quick nor seamless to switch between petrol and electric, it still rides poorly over bumps, and the Peugeot 5008 and Hyundai Santa Fe have a longer electric range, so fall into a slightly lower benefit-in-kind tax bracket.

There’s a lot to like about the Mazda CX-80, and if what you really want is something a bit different from the norm, it’s certainly an appealing option. Unfortunately, the Hyundai Santa Fe, Peugeot 5008 and Skoda Kodiaq are all very, very good cars that are simply better all-rounders.

Wowscore: 7/10