WARKINS GLEN, New York — Atop the hills overlooking Seneca Lake, Watkins Glen International Raceway is one of America’s greatest racetracks with a history of hosting everything from Formula One to endurance sportscar to NASCAR races.

But before the dedicated, 3.5-mile track opened in 1956, sportscars raced on an epic, 6.6-mile road course crafted from local public roads. The road course is now a historic landmark — its byways still traversed by daily commuters. Anyone can take laps in their vehicle, which I did on a recent road trip from Detroit.

In a 2026 Mazda CX-70 SUV.

With its unibody frame, multi-link suspension, disc brakes and 280 horsepower, the fetching, five-seat Mazda family ute is in many ways more sophisticated than the low-slung, ladder-truck-frame, 220-horse, two-seat, Cadillac V8-powered roadsters that dominated the street race from 1948-52. How far we’ve come.

As a result, the Mazda was remarkably fun to drive over the 600-foot elevation change of the Glen’s high-speed, historic roads. With the DNA of a Mazda Miata and BMW-wannabe engineering, CX-70 is the rare, large SUV that encourages aggressive driving once you’ve dropped the kiddies off at school. Or, in my case, after dropping my family at our downtown Glen hotel.

Roaring out of town up Townsend Road on the long run to landmark Cornett’s Stone Bridge, the 4,900-pound Mazda in SPORT mode was remarkably athletic for a big ute. Weighing, ahem, 3,000 pounds more than the ol’ 1950s racers, CX-70’s steering felt rooted to the asphalt, the car reacting predictably to my inputs.

The suspension soaked up the bumps before I plunged down the loooong Station Road downhill toward Seneca Lake, one of the prettiest, non-skyscraper overlooks in New York. I gave CX-70 my lead foot and the turbo, inline-6-cylinder mill growled like an inline-6 BMW X5 costing $30K more.

After a 450-mile road trip, the Mazda is the rare ute that wants to go for a spirited run.

Yeah, I know, off-roading is all the fashion these days and soft-sprung, mid-size SUVs like the Honda Passport (TrailSport), Kia Telluride (X-Pro), Ford Explorer (Tremor), and Jeep Grand Cherokee (Trailhawk) offer rugged, raised, rock-climbin’ trims with all-terrain tires that can go deep into the outback.

But the most rugged outback terrain a family ute is likely to encounter is a pothole-filled Outback Steakhouse parking lot (where all-terrain rubber might save you a bent rim and flat tire). But CX-70’s on-road athleticism is accessible anytime the road twists into a spaghetti noodle.

CX-70 shoulders mid-size SUV segment duties for the Japanese brand along with the three-row CX-90. They're identical save the third-row option. Get the CX-70 to maximize cargo over hauling six people.

My tester was a loaded, $56K Mazda 2026 Mazda CX-70 Turbo S Premium, which featured goodies like:

—Panoramic sunroof (for gazing at western New York’s Appalachian Plateau)

—Broad head-up display (for navigation, speed, and blind-spot info projected off the front window so your eyes never leave the road)

—Gorgeous, red-leather interior to show off to your BMW X5 friend who just paid 30 grand more for red leather seats.

But the beauty of Mazdas is their laundry list of standard features. Beginning with the smooth, throaty, 340-horsepower, 3.3-liter inline-6 cylinder (a less-inspired hybrid-4-cylinder is also on offer just like a BMW). Just like your neighbors’ pricey Bimmer. Better yet, the 12-volt battery is located in the right front engine bay for easy access when, say, my Honda Civic Si needed a jump start.

Pull the two cars next to each other. Pop the hoods. Hook up the jumper cables. Done.

Bimmers, on the other hand, locate their batteries under the rear hatch. Under the cargo floor panel. Under the protective plastic storage tray. Argh.

BRAWWHH! I nailed the all-wheel-drive (standard) Mazda’s throttle on to I-75 in SPORT mode (standard), checked the blind-spot assist (standard) indicator in my mirrors for closing traffic, toggled the rocker panels on the right steering spoke to set adaptive cruise control (standard) at 80 mph, set wireless Android Auto navigation (standard) and traced the underbelly of Lane Erie to the Glen.

Attention to detail is a premium choice made by Mazda to elevate the brand over competitors (see the entry-level, subcompact CX-30 that comes standard with the same features for $26K versus, say, a Chevy Trax that starts at a bare-bones $23K).

I met my son (we race Lola sportscars together) in Watkins Glen for the weekend — himself the owner of a $34K Mazda3 with the same standard features and red leather interior as CX-70. However, my son and his wife recently gave birth to their first child, and back seats have become as big a priority as front seats.

Unlike the tight Mazda3, the CX-70 has acres of rear seat/cargo room to fit our grandson, his car seat, and baby accessories like diaper bags, milk, suitcase, milk, toys, and milk.

Like Mazda’s superb front-seat ergonomics, the rear is well thought out. Seatbelt anchors for grandson’s car seat were easily accessible. Meeting the junior Paynes at Elmira Airport south of Watling Glen, the little man was locked and loaded in with little fuss. Rear seats also recline slightly so Mom could take a nap, too, after a long flight.

“I love the simple, sculpted flanks,” said my racing friend, Eric, in the Glen paddock.

The owner of competitor VW Atlas, Eric and his family need three-rows (so he would be a CX-90 buyer), but he was taken by the Mazda’s BMW Jr. sophistication. Like me, he might find the Mazda’s inline-6 a game changer for the same price as the 4-cylinder Atlas.

Eager to serve fashion, CX-70 also comes with an OFF-ROAD mode which softened throttle response and maximized AWD grip when I encountered (the inevitable) muddy road in rural New York. But the Mazda is hardly a dirt-kicker (note the donut spare tire in back).

Speaking of fashion, Mazda’s BMW i-Drive-like rotary infotainment controller is soooo 15 minutes ago. So CX-70 has upgraded its infotainment display as a full touchscreen when using Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. Unfortunately, the upgrade meant my palm rested on top of the hazard light button on top of the dash resulting in multiple, accidental flasher deployments on my trip.

Expect future CX-70s to ditch the rotary dial like the 2026 CX-5.

For such an ergonomically sound model, CX-70 also comes up short with its clunky, monostable shifter (another BMW clone). On the plus side, the (optional) 360-degree camera display was the best I’ve tested this side of Nissan’s see-through hood — its screen graphic placing the tires precisely in the hotel parking spot.

Which is where my CX-70 came to rest after a long day. Just down the street from the historic road course’s starting line where Glen lore began.

2026 Mazda CX-70

Vehicle type: All-wheel drive, five-door, five-passenger SUV

Price: $44,280, including $1,530 destination charge ($56,135 Turbo S Premium as tested)

Powerplant: Turbocharged, 3.3-liter, inline-6 cylinder; plug-in hybrid, 2.5-liter inline-4 cylinder mated to electric motor

Power: 280 horsepower, 332 pound-feet of torque (standard 6-cyl); 340 horsepower, 369 pound-feet of torque (6-cyl S trim); 323 horsepower, 369 pound-feet of torque (hybrid)

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.3 seconds (Car and Driver); towing, 3,500-5,000 pounds (5K pounds for 6-cyl as tested)

Weight: 4,863 pounds (as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA 24 mpg city/28 highway/25 combined (standard 6-cyl); EPA 23 mpg city/28 highway/25 combined (6-cyl S trim); EPA 24 mpg city/27 highway/25 combined (hybrid); 25 mpg and 490-mile range (observed)

Report card

Highs: The affordable BMW X5; standard features value

Lows: Clumsy shifter; misplaced flashers button

Overall: 4 stars

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