The Mazda CX-70 delivers sharp style inside and out. There’s no doubt that, in this world of everything crossover, Mazda builds some nice-looking vehicles. For years, though, Mazda has also been a bit of a leader in that it managed to deliver a crossover that still served up solid driving dynamics through proper suspension, transmission, and steering tuning. I fear those days are gone now, as the last few Mazda machines I’ve driven have left me quite cold.

It might make sense then to start off my time with the new Mazda CX-70 in the frozen tundra currently known as New England. My family and I arrived to a healthy amount of snow falling from the sky. It’s dark, it’s cold, and the road ahead fills with more and more of the sort of stuff that can quickly ruin a trip to the East Coast. Rather than attempt to navigate 95 South at 10 p.m. at night, we opted for a hotel and a crack at the roads in the morning.

Once the sun was up, the snow turned to rain. It’s still not ideal, but it can help wash off any remaining accumulated snow, and the temperatures are above freezing. The CX-70 easily swallows all of our luggage with room to spare—as it should since it’s a CX-90 with a row of seats removed. This makes the naming of the vehicle fall a bit on the goofy side. Just call it a CX-90 Sport or call the three row a CX-90 XL or something. There’s no need to muddy the model name waters here. Regardless, my family and I have room to spare in this two-row crossover, and the road awaits. And if we wanted, we could fit water bottles, coffees, and all sorts of other beverages in this thing since it still retains the third-row cupholders. In case our luggage gets thirsty, I guess.

There’s a version of the CX-70 fitted with a turbocharged straight six, and that model makes either 280 hp or 340, depending on the trim. I, however, am in the plugin hybrid version. Here, you have a four-cylinder engine paired with electric bits to deliver 323 hp, 369 lb-ft of torque, usable EV-only range when charged up, and what should be off-the-line thrust. I’ll get to that in a minute, but first, I want to say that I am quite impressed with the all-wheel-drive system on this one.

Conditions for my drive from Boston to Southern Rhode Island were, at best, miserable. As I said, the temps stayed above the freezing point, but the rain was coming down hard. This means you need to avoid the far left lane of the freeway as much as possible since large puddles can form in spots. I saw a few cars that didn’t get this memo, and the resulting problems ranged from mid-speed splashdown freakouts to full-on accidents.

In the CX-70, I was able to work my way through slower traffic with a sure-enough-footed feel. I find it particularly funny that this car wears California plates, as more than one local had to assume I was an out-of-towner on a death mission. Yes, I do qualify as an out-of-towner these days, but I’ve never forgotten how to maneuver safely and efficiently through the weather. Even if I now live in my coddled-ass part of California.

On the highway, the CX-70 performs wonderfully. The cabin delivers a level of comfort and luxury far above our old 2016 CX-5. I’ve spent brief moments in higher specs than my tester here, too, and it only gets nicer as you climb the trim ladder. It should be nice, though, since it’s priced like a CX-90. The PHEV version of the CX-70 starts a bit over $55k for the Premium or $58k for the Premium Plus. Non-hybrid models start just north of $40k, which makes far more sense. But those can still climb into the upper $50k range as well.

Things fall apart, however, in slower-speed and around-town driving. The gearbox tuning is poor. It’s almost as if it’s trying to mimic a dual-clutch’s worst qualities. There’s clunkiness when you leave the line. It’s because the electric motor sits between engine and 8-speed, and the three aren’t communicating very well. Sometimes, it’s smooth, and other times, your passengers wouldn’t be wrong to think this car has a manual and you just learned stick today.

The Mazda CX-70 is a good-looking vehicle. I’m a fan of the interior features and upmarket level of comfort. But the driving dynamics need work, which fills me with sadness. We bought our CX-5 because it drove better than its competition. It certainly wasn’t nicer inside, but it was nice enough for us. Mazda may lose sight of that in a quest to bring its vehicles more upmarket while leaving the Zoom-Zoom ethos in the rear mirror.