In case you’ve missed it, Mazda Philippines has laid down the ground work to become an authorized distributor of AutoExe parts and accessories. Based in Tokyo, AutoExe is a tuning company and parts maker that specializes in Mazda vehicles. Founded by former Mazda works driver Yojiro Terada, his engineering philosophy is based on the Le Mans spirit. With his racing experience, he’s treated the Circuit de la Sarthe, where the race is held annually, as a development ground.

Since Le Mans is held on general roads, AutoExe parts are not simply for flashy appearances nor are they limited to circuit use. Instead, the guiding principle is to provide a “New Driving Sensation” and as such, they’re parts and accessories developed with street or daily use in mind. AutoExe takes great care to provide parts and accessories that improve driving performance that don’t hinder practicality and comfort. Moreover, they develop parts that create a holistic, complete car when put together.

Furthering this New Driving Sensation, Takao Kijima is part of AutoExe’s engineering team. Known as Mr. Roadster, Kijima-san is central to suspension and chassis work on the first- and second-generation MX-5, and the third-generation RX-7. During his tenure at Mazda, he embraced the so-called Dynamic Kansai Engineering—a way of developing cars that focuses on increasing the sensation of being fun to drive that may not necessarily be captured by instruments and specifications. It’s this philosophy that he carries over to AutoExe.

Now, AutoExe was soft-launched early this year with the limited-edition MX-5 AutoExe Edition. With the full market launch happening soon, Mazda Philippines has expanded the AutoExe offering to the CX-60 as well. It may seem odd choosing a two-ton SUV to get a sportified treatment, but thanks to its rear-biased all-wheel architecture and inline-6 engine layout, its appeal is understandable.

What you see in these photos is one of two AutoExe development units running around. This Soul Red Crystal CX-60 3.3 HEV Turbo-D Sport is sporting two rather pricey upgrades—the AutoExe Street Sports Suspension Kit (P 153,625) and the other is the Sport Muffler (P 98,870). To install the muffler, you need to install the Muffler Garnish (P 19,732) as well.

Normally, I’d be the first one to shy away from going the aftermarket or tuner route, especially for a vehicle that’s positioned in the premium space like the CX-60. But, let’s just say that the upgrades, especially one in particular, is worth it; it makes me think that every CX-60 owner should save up for one. I’m talking about the AutoExe Street Sports Suspension Kit.

The CX-60’s revised suspension has softened the ride. However, at the same time, I did find that the softened rear dampers has made the entire experience feel uneven. The front end still doesn’t exhibit much vertical movement, while the rear has way more vertical movement. Thankfully, the rebound rates are still well-controlled, dissipating any hint of it bottoming out. This so-called unevenness is what the AutoExe Street Sports Suspension solves.

AutoExe calls its Street Sports Suspension the “street best model.” The way it works is simple. The damper itself is a twin-tube setup with a fixed damper rate. This, according to AutoExe engineers, is advantageous since it starts working at very low speeds. Thus, they can control the roll more accurately from the moment the shock absorber piston starts moving. The spring that comes with it has increased stiffness—up 30 percent—to moderate the body roll. The secret sauce, however, is down to the suspension’s unique damping ratio or the balance between the shocks and the springs. They realized that by increasing the damping force by 15 percent at the extension, but lowering it at the compression (total damping force doesn’t change), it can improve both the handling and the ride. Take note that ride height is adjustable too, lower or higher by 10 mm, but for the sake of this particular unit, it’s been kept at stock.

With the AutoExe Street Sports Suspension installed, the front and rear ends of the CX-60 feel much more cohesive. The difference in steering feel and immediacy isn’t a night-and-day difference when compared to the stock suspension. In fact, there’s a tad of understeer by design. What is noticeable is that there’s much less body roll now. The rear-end also feels much more athletic and more willing to turn making this SUV feel less skittish and roly-poly. The bonus is that the suspension’s Dynamic Kansai Engineering quells out secondary rebounds making everything feel more planted and predictable. If anything, it’s now tuned like the best cars hailing from Bavaria.

While I’m all in for the AutoExe Street Sports Suspension, I’m still torn on the advantages of putting in the Sports Muffler simply because I don’t know if it offers any credible improvements to performance. Granted, it’s visually impressive. Replacing the faux square units—one of the critically loathed design elements of the CX-60—for actual quad pipes with an 80-mm diameter, it’s a looker. The exhaust pipe is also slightly larger at 60.5 mm (from 54-mm) for reduced backpressure loss and improved exhaust efficiency.

Aurally, there’s not much difference at idle, though there’s slightly more bass. When it’s opened up, it does highlight the sound of the inline-6 more. The bolder, fuller (with a hint of raspiness) sound is much more pronounced, especially towards the top end of the rev range thanks to the absence of glass wool that typically muffles everything out. The Sports Muffler adheres to JASMA standards, meaning it isn’t loud enough to wake the neighbors and passes all pertinent emissions standards. Now, it’s not cheap, but I guess, for those who want to “unlock the sound” of the flagship Skayctiv engine, it’s money well-spent. Probably. Personally, I’d probably fork one for the gas variant, but not the diesel.

The introduction of these AutoExe parts for the CX-60 is a step in the right direction for Mazda in the Philippines. Realizing that there’s a market who want some level of customization (the brand started the Build Your Own MX-5 Program some years back) and are willing to pay for it, this is hopefully the start of more AutoExe parts coming our way. While the Sports Muffler is not exactly my thing, the Street Sports Suspension is a must-buy. It irons out the last of the CX-60’s rough edges. And considering that the diesel with the AutoExe package comes out to P 3.044-million, it’s still cheaper than either the Subaru WRX tS Sedan or tS Wagon. Not to mention, the CX-60 diesel gets you more than 10 km/L in terms of mileage and is number coding exempt. This, truly is, a great example of having your cake and eating it too.

Read our previous reviews of the Mazda CX-60 here: