Tag Archives: Mazda CX-50

2025 Mazda CX-5 Turbo Signature

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By Gary S. Vasilash

Nomenclature in the auto business is a trickier thing than it ought to be for consumers trying to figure out what it is that they might like to buy.

One example of this is the situation that exists between the Mazda CX-5 and the Mazda CX-50.

The CX-5 is an established moniker, having been around since model year 2013.

The CX-50 is far fresher, having been introduced in model year 2023.

Both are compact SUVs.

The addition of the “0” does indicate that the CX-50 is bigger (e.g., 185.8 inches long vs. 180.1 inches for the CX-5; a 110-inch wheelbase vs. a 106.2-inch wheelbase).

The point is, if you go into a Mazda dealership and are looking for what can be considered the “zippier” of the two, go for the CX-5, especially given that both vehicles come with a 2.5-liter engine that, at the top of the line trims (like the one here), produces 256 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque, so because the CX-5 is slightly smaller, it provides better maneuverability. (Of course, both vehicles are not particularly large in the context of many SUVs/crossovers out there, so this is a relative thing.)

2025 Mazda CX-5: the sort of presence other compact SUVs probably wish they had. (Image: Mazda)

Like all Mazdas—and this is no mean feat—the CX-5 looks great. There has been a consistency in styling for the past few years that Mazda hasn’t deviated from. The exterior sheet metal of the CX-5 is formed in a way that makes it distinctive in a category of vehicles that is becoming increasingly truck-like in appearance. (If people want trucks, don’t they simply buy trucks?)

The cabin is comfortable and the materials are what can be considered a “category-above” compared what are found in other compact crossovers. It is something of a mystery as to how a company that doesn’t sell a whole lot of vehicles vis-à-vis the competitors can have Nappa leather and leather-wrapped steering wheels and shifter, to say nothing of a solid 10-speaker Bose audio system.

The CX-5—as in all trims—is an all-wheel-drive vehicle. In this trim level there is the Mazda Intelligent Drive that allows selection of Normal, Off-Road, Sport. Somehow that central choice doesn’t seem all that relevant for a vehicle that will undoubtedly be driven normally 95% of the time and quickly 5%.

And there is a full suite of the Mazda i-Activsense safety features, including Smart Brake Support (you close too quickly on a vehicle in front of you and the vehicle will let you know it) to Adaptive Front Lighting (which is both cool and functional: when you are turning the headlights appropriately pivot to show you where you are going). When moving through sluggish traffic, there’s Traffic Jam Assist, which uses radar cruise control that can bring the vehicle to a complete stop as well as a steering function that helps keep the vehicle centered.

The EPA Passenger and Cargo volumes are 103.6 cubic feet and 30 cubic feet, respectively, so while not giant in either case, certainly reasonable.

The 2025 CX-5 starts at $29,050 and goes to $41,080 (sans delivery fees).

One option I strongly recommend: the Soul Red Crystal Metallic paint. It shows off the form in a wonderful way.

2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus

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A Mazda built in a somewhat unexpected place. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

Madison, Alabama, is a city southwest of Huntsville, about 12 miles away, a quick trip on the I-565. It has a population of some 60,854, a nice bump up from the 56,933 in 2020.

The median household income in Madison is $118,132, compared with the national average of $75,149. Sixty-four percent of the population has a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with the national average of 34%.

Madison, Alabama, is a place you’ve not heard of, as there are about 200 cities in the U.S. with a population of about 60,000.

But there’s something else about Madison that you may not be aware of:

It is the home of Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, a $2.3-billion factory where some 4,000 people work at producing 300,000 vehicle per year.

The first vehicle produced in the plant was the 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross. Assembly commenced in September 2021. A few months later, the Mazda CX-50 build began.

(Fun fact: Huntsville is the home of the legendary Marshall Space Flight Center. There are two assembly lines in the MTM plant: Apollo and Discovery.)

Timing is everything, so it seems rather propitious for Mazda that it decided to put a hybrid under the hood of the CX-50.

Mazda CX-50 compact crossover with a hybrid powertrain. (Image: Mazda)

And it would hard to believe that it is just a coincidence that the hybrid system—which includes a 176-hp 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine supplemented by three AC motors, so that there is a total system output of 219 hp—is one that is spec-wise just like the hybrid in the Toyota RAV-4.

(Curiously, the Corolla Cross is available as a hybrid, too, yet its system is different than the one that is used in the CX-50. The RAV-4 is built in the Toyota plant in Georgetown, Kentucky. Although one might think that it would be closer to go from Apollo to Discovery (or vice versa), turns out the hybrid system isn’t sourced from Kentucky but is sourced from Japan.)

It has a continuously variable transmission. It is all-wheel drive.

The vehicle is stickered at 39 mpg city, 37 mpg highway and 38 mpg combined.

Style

From the standpoint of the exterior, the compact crossover has the Mazda sheet metal styling that shows skill in creasing sheet metal, but perhaps because Mazda has been using this approach for a while on its range of vehicles, it isn’t as visually striking as it once was. Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage have become more visually striking and so the Mazda doesn’t have the standout looks it once had.

On the inside, especially as this is the top-of-the-line Premium Plus trim, there are things like leather for the seats and steering wheel. The instrumentation is laid out in a stylish and useful manner. There is a 10.25-inch display that is controlled by a large horizontally oriented knob in the center console. I would strongly recommend that if you’re interested in this vehicle and take it out for a test drive that you test drive that setup because some find it to be somewhat unwieldy.

Size

The CX-50 has a 110.8-inch wheelbase. It is 186.1 inches long, 75.6 inches wide and 65.8 inches wide.

So far as cargo: fold the second row and get 56 cubic feet. Behind the second row there are 29 cubic feet. As that is probably hard to visualize, simply know that there is plenty of room back there without folding the seats.

Assessment

The people in Mazda marketing probably cringe when people bring up the old “Zoom-Zoom” line.

If you’re interested in that, this isn’t the place to find it.

But if you want to get an efficient compact crossover, this is something that should be considered.