Mazda offers an interesting alternative to its CX-5

By Jim Bray
July 29, 2025

Mazda's CX-5 is a terrific SUV, fun and, depending upon how you configure it, more luxurious than you might expect. So why would the company introduce a new model to compete with itself?

Beats me. That said, however, either the CX-5 or the newer CX-50 are excellent choices if you're shopping in this market niche. The 50 is a bit lower and wider than the CX-5, as well as being bigger all-around, while looking a tad more aggressive in its styling.

Underneath, they're practically the same vehicle, so choosing one over the other may come down to personal preference (I prefer the look of the CX-50, though it's close). Both models apparently share the same platform, which is apparently the same one used by the exquisite Mazda 3.

So, regardless of the fact that Mazda no longer uses "Zoom-Zoom" in its ads (a mistake, in my never humble opinion), both of these compact SUV's offer a very compelling driving experience. But this piece is about the CX-50.

Mazda's sample CX-50 wore the GS-L trim level, which is the lowest, and I have to admit I missed a lot of the higher end features. That said, the 50 still looks, feels and drives like a Mazda and that's always a very good thing.

Powering the GS-L version is Mazda's 2.5 litre "SkyactivG" inline four with cylinder deactivation (to save gas when you don't need all the "Zoom-Zoom") and i-Stop. It puts out 187 horses and 185 torquey things, which is a tad anemic in this day and age. Toyota, for example, rates its current RAV4's entry level version at 203 horses, though I'm willing to bet the Mazda is more fun.

If you want more Mazda for your money, you can opt for the GT trim level and its optional 2.5 litre turbo. And there's a Meridian Edition, too, for those who want as much Mazda as money can buy (well….). This turbocharged version of the little gem will give you 227 hp (and 310 lb.-ft.) with regular fuel or 256 hp – and a whopping 320 lb.-ft. of torque – with premium.

I'm familiar with both engines and, were I the buyer and I could afford it, the turbo would be my choice. More about that later…

All CX-50's come with a six-speed automatic transmission with manual mode, as well as normal, sport and off-road driving modes. I missed having paddle shifters in the GS-L, but you get them if you opt for the turbo.

CX-50's front suspension is of the independent, MacPherson Strut variety, with coil springs and stabilizer bar, and the rear uses a torsion beam suspension. Steering, which feels great, is rack and pinion with electric power steering.

Brakes, to no one's surprise given the auto market, are power-assisted four-wheel discs with ABS, Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBFD), and emergency brake assist (a little hand comes out of the instrument panel and holds your foot down on the pedal better – or something like that).

Mazda's sample CX-50 was equipped pretty nicely for a low-end version. It came with stuff like automatic LED headlights, power outside mirrors and tailgate, intermittent rain sensing (and heated) front windshield wipers, rear view camera, automatic dual zone climate control, a lovely panoramic sunroof, CarPlay and its Android equivalent, heated front seats and steering wheel and all the usual crap marketed as being for our safety.

Sure, I missed a power passenger seat and seat memory, the higher end Bose audio system and stuff like that, but if you can only afford the entry level model, you'll still be doing very nicely.

New for 2025 are things like Emergency Lane Keeping w/ Head-on traffic avoidance assist, Private e-Call, Stolen Vehicle Assistance, Amazon Alexa, a quartet of USB-C ports and wireless phone charging (if your phone is compatible).

Another thing shared by the CX-5 and CX-50 is Mazda's G-VECTORING CONTROL (GVC), which the company says "maximizes tire performance by focusing on the vertical load on the tires. The moment the driver starts to turn the steering wheel, GVC controls engine drive torque to generate a deceleration G-force, thereby shifting load to the front wheels. This increases front-wheel tire grip, enhancing the vehicle's turn-in responsiveness. Thereafter, when the driver maintains a constant steering angle, GVC immediately recovers engine drive torque, which transfers load to the rear wheels, enhancing vehicle stability."

I wonder what that means in English.

You can feel the system at work sometimes, though, as the vehicle follows a tighter arc around a corner than it might have otherwise. Think of it as a "safety and fun enhancer."

As far as gas mileage is concerned, the Mazda says the SKYACTIV-G 2.5 with Cylinder Deactivation can achieve 9.7/8.0 l/100 km city/highway (8.9 combined), while the Turbo can get 10.4/8.2 city/highway and 9.4 combined. That seems pretty good to me, though I rarely achieve the optimal numbers because I was born with a lead foot.

The base engine CX-50 can tow 907 kg (a ton, basically) while the Turbo can drag along 1,588 kg (3500 pounds). So, if you need to tow, the engine choice is obvious.

Then there are the nannies, most of which (if not all – I didn't have time to check in my all-too-short review period) can be shut off. These include Smart City Brake Support Front (SCBS-F), Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA – a wonderful feature for this "anti-nanny" guy), Mazda Radar Cruise Control with Stop&Go function, Smart Brake Support Front, Pedestrian Detection (forward sensing – though I'd rather there were just a cowcatcher attached to the front bumper), Distance Recognition Support System, Forward Obstruction Warning, Driver Attention Alert (where the robot second guesses its owner), Distance Speed and Alert, Emergency Lane Keeping w/ Head-on traffic avoidance assist, Lane keep-Assist and Lane Departure Warning Systems (the nannies I hate the most!), and lots more.

You get the point. Mazda has inflicted as many, if not more, of these things on its audience as the other carmakers do. Mazda, in its wisdom – or at least recognizing that its owners may not need to be second guessed by sensors and software – lets you shut them off and they'll stay off.

I still don't like owners being forced to pay for this stuff just to shut it off, but at least you can end the annoyances yourself.

I'm not sure why Mazda introduced the CX-50, as much as I do love the vehicle. It's basically a slightly larger and lower CX-5, with basically the same underpinnings. As with the CX-90, though, it isn't just a rebadging of the earlier model, it's a different enough vehicle from its predecessor to warrant your attention.

In some of my less lucid moments (of which my wife thinks there are many), I wonder if the CX-50 was or is meant to replace the CX-5. It would make a certain amount of sense, except that the darn public keeps buying CX-5's. It reminds me of Porsche from decades ago, when they introduced the 928 as a replacement for the 911. Yet the 928 is long gone and the 911 lives on.

I wonder if that'll happen to the CX-5/CX-50.

Doesn't really matter; either is a fine vehicle well worth your time.

In fact, it's time for some full disclosure. I've extolled the lovely joys of Mazdas for years, thanks to having many opportunities to drive them over my decades of reviewing cars. I've recommended them to friends and neighbours, all of whom (of the ones who actually followed my advice) are pleased with their buying decisions. But I never put my own money where my mouth is.

Now I have. About a month ago, my lovely wife and I decided it was time to upgrade our 2013 Toyota RAV4. The RAV had served us very well, but it was time to update from a 12-year-old vehicle to one that should last us for as long as we drive – in essence, the last car we (who are in our 70's now) plan to buy.

I had wanted a CX-5 when we bought the RAV4 eight years ago, but the only one in our budget was bagged, and my wife was more comfortable returning to the Toyota fold after our years with Corollas, Celicas and a Supra.

This time, the market had changed. RAV4 prices had soared (and we don't really like the current one as much anyway) and we happened to find a good deal on a CX-5.

So now we're the proud owners of a 2022 Mazda CX-5 Signature Edition, the top line version with all options, and only three years old, with a tad high but still reasonable mileage. And in that gorgeous Soul Red Mazda does so well.

Now, as a firm believer in Murphy's Law, I'd expect it to blow up or catch fire or just retire on us – just because it could. Fortunately, it's both Japanese and a Mazda, so I don't this is unlikely to happen.

Meanwhile, I finally have my own "Zoom-Zoom"! And I'm delighted.