The Mazda CX-5 has long been an American sales hero for the underdog brand from Japan. The pressure is now on for the debut of the new 2026 Mazda CX-5. It needs to up the ante to stay with the times, and Mazda appears to have done just that. All except for one critical area, in which it’s bucking the current trend.
The headline is that the all-new CX-5 is bigger than the outgoing generation. It’s a full 4.5 inches longer than before, and half an inch wider, but with good reason. Mazda has sought to offer a more comfortable SUV that’s easier to live with every day, with the company eager to highlight the larger door openings. Ingress and egress weren’t the easiest on the old model, and that was a key factor to rectify for what is fundamentally a practical family vehicle. The cargo area is larger, too, with the rear area also given a lower lift-in height for ease of loading.
While it’s an all-new design, the car is still instantly recognizable as a Mazda. It follows the latest trends in the brand’s Kodo design language, while hallmarks like the grille shape and the rich red paint can be traced back well beyond a decade at this point. There are touches that keep it moving with the times. Most notably, the sleek modern lighting design up front, and the “MAZDA” wordmark badge on the rear. It’s become a bit of a trope at this point, something multiple brands have arguably nabbed straight off of Range Rover.
As far as powertrains go, the basic engine will carry over from last year’s model. The SkyActiv-G engine is a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-four good for 187 horsepower and 185 pound-feet of torque. It drives all four wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission—almost an anachronism in a world where 9- and 10-speeds are increasingly common.
However, a hybrid is also on the horizon. In 2027, Mazda will introduce the SkyActiv-Z, which we’re told “will feature Mazda Hybrid System technology to offer a higher level of performance and fuel efficiency along with the engaging drive that our customers expect.” That sentence offers a whole lot of fluff but very little information; Mazda’s press release declines to give us any specifications on the pending electrified drivetrain.
In any case, the hybrid will likely be key to the CX-5’s future fortunes. Electrified models are becoming increasingly important in the SUV and crossover sectors. As an indicator, a full 50% of Toyota RAV4 sales in 2024 were hybrid or PHEV models. It tells us that customers are voting with their feet when it comes to drivetrain technology and fuel economy.
Inside, the CX-5 has increased room for rear passengers, particularly regarding leg, knee, and headroom. There’s also ambient lighting to provide that modern tech-luxury feel that has become so popular of late. Mazda has also given the CX-5 a new available 15.6-inch infotainment screen, the largest it has ever fitted to a production vehicle. It’s integrated with Google’s in-car services, including the tech company’s Gemini AI assistant.
In one critical area, though, Mazda has gone against the times. Where automakers like Volkswagen and Ferrari are rushing to put real buttons back in their cars, the Japanese automaker has gone the other way. There are no buttons on the dashboard for things like the radio or HVAC system. You don’t even get a volume knob. Instead, everything is controlled via the touchscreen. A small respite is that the buttons on the steering wheel, at least, are indeed proper physical controls.
Price is yet to be revealed, though Mazda has always been generally in the ballpark of its rivals in this regard. Expect the new CX-5 to remain competitively priced with the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV-4, as was the previous generation, with a small price premium to be paid for the pending hybrid version.
Mazda has done an able job redesigning its family SUV for today’s market. Critically, the brand listened to customer feedback and put in the work to rectify the most obvious pain points—namely, space in the cabin, and how easy it was to get in and out of the thing. Beyond that, the other changes are more subtle, with visual tweaks and interior upgrades to keep up with the times.
The CX-5 has long proven popular, even if it hasn’t dominated the segment. Sans a total revolution, it’s unlikely to topple the Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR-V. However, Mazda will be hoping the all-new 2026 model will see the CX-5 surge back into strong six-figure sales as customers respond to the crossover that’s bigger and better than before.
Top graphic image: Mazda
Overall this looks promising but I have 2 nitpicks. First, one of the things that makes me love Mazda is that there are real buttons – I’m not happy about this move to no buttons at all. Second, I feel like if they are going to do the “word” logo thing they should go back to their old stylized lower case word logo.
My rant aside (it felt good and don’t @ me), the other big news is it appears the turbo is gone. I guess the Skyactiv-Z hybrid will replace that at the top of the lineup. I’m wondering if that’s going to be differentiator from the CX-50. Marketed as “sportier” with a turbo option.
Another indistinguishable 2-box blob of a CUV with a giant iPad glued to the dash. Yeah. No.
Can this timeline end already?
No volume knob is always a huge miss
Depends on how they did the wheel controls. My car has volume controls on the back of the wheel that are very easy to reach. I rarely use the knob on the dash.
We enthusiasts love our buttons (they are truly superior as a driving interface) and I love the rotary knob on my Mazda as much as anyone, but alas – a huge screen is what the market demands, so a huge screen is what we get.
And now that they’ve invested in the development of an infotainment system reliant on a big screen, I can guarantee there are refreshes of the CX-90 and CX-50 already in the works that will have the same screen. It’ll be across the full lineup in no time. Miata fans, brace yourselves.
The “Mazda Connect” infotainment system stuck around in the Miata through 2023, though, years after it was gone from other models, so the Miata will almost certainly be the last to get this one.
Exactly. I’m not sure how Mazda moved so quickly from not wanting any touchscreen interface to wanting everything in the touchscreen.
This Miata fan will not be happy if this interior philosophy makes it into the next Miata
I know initially I was not wild about the Command Knob, and walked away from a CX-50. After a few days to think I decided it was not a deal breaker, and now I really like it, even when using CarPlay. And I love the clean dash with just the physical climate controls.
But how many people just walked away from a Mazda, because it wasn’t a touchscreen and you had to learn a new interface. I would bet it was a significant number of people. Even reviewers complained and wouldn’t take the short time it took to learn. Want to sell more cars? Go with what people think they want.
RIP Kodo design, you could slap a MG or BYD logo to this and be any generic chinese car that is on sale.
RIP Command Knob
I thought Mazda was ridiculously conservative with the redesign until I realized the lede photo is the current gen.
I’m a big Mazda fan – my current and previous daily drivers are Mazda 3s, and my wife has a CX-9 – but the latest generation of Mazdas doesn’t really excite me. No dash controls for HVAC or audio volume is 100% a dealbreaker for me. As you stated, the “spell out your brand in capital letters” approach to badging is already kinda cliche. And I hate that Mazda went out of their way to emulate the fading of incandescent turn signals on their LED turn signals. My wife got a brand new CX-90 loaner recently and both of us agreed that it didn’t seem like an improvement from her CX-9 in several areas.
lol, I didn’t realize the lead photo is the current generation. I was like, “Man, I hated it at first, but this new design is really growing on me.” I think that says a lot about how well they did in the re-design. I also hate this stupid trend of spelling out the brand name. It’s like getting a tattoo of your own name.
Front end looks not good, and the rear looks like a BMW now. Less buttons also bad.
NNNNNOOOOOO!!! Mazda you were the chosen one! It was said that you would destroy the tablets not join them!
Seriously though the quotes from the design team are so cynical it’s crazy. For years they touted internal studies that indicated massive touchscreens were unsafe. Everyone knows this to be true anecdotally. Now they say that despite moving every goddamn thing to the screen they’re still committed to safety. Were those studies found to be false? Of course not. This is either a cost-cutting move or optimizing for the “wow” factor when you first get in the vehicle for a test drive. Or both.
I daily a 2022 Mazda 3. The wheel+quick buttons is the superior interface. Nope you’re wrong it is. It’s even superior for Android Auto and CarPlay. At first, you need to look at the screen just like a touchscreen to select things. Over time, you get a feel for the number of wheel clicks to get places. I can mark cops on Waze without even looking at the screen now.
The screen is positioned where you can still see the road while using the infotainment. Since you don’t have to reach to stab at the screen with a finger you don’t pull the steering wheel. The wheel and quick buttons fall right below where your hand is when resting on the armrest. Next to it is a volume knob that you push down to mute and left and right to change track. It’s a masterclass of ergonomic design that has been thrown away. Does it take longer to get used to than a test drive or a YouTube review? Yes. Is it safer? Absolutely.
This is the same thing I see happening with Southwest Airlines now. Will this change increase sales? Probably. But what you end with is a car company that isn’t any different from all the other companies slapping together crossovers. Long term, a mistake.
It is definitely not superior for AA. For stuff you use frequently? Sure, the muscle memory you mentioned. But for stuff you only use occasionally? Terrible. You have to look at the screen more to figure out whether to turn the wheel or click some direction. But sometimes which direction? Nope, that’s not it. Back up and try again. Where’s that option I needed again? It was under this menu, but you say Google changed it? Crap. I guess I have to hunt for it now. Fine, I’ll just pull over for a minute.
My wife’s Acura with the wheel / joystick thing is the same. I hate it.
Without Googling this…. Is Mazda at risk in the US with tariffs? They make it all in Japan, as they are practically a boutique manufacturer….
CX-50 is US-built (shared plant with Toyota), CX-30 and Mazda3 are Mexico (so, still impacted but maybe a bit less depending on content), the balance is Japan.
I’m curious if they’ll shift more US-focused 3 production to Mexico because right now they still make some of them in Japan for the US market.
The “touchscreen revolt” is pretty recent and mostly contained to enthusiasts, which is unfortunate for Mazda but not a deal breaker for a lot of prospective CX-5 buyers. I’m betting they’re already scrambling to redesign the user interface for 2027. The bigger (so to speak) issue is that compared with the evergreen current model, this thing is a bland chonk that not even Soul Red can save.
I love my 2020 CX-5 Turbo. I hope I never need to replace it. If I did, it certainly wouldn’t be this new gen, I’d probably buy a used CX-5 that predates this new generation. All screen – hard pass.
Re: interior: “look how they massacred my boy”
“In 2027, Mazda will introduce the SkyActiv-Z, which we’re told “will feature Mazda Hybrid System technology to offer a higher level of performance and fuel efficiency along with the engaging drive that our customers expect.””
Given what happened with SkyactivD and was supposed to but didn’t happen with SkyactivX and Skyactiv3 I wouldn’t recommend holding your breath.
Those were from when Mazda was still trying to go it alone as an independent. They have access to Toyota’s hybrid system so the heavy engineering lift is already done. All they need to do is tune it to drive like a Mazda.
Yeah the CX-50 hybrid got the RAV4 system and it did not drive like a Mazda. I figure Mazda is taking time to retune it to fit Mazda’s ethos better.
It’s kind of exciting to see what Mazda can do to make the Toyota system fun to drive; Toyota could take some of that knowledge and roll it into a sporty version of the current Prius (which is gorgeous.)
Per other articles, the hybrid for this will not be a Toyota system.
Skyactiv-X worked fine as a technology, it just wasn’t a fit for the US market because a slight drop in power in exchange for somewhat increased fuel economy and complexity isn’t a popular tradeoff here. I’m not aware of major issues with the engines they’ve sold in other markets though.
Skyactiv-D, well, that didn’t go great (and went even worse in the US).
Skyactiv-G was very impressive when it came out (originally in 2012 I think?) and remains one of the most reliable engine families available today.
I was SO BUMMED that the Skyactiv did not make it into the US spec Mazda5. We got the last model available with the antiquated 2.5L. It gets the same gas mileage as current 315hp cars, which exactly double the HP on our Mazda’s 2.5 liter engine.
It is an excellent car for the money, though! So much space, seats for six, huge rear doors, reliable except for pothole damage.
Funny you should bring that up. A pothole took out two tires, two rims and shocks on my 5
Yeah, I had my suspension fixed from a pothole impact and it didn’t last a week when another one undid the repair in an instant.
This is my biggest (and really only major) complaint for my 5. I don’t want a car as big as a full-size “mini”van, but I wish I got some fuel efficiency back for driving a smaller car
One of the reasons I bought mine was at the time it had the best fuel efficiency in the sliding door class.
That’s my point, they promised a 20-30% increase in fuel economy over Skyactiv G:
“Real-World Impact
1. Better Fuel Economy
Mazda’s 2.0-liter SKYACTIV-X can match or even beat the fuel efficiency of their 2.2-liter SKYACTIV-D diesel. That means it’s about 20 to 30 percent more efficient than the regular 2.0-liter SKYACTIV-G gas engine.”
https://www.tombushmazda.com/blogs/3720/mazda-skyactiv-x-engine-technology/
And Skyactiv3 was supposed to be even better than that with 56% peak thermal efficiency.
https://www.autonews.com/article/20180128/OEM06/180129795/mazda-pitches-skyactiv-3-engine-tech-to-rival-evs/
A slight drop off in power for fuel economy is fine if the engine is in a hybrid system, after all that’s exactly the tradeoff all Atkinson cycle engines have so they use the electric motor to over compensate.
Well, I mean, they did achieve 20-30% better fuel economy from what I’m reading. The G seems to do around 8.4 L/100km at its most efficient while the X seems to do around 6.5 L/100km at its low end. That’s just not enough of a difference for Americans to care.
EDIT: it’s important to compare the 2.0 Skyactiv-X to the 2.5 Skyactiv-G because they have similar power numbers. I’m not sure why “Tom Bush Mazda” is comparing to the 2.0L G since Mazda usually compared it to the 2.5
20% is the level of improvement the Skyactiv G had over the MZR it replaced though:
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=30339&id=32057&id=32257&id=33400
And that improvement came with the tradeoff of valve fouling.
Overall, I am at most whelmed by the update. The last generation was long in the tooth, and the cabin length was its largest issue for me (which wasn’t much of an issue). However, the new giant iPad with HVAC included is such a freaking bummer, but I give it a few years before they undo that madness.
Also, I hope the “Did you guys know the new Mazda CX5 was revealed today???” guy has an adequate Friday.
To be fair, everyone was distracted by David’s new foam cannon.
I’m deeply confused, it looks to be another facelift, but it’s actually noticeably wider and longer, with changed cargo floor and door opening which would be really hard to do without a significant overhaul, same with the dash, but the mechanical platform seems unchanged, and the interior seems to be a step backwards? This is really strange, I’ve been a big fan of Mazda’s products for the past 5 years, but this is strange.
I love Mazda, but god almighty, how in the year of our lord 2025 is a small-to-mid-sized SUV coming out without a hybrid right out the gate?
They were to busy building an I6 and a diesel. I always found it interesting Toyota decided building a new I6 for the Supra wasn’t a good investment and partnered with BMW, but here is Mazda doing their own I6. It’s not like Toyota couldn’t have put an I6 in Lexus, trucks, or other Toyota’s.
I mean the B58 is one of the best combustion engines in the world, as good as Toyota engineering is they weren’t going to make a better engine in house. BMW has more than half a century of straight 6 experience, and it shows.
BMW built it’s first inline six in 1917. So rather more than a century, albeit the first one they put in a car was merely 90 or so years ago.
GMs been cranking out I6s for cars and trucks since 1929. Does that makes GM I6s at least as good as BMW and Toyota I6s?
I remember reading that Toyota wanted Mazda’s I6 for Lexus projects (and therefore bankrolled some of it) and was part of the powertrain sharing they were doing.
They used the whole BMW platform. It would make no sense to build their own I6 to replace BMW’s I6 and would have cost a ton of money to do so, which is against the whole point of the collaboration. Neither Z4 or Supra are a high-volume, high-profit car. Production is outsourced and it’s likely both cars only exist/continue to exist because of the collaboration. An I6 is a packaging problem, which is one reason why there are so many V6s, with another being consolidating lines with a V8 (which is why so many V6s are the “incorrect” 90* angle, though that doesn’t apply to Toyota). The return of I6s in a couple of cases (at least MB, if not Mazda as well) is due to the company consolidating lines with I4s as part of engine downsizing and/or not having a V8. Toyota has a lot of different cars to fit the V6 in, so packaging efficiency is important and having two different flavors of 6s makes little sense, plus Toyota is a conservative company at its core and they tend to keep drivetrains around for as long as they possibly can. Not only did they already have a V6, but a V6’s packaging advantage makes it more versatile in an unpredictable market.
There was a survey done years ago of BMW owners and a large percentage of them didn’t even know which wheel drive their cars were, which gave BMW the excuse to go to FWD on the 1-series. If many people buying a premium car that’s supposedly about driving don’t even know that they’re RWD, even fewer are going to know or care about having an I6 over a V6 in their Toyota or—despite the ads touting it—Mazda.
The official reason is because it’s made in Japan and their in house hybrid tech isn’t ready yet, whereas the CX50 is made in the USA alongside the RAV4 hybrids so they made a deal with Toyota to share powertrains and get a hybrid out ASAP. But with regard to long term planning this is a big miss, and Mazda is already far, far behind on electrification.
The CX-50 is made alongside the Corolla Cross in Alabama; not with the Rav4 in Kentucky or Ontario. Either way, that’s why the CX-50 got a hybrid powertrain first, it’s basically repackaging Toyota’s system into a Mazda. The CX-5 will be Mazda’s own hybrid system and it isn’t ready yet.
The RAV 4 hybrid drive is the reason I bought an ICE CX-50. I wanted a Mazda drivetrain. If I wanted a RAV 4, I would have have bought one
Interesting they used a Mazda wordmark on the steering wheel rather than their M/bird emblem.
*Edit: I see this got called out in the article with a photo caption as well; missed it my first time through.
Mentioned elsewhere:
“It looks like a melted Nissan Rouge”
I’m concerned that we’re truly in the End Times when Mazda of all brands is now chasing the Tesla dragon and putting everything behind a godforsaken touchscreen. No one wanted this, no one wants this, no one will want it and almost all of the brands that have tried to foist this shit on people has lost sales and had to back track within a few years.
It also shows they’re very out of touch with their buyers. People find the older technology and simplicity of current Mazdas appealing. Their rotary knob system has more fans than detractors…and hasn’t Mazda been saying all along that jamming everything in a touchscreen is dangerous and not something they’d ever do?
For shame, Mazda. Keep this shit the FUCK away from tbe CX50 and CX90 or so help me god….
Please leave the CX50 alone, Mazda
A premium plus hybrid is on my shopping list when it’s time. If they cram this bullshit in it it won’t be anymore.
I love the rotary knob and volume knob in my 2015 Mazda3, because both of those things are right down by the shifter that I’m using all the time anyway and I like having a smaller screen up high.
I also liked the Acura touch pad, but I’ll admit that both systems take a few drives to become intuitive. In the age of touchscreens everywhere, it’s hard to compete with a different system that eve literal children instantly know how to use, even when it’s a worse system for driving.
Points I guess for not going full villain and keeping a shifter that people who have driven a car in the last 20 years can use without reading a manual along with an actual latch for the fucking glovebox and physical vent controls. I assume the driver has access to 4 power window buttons as well.
Nah just kidding, giving kudos for such basic usability features just goes to underscore the absolute collapse of ergonomic design in the automotive world today.
Having a CX90 and 50 in the driveway at the moment and many other Mazdas in the past, I am all for the knob. I have always been a bit of a fan of Mazda “being behind the times with tech” as it always (to me) seemed much simpler and clean. My MIL just bought a 25 Rogue with the Google suite system and while it was working (already getting replaced w/ under 1k on the car) it was a nightmare to try and navigate.
I feel a bigger screen is actually wanted by people, especially in regards to Mazda’s not being touch (even though it can be when using CP/AA). However, with the trends leaning towards buttons again, why couldn’t Mazda keep at least volume/HVAC buttons available, even if they did away with the knob? Its just perplexing for them to do such a huge swing
Uhh, the header image is the current CX-5. Which, the current CX-5 is basically perfect*, maybe Mazda should just built it forever instead of redesigning it?
No, the longer wheelbase is good, the styling is inoffensively handsome, future hybrid is fantastic (the 2.5 is adequate, I expect it to last, but I’d like better fuel economy from something that doesn’t really excite), but Mazda had a solid setup with important functions getting buttons or knobs, and less important things going through the control knob or voice control, and going touchscreen only is a huge flaw.
*ludicrous bias, I own one
Looking at the header pic, for about ten seconds I was thinking “Hey, it looks really good!” until I realized the error. Then I saw the rest of the pictures and it just… doesn’t.
Was putting the 2025 CX-5 in the lead image a subtle way of saying how little they changed on the exterior? 🙂
I wonder how this positions the CX-50 in the lineup.
I read an interview with someone from Mazda and they basically pitch it as the CX-5 is for the city/suburban buyer who doesn’t leave the pavement and the CX-50 is for the Subaru demographic and they think there is enough buyers to justify making both.
I have the CX-50, and my wife has a Subaru Forester. Guess they hit the target here.
I would appreciate more headroom. Or a seat that can be lowered further.
Why does Subaru make vehicles with spacious headspace, where the rest of the Japanese brands want to bring your forehead as close as possible to the sun visor?
Typical Mazda, 4-5 years behind the technology curve.
It looks nice, more room would be appreciated without it getting huge, but I’ll stick with our 2015 model for at least another decade. Maybe by then Mazda will put some buttons back in the thing.
I, too, am waiting for the pendulum to swing back to the norm. There has to be a happy medium between a 2017 Volvo with a full keyboard on the dash….and this.
IMO, a few have nailed it, especially the last-gen Hyundai’s before they went Full Screen. Heated and cooled seats at the touch of a button, along with everything else you need.
I am glad they kept a normal shifter, that seems to be making a comeback.
My ’24 Forte GT has the perfect blend of buttons and knobs with very little need for the touchscreen outside of actual infotainment functions, most of which can be controlled from the steering wheel. The way it should be.
Mazda is too small to do early technology jumps. Conservative is how they have survived this long.
I know. I just wished they skipped this one and stuck with buttons that they already had.
I was just commenting 5 minutes ago that I expected them to split the difference between the CX-5 and 50, which overlap too much, and this seems to solve it.
Shame that they forgot the remove the testing & diagnostic tablet before taking the pictures, though. I’m anxious to see what’s behind it!
Ohhhhhh noooooo
Et tu, Mazda?