But it will serve the needs of most buyers - let's be honest - who plan to follow an at least somewhat beaten path. It's not an overlanding terrain-conquerer. I'm happy to confirm that the CX-50 can do the business. Mazda couldn't sell buyers on a hirsute Nick Offerman of a crossover and then deliver a bearded Ted Cruz the CX-50 needed to be more than an appearance package to work. But it will provide enough joie de vivre for people who like driving. Their intent is not to change the feel of the car, but to maintain the feel of the normal mode under varying conditions. The CX-50 adds an Off-Road mode and a Towing mode. Many Mazdas have two modes - normal and sport. Mazda, refreshingly, takes a minimalist approach with them. I've complained about excessive drive modes before. And it transitions to a notably comfortable cruiser when you’re not doing so. The CX-50 does not wow you with straight-line speed when you mat it from 0-60 mph, but it feels agile and quick when hustling it through curvy canyon roads. And, in turbo spec, it has some pop, with 227 hp and 310 lb-ft (or 256 hp and 320 lb-ft for the insane folks who feed it only 93 octane gasoline). Its handling is supremely balanced and responsive. The CX-5 is a standout on the road - perhaps the best driving affordable compact crossover.
And unlike Subaru, they don’t burden you with a disspiriting CVT - you get a true automatic transmission. They want small inputs to feel direct and precise and common transitions - like from cruising to lightly accelerating - to feel as natural as possible. What that means in tangible reality is that Mazda sweats the details - the details that actually matter to normal driving. Mazda can get abstruse when discussing its “Jinba-Ittai” philosophy and the symbiotic tactile relationship the brand tries to achieve between car and driver. It's possible Mazda could take the next-gen CX-5 upmarket to compete with BMW. But expect the CX-5, which makes up about half of Mazda's yearly sales, to have some staying power. And you could consider the CX-50 a CX-5 specially tailored to North American SUV tastes. Some have speculated that the CX-50 will ultimately replace the CX-5 - as the excellent CX-30 did with the CX-3. The CX-50 also offers an additional towing capacity of up to 3,500 pounds with a special Towing mode on the drive mode selector. And it gets a more aggressive look, with wide fender flares and chunky rectangular wheel cladding. The CX-50 offers up to 8.5 in of ground clearance, about an inch more than the CX-5. It's a little more than two inches shorter and half an inch wider. But there are some significant differences.ĭimensionally, the CX-50 is longer than the CX-5, with an additional 6.7 in of body length and 4.6 in of wheelbase. The two cars employ the same powertrains - naturally-aspirated and turbocharged versions of Mazda's 2.5-liter inline-four. The CX-50 is a formidable all-around package that should have many buyers rethinking that trip to the Subaru dealership.īoth the CX-5 and CX-50 are compact crossovers.
It's robust enough to leave the pavement, and it does that while still embodying the qualities that make more road-going Mazda crossovers great, and not feeling stale or derivative. And on first impression, the CX-50 lived up to its handsome looks. Mazda had me out to Southern California to drive the CX-50 in its range of natural environments for the day. As I described it to friends and family, it's Mazda's take on the Subaru Outback. It's more muscular-looking and off-road-capable than your typical Mazda crossover. And that's where the all-new 2023 Mazda CX-50 compact crossover comes in. Off-road capable, active lifestyle vehicles are in right now, particularly with young buyers. What the Mazda lineup has been missing has been something more adventurous. One could argue Mazda builds the exact same car in different sizes. That formula is what many buyers want, and executing it well puts Mazda's offerings at or near the top recommendation in every segment. Mazda has developed a simple formula for building standout cars: create vehicles that look sleek using the brand's KODO design language, offer interiors that feel fancy, make them fun to drive - and then make sure they're exceptionally safe.
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