Tested: 2026 Mazda CX-5 Escalates a Sibling Rivalry

The redesigned CX-5 moves even closer to the CX-50. View exterior photosMichael Simari|Car and Driver05/14/26 UPDATE: This review has been updated with instrumented test results. Some siblings just can't stay out of each other's hair. The Mazda CX-5 and CX-50 are like that. When the CX-50 appeared on the scene for 2023, the brand's second entry among compact SUVs was positioned as slightly larger and more upscale, although there was plenty of overlap between the two. Mazda North American Operations president and CEO Tom Donnelly describes the CX-5 as "slightly more urban" than the CX-50, which he characterizes as "rugged" and "outdoorsy." Those distinctions strike us as mostly imaginary. The truth is that the freshly redesigned 2026 CX-5 narrows the gap, and these two SUVs overlap more than ever. The new CX-5 adds 4.6 inches between the axles, meaning that it now shares the same 110.8-inch wheelbase as the CX-50. A 4.5-inch increase in overall length puts the new CX-5 just 1.2 inches shy of the CX-50. The CX-50 remains just over two inches wider, while the CX-5 is some three inches taller than its in-house rival. As a result of that growth spurt, the CX-5 now exceeds the CX-50 in both passenger and cargo space. Mazda paid particular attention to rear-seat room, with more rear legroom and over two inches of additional knee room than before; rear headroom is greater as well. Whereas the rear seat previously couldn't match competitors such as the Honda CR-V and the Volkswagen Tiguan, it now has plenty of legroom and knee clearance for a six-footer sitting behind a similar-sized driver. Wider and taller rear doors also enhance access. Out back, a larger liftgate opens to the more generous cargo area, where a lower floor eases loading of luggage, and the rear seatback is split 40/20/40 to allow long, narrow items (such as skis) to nestle between the rear-seat passengers. See all results for new 2026 Mazda CX-5 for sale near hm 09 Up front, there's a new steering wheel that incorporates more controls and has a smooth leather rim that feels great. The gauge cluster is now a 10.3-inch digital display, and the available head-up display is more than twice as large as before. The big change, however, is the infotainment system. The display grows from the previous 10.3 inches to 12.9 inches, or 15.6 inches on the Premium Plus. The long-serving rotary controller has been kicked to the curb; Mazda has finally embraced the touchscreen. It has done so with a convert's fervor, scrapping even the audio system's volume and tuning knobs. See all results for new 2026 Mazda CX-5 for sale near hm 09 Mazda has also embraced voice control, via Google's built-in software. Other Google apps include Google Maps and Google Play, as well as Google's AI helper, Gemini. Gemini can operate in-car features, such as the climate control. If you'd rather just reach out and adjust the temperature or the fan speed yourself, without assistance from Silicon Valley, the climate controls are now onscreen; oft-used functions live at the base of the display, but some (seat heating/ventilation and the available heated steering wheel, for instance) require opening the climate-control home screen. Sadly, the high-quality physical switchgear that previously performed these functions has been jettisoned. The front seats are a comfortable blend of softness and support, and the door armrests are thickly padded. There's a new two-tone color treatment for the mid-level models too. Still, the top-spec Premium Plus interior finishes aren't as nice as those in the equivalent CX-50, with fewer soft-touch surfaces and more hard plastic. The 187-hp 2.5-liter engine with standard all-wheel drive carries over from before, although Mazda claims to have tweaked the powertrain logic. The combo of the naturally aspirated engine and the six-speed automatic provides more linear response than some turbo fours and CVTs, but this powertrain isn't a fireball. In the old CX-5, the 187-horse four managed a class-competitive 7.9 seconds to 60 mph. The new model is larger and heavier, but in our testing, the 60-mph time slipped just a bit, to 8.0 seconds, 0.4 second ahead of the last naturally aspirated CX-50 we tested. The quarter-mile took 16.2 seconds at 85 mph, besting that same CX-50 by 0.3 second and 1 mph. The optional 256-hp turbocharged engine was chosen by only a small percentage of buyers and has not returned (though the CX-50 still offers it), while a hybrid powertrain is set to join the lineup next year. Unfortunately, fuel economy has slipped slightly, with EPA estimates of 24 mpg city and 30 mpg highway, versus the previous 26/30 mpg. The returning powertrain strikes a note of familiarity, but the new CX-5 also feels like a Mazda in its driving dynamics. Mazda's manager of vehicle dynamics engineering, Dave Coleman, describes the goals for the chassis tuning as retaining the outgoing model's fun-to-drive characteristics while stirring in a bit more compli

Tested: 2026 Mazda CX-5 Escalates a Sibling Rivalry

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