The Japanese manufacturer has always been praised for its premium design approach in the mainstream segment and many Mazda fans became worried after they heard that the brand will go full premium in the future, with the RWD platform and new inline-six engines. However, the company cares about loyal customers and therefore, it’s no wonder we’ve just seen the all-new 2023 Mazda CX-50, which is based on the current, more affordable platform and which brings further improvements over the already-amazing but a little bit old CX-5 model.
The new model is also a compact crossover but it comes with some notable upgrades that should fix the main issues of the CX-5. This particularly refers to the size, which should provide more passenger and cargo space. Of course, there is a new styling, along with an even more luxurious cabin. On the other hand, the mechanical aspect of the vehicle remains pretty similar, with the same engines on the offer, which is the main reason why the new model is also quite affordable.
2023 Mazda CX-50
The 2023 Mazda CX-50 may be a brand-new model but it comes with some pretty familiar design solutions. This primarily refers to the mechanics and the existing SkyActive platform, which has been in use for a while. Therefore, it’s no wonder it doesn’t come with that highly-anticipated RWD layout. Instead, it features a transversally-mount engine, which normally comes with front-wheel drive. In this case, all-wheel drive comes as a part of standard equipment.
The most important thing about this crossover is its size. It features nearly 111 inches in wheelbase, while the overall length goes up to over 185 inches. You can also notice Mazda’s sleek and super-elegant design language has become a little bit more rugged, so the new model looks a little bit bolder compared to what we’ve used to see from this manufacturer.
Interior
If someone does great things with interior designs, that’s Mazda’s design team. The new 2023 Mazda CX-50 interior is no exception and once again, we are talking about one of the nicest cabins around, which can embarrass many premium models as well. The cabin looks very elegant, though we can also notice a few bold elements that accentuate the model’s SUV character. On the other hand, the materials are great, while the attention to detail is excellent. The sound insulation is also very good.
The biggest benefit of the bigger size comes in terms of the passenger space. Mazda finally has a compact crossover that can easily accommodate adults in both rows of seats. Also, the front seats are massive and supportive, while the driving position is excellent.
Unfortunately, the large size doesn’t bring many benefits to the cargo area, especially when it comes to the overall cargo volume, which goes around 56.3 cubic feet, which is way below segment standards. On the other hand, 31.4 cubic feet behind the rear seats seems acceptable.
Features
Another thing we like about this crossover is a long list of standard equipment. All models come standard with goodies like remote keyless entry, push-button start, an 8.8-inch display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, two USB ports, an eight-speaker stereo and a Wi-Fi hot spot. Among available features, you can find goodies like a 10.25-inch display, navigation, wireless device charging, HD Radio, satellite radio, a 12-speaker stereo, two additional USB ports, proximity keyless entry, dual-zone automatic climate control and a panoramic moonroof.
When it comes to safety features, all models come standard with goodies like a rearview camera, driver-attention alert, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams etc. The list of available safety features includes front and rear parking sensors, surround-view camera, head-up display, road-sign recognition, traffic jam assist, adaptive headlights etc.
2023 Mazda CX-50 Engine
The 2023 Mazda CX-50 is available with two familiar units. Base models use a 2.5-liter naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine, which puts out 187 horsepower. It comes coupled with a 6-speed automatic transmission and it is reasonably dynamic for everyday use. Moreover, it also features a pretty good fuel economy, which goes around 24 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. Those are very good numbers, especially if we consider the standard all-wheel drive.
Mazda’s well-known 2.5-liter turbo-four is also available. It features a max output of 256 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque. All that power turns the CX-50 into one of the zippiest compact crossovers on the market, while the fuel economy isn’t much worse compared to the base inline-four. You may count on about 23 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway.
2023 Mazda CX-50 Price
The 2023 Mazda CX-50 starts at around 28.000 dollars. The most expensive versions can go way over $40.000.
What about hybrid or PHEV?
Please !
In the titling of the CX-50 article there was mentioning of a hybrid release date.. there was nothing in the article regarding the subject whatsoever.
Expected late 2022.
Looks great but what about the twin turbo 2.2 litre diesel engine
Beautiful, but the rear tailgate is flush with the bumper. Nice for “leftover”, but minor parking lot bumps are going to be expensive. Insurance premiums will likely get punished on account of this.
Having had CX-50 for 4+ months and few thousand miles, I differ from articles and its some ways step back from our previous mazda3 hatchback
Lot more plastic on the grill, cross member to the hood that vibrate and hardly held down across the width of the car
For non-Turbo, it struggles even unloaded uphill’s and hate to think how it would behave with a small 3000lb trailer. We had head-up display on the Madza3, its position was great as it did not obscure the rood view. The Windshield based HUD is opposite as eyes tend to focus to near field and far objects attention deposit plus it can obscure the traffic lights etc particularly up-hill ..min brightness is too bright and with polaroid glasses, the display cant be seen. We have it off now al the time. Also, the HUD projector housing reflects sunlight on to the windshield
The AC control Yellow LED indicator cannot be seen by the driver
The steering wheel sliver angled key switches are hard to see in bright light
The rear camera does now follow the steering as one turns the car …no surround view either for a car for 2023
No front camera for off road immediate from view like that on Bronco and other off-road vehicles. Would be useful even for parking
The headlamps are auto adjust and can be a pain as they are too slow to come-up if one if driving in hilly terrain like Nat parks etc. After all this car was intended for extreme touring likes of Forester, Jeep compass
The ride is harder, which is fine, but the seat is also less padded that can cause bottom fatigue – it’s like sleeping on older mattress and few hrs drive can makes one think of need to add a cushion on the seat. Ha Ha reminds me of my Triumph 4 sports car’s bucket seats
The provided roof racks cause high wind noise – more like a high pitch whistle – we took them off till needed
Door lock/unlock buttons don’t light up to know which one unlocks all doors
We hit 100F, recently on west coast and AC just not adequate with 4 people in the car
The car is costly and lacks many modern basic items as highlighted above – luckily, it’s a lease car and will not be for keeps
The rear-view mirrors are mounted on the door, closer to the driver. Idea being it gives better view as the cross member and mirrors are not lumped and obscure the side driver view….for older drivers and b-focal etc, this may not be the ideal place for the mirrors so work noting the change from other similar SUV’s