Mazda has been on a roll for a while now by delivering fun-to-drive, stylish, family-friendly vehicles with interiors a cut above the competition. Nothing represents this better in Mazda’s lineup right now than the CX-50. It’s like a Mazda CX-5 but with more ground clearance and a trick off-road mode to go with the all-wheel-drive system. That’s because the CX-50 is yet another crossover leaning into the soft-road adventure market that has blossomed over the past few years. You needn’t turn away if you never venture off the beaten path and want a fun crossover to drive in the city. But if dirt roads are part of your lifestyle and you’re cross-shopping with Subaru, then you’ll definitely want to read on. There’s a reason why the CX-50 is a World Car of the Year finalist for 2024.
For 2024, the CX-50 gets a new tune for the dampers and steering as a refinement upgrade for getting off the road and there’s been some juggling with the trim levels – the base S trim and the Preferred Plus are discontinued, and leaves the S Select as the base model for 2024. That means it now starts at $30,300, compared to the updated Mazda CX-5 which costs $29,300 for 2024.
Powertrain: Turbo Or No Turbo
The CX-50 has two engines available. There’s the 2.5-liter naturally aspirated unit making 187 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque or a turbocharged version making 227 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque – unless you put 93 octane gas in it to get the full 256 hp and 320 lb-ft. Either way, the engine is married to a six-speed transmission that sends power to all four wheels. Fuel economy is an EPA-estimated 24 miles per gallon in the city, 30 mpg on the highway, and 27 mpg combined for the non-turbocharged version. The turbo powertrain gets 23/29/25 mpg on the same cycles. There’s no hybrid version available, but the fuel economy is par for the course in the segment.
Our Turbo Premium Plus came with, as the name suggests, the turbocharged version of the engine. As it arrived with a full tank of fuel and we don’t know what the previous reviewer put in it before it was topped up, we don’t know whether it arrived with 93 octane fuel or somewhere around 92 due to dilution.
On The Road: A Sportier CX-5
Up until now, the Mazda CX-5 has been our benchmark when it comes to driving dynamics in the compact segment. Now, it’s the CX-50. Before we get there, though, the CX-50 is an easy, pleasurable drive around town with the suspension soaking up bumps, the engine responding readily to input from the peddle, and the chassis eager to hustle around getting in and out of traffic when needed. It’s equally at home on the freeway and cruises comfortably. The turbocharged engine has plenty of juice for those on-ramps to get up to the speed of traffic and enough go to overtake trailer-laden trucks on regular highways.
If you find yourself on a twisting road with no traffic around, the CX-50 is a little more agile than the CX-5, despite its extra few inches in length. The grip is plentiful on the larger wheels and tires of our tester, but it’s the CX-50’s overall ability to carve corners like a sedan that makes it so fun to drive. Part of that is down to the chassis tuning and its predictability, only helped in part by the electronic stability control system.
Off-Road: Hilariously Good
The CX-50 is designed with dirt tracks and light trails that get you to a camping, hiking, and biking spot in mind. That’s why it has a little more ground clearance than the CX-5 and the trick all-wheel-drive system. The trick is that when you drive on a dirt road, it behaves and handles exactly the same as it did on a paved road. That’s no small feat, and a result of some obsessive engineering. Of course, you’ll run out of grip earlier than on the road, particularly on the summer tires equipped on our tester, but as frequent trail runners, we can tell you it’s quite brilliant.
The system shifts torque individually around each wheel to help maintain as much grip as possible. Not only is it fun to be able to carry more speed in the dirt, but the safety aspect of consistent handling on any terrain is not something to sneer at. Turn into a dusty bend with off-road mode turned off, and you find yourself making a lot more adjustments to keep it on track.
Interior: From Comfortable To Plush
Inside the CX-50, there’s plenty of space offered by the extra width over the CX-5. Legroom is about the same, which means there’s enough for large adults to be comfortable over longer journeys and kids will have no excuse for kicking the back of the front seats. Mazda has pushed what can be done with interiors at relatively affordable price points, and it’s mobilized other manufacturers to up their games as well. That continues on the CX-50, particularly in the upper trims that get leather upholstery over the standard half-leatherette trim, it goes from comfortable and stylish to plush and stylish.
Trunk space isn’t as generous as some will want, but it’s adequate for a couple’s weekend away and there’s the option of roof storage with the standard roof bars for attachment.
Infotainment: Not The Focal Point
Mazda’s infotainment will not suit people attracted to large touchscreens but we like the approach of keeping things as minimal yet useable as possible. A knob on the center console controls the system, and the 10.5-inch screen, while small compared to others, is crisp and clear and well positioned so the driver doesn’t have to drop their eyes too far to glance at it. While minimal compared to other systems, it works well if you like Mazda’s approach of reducing distraction and is easy to use.
Wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay are standard, as they should be. A Bose sound system is standard on higher trims and optional lower down in the range, but it’s not worth paying extra for or going up a whole trim level for.
Conclusion: Terrific, Not Perfect
Of course, like any car, the CX-50 is not perfect. It has more ground clearance than most crossovers for going off-road, but not as much as you’ll find on a Subaru equivalent like the Outback. However, lower ground clearance generally means better handling both on and off the concrete, so that’s a trade-off. Trunk space is better in Honda and Toyota rivals, including the CR-V and the RAV4, but those sacrifice some rear passenger space.
A third important factor to consider is that the starting price of the CX-50 is quite attractive at $30,300 for a well-equipped all-wheel-drive compact crossover that performs this well. For that money, though, you’re getting the less powerful, albeit adequate, engine. The 2.5 Turbo model starts at $38,000, while the Turbo Premium Plus tops the range at $43,300. It’s so good that, when compared with Lexus models, it looks like a good deal as the feature set, interior materials, and build quality are up to the comparison.