Driven: 2024 Mazda CX-50 Meridian Edition Shows It’s Off-Road Chops

As we’ve found from behind the wheel of the Mazda CX-50, this is a crossover that takes the style and driving manners of the CX-5 and blends in some extra ruggedness and off-road capability. This amalgamation creates an excellent daily driver that’s also capable of getting up those dirt trails and fire roads to hiking, climbing, and camping spots that don’t need the ground clearance of a truck or truck-based SUV.

The Meridian Edition is mainly an appearance package based around two paint colors and special graphics – but it also adds a set of 18-inch wheels and Falken all-terrain tires to help you get through the rough stuff.

Having recently driven a top-spec CX-50 much more catered to road use with its summer tires, and driven the CX-50 on dirt tracks with regular road tires, we looked forward to seeing what it could do with a set of more aggressive tires and some less-than-ideal weather conditions. The universe aligned as Mazda delivered the CX-50 Meridian Edition to drive for a week, while California delivered a couple of days of heavy rain that flooded our local trails and turned a few of them into treacherous mountain passes.

Exterior: Adding Styling To Style

The CX-50 Meridian Edition comes in two subdued colors – Zircon Sand or Polymetal Gray. Aesthetic upgrades include fresh headlight surrounds, rocker panels, and a subtle matte-black graphic on the hood. Wheels are upsized to black 18-inch discs and fitted with a set of aggressive – but not too hardcore for the road – Falken all-terrain tires.

It’s a $2,800 package that can be enhanced, as our tester is, with the $1,235 Apex package that includes roof-mounted black crossbars, a roof platform for camping, and both front and rear splash guards.

We were disappointed to not see a small lift on the suspension that would help on rougher tracks. Our favourite tester track is a trail near us famous for its access to rock climbing, where you’ll often find Subarus parked.

Interior: Leather and A Screen

Opting for the Meridian Edition means you don’t get any choice inside – it’s Terracotta leather only with black interior accents. To us, the cabin is a lovely place to pass the miles in and, as we’ve noted in the CX-50 before, there’s plenty of elbow room up front and space in the back for tall adults. For outdoor adventuring, cargo space is important. The seats split 60/40 with remote fold-down and with the seats up, there’s 31.4 cubic-feet of storage available.

Infotainment is handled with a 10.3-inch screen controlled mainly by a dial in the center console. Wireless CarPlay is standard, as is Android Auto, HD Radio, wireless phone charging, and an eight-speaker audio system. We find Mazda’s simple approach to infotainment refreshing, and it’s forward placement of the infotainment screen convenient in that you don’t have to bring your eyes far down while moving to glance at it.

Under The Hood: A Happy Median

Mazda’s CX-50 line is powered by its turbocharged 2.5-liter Skyactive unit, generating 227 horsepower (or as much as 256 hp if you use 91 octane gas) and 310 lb-ft of torque (320 lb-ft with 91 octane fuel). All Mazda models are now all-wheel-drive, and the CX-50’s system is tuned to handle slippery surfaces particularly well. There’s a Sport and Off-Road mode, with the off-road mode being essential when things get slippery.

For a four-cylinder engine, those are healthy power numbers, but fuel economy suffers with an EPA estimated 23/29/25 mpg city/highway/combined, and dropping more when venturing into unpaved areas. On the road, the six-speed transmission handles the power well, and the CX-50 is quick off the line and happy to get up to freeway speed rapidly. From our experience, the Falken all-terrain tires don’t make a perceptible negative impact on acceleration or, indeed, stopping distances.

On The Road: A Pleasure To Drive

At this point in time, we can say that Mazda doesn’t currently make a car that isn’t a pleasure to drive, whether its around town or on twisting roads, at a leisurely pace, or with some enthusiastic pushing of the right foot. The CX-50 doesn’t mind moving to the 18-inch wheels and Falken all-terrain rubber, and retains its ride quality with remarkably little extra road noise, considering the aggressive tread pattern.

The only area it noticeably loses out is when adding pace on a back road. The steering isn’t quite as sharp, but it’s still fun to push a little, and there’s going to be a trade-off for that extra off-road ability.

Off The Road: Still A Pleasure

We started off the week exploring some familiar dusty and sandy trails we had recently been through with an off-road truck. The difference is palpable. While the CX-50 Meridian would stumble and fall if we turned off into areas requiring ground clearance, the ride is smoother, the steering better, and the CX-50 is precise to maneuver. In off-road mode and on dust and sandy areas, we still find it amazing how Mazda has tuned the all-wheel-drive system to maintain the same dynamics as it has on-road. However, there is a point where it starts to fall apart – when you reach the limit of grip of the tires: like on super-slippery mud.

The California rains delivered that super-slippery mud, turning our favorite 20-mile shortcut up the mountain into a slippery mess. On day one of the rain, the all-wheel-drive system faced the test of steep cambers on turns, with the car wanting to slide sideways. The system won’t do everything for the driver, but its willing assistance got us to a spot where an all-wheel-drive truck was scrambling on road tires to get out of trouble. It was trouble we didn’t have.

The trouble came the next day, when we decided we could get better photos on the same trail. Things became more treacherous immediately, and after a second night of rain and vehicles traveling the trail, the cambered corners found the limits of the new tires on the CX-50; it was the all-wheel-drive system and patient driving – taking time to look for the grip – that got us to the photo spot eventually – albeit with a lot of sliding around. The trail only got steeper, tighter, and with sheer drops and oncoming traffic, so we prudently called it a day.

Conclusion: Off-Roading With Limits

The CX-50 Meridian Edition hits the sweet spot in the striving for balance between everyday driving and off-road ability. We mentioned wishing there had been a suspension lift, but on even yet slippery surfaces, that would be more hindrance than help, so we’re not going to penalize the CX-50 Meridian Edition for that.

We also understand that we took the CX-50 into some weather conditions that most people would avoid in anything other than a suitably equipped off-roader. Starting at $40,800 (excluding $1,420 destination), the CX-50 Meridian Edition has the kind of performance people look to Subaru for, but with a much better interior and driving experience. We recommend driving it back-to-back with the RAV4 TRD Off-Road. The CX-50 is the better looking vehicle, in our opinion – inside and out – and makes for the perfect weekend warrior in this trim.