Mazda CX-5 (2026) Review

Introduction

Mazda has always been a brand that does things differently.

In an era where everyone was ditching big engines for small cylinder hybrids, Mazda rocked up with a 3.3-litre V6 diesel in its CX-60.

Its argument, more or less, was that a bigger mill, featuring cylinder deactivation which effectively turned parts of it off when not required, would be less strained for performance, so wouldn’t need to be thrashed, resulting in superior fuel economy.

That was less than three-and-a-half years ago – and the same lump continues to be available today. Sadly, it’s not offered in the car we’re testing here, but the engine we do have is still bigger than most of the equivalents you’ll find in modern family cars.

The CX-5 was first unveiled in 2012, followed by the much-improved second-generation model just four years later. It has lasted twice as long as the original, but now, after an eight-year run, the third-generation model is finally here – and it’s larger in just about every dimension you can name.

As a result, we're expecting better practicality, a bigger boot, hopefully some respectable performance and – something that's a Mazda trademark – surprisingly good handling from an understated, and arguably underrated, brand.

Mazdas have sophisticated interiors, too, though the updates for the new CX-5 have left us a tad twitchy about what to expect.

Does it still have the Mazda Magic?

We’ve taken a couple of examples for a test run to find out.

What are the Pros & Cons of the Mazda CX-5?

Pros:

• Highly practical, spacious interior and big boot
• Reasonably priced for a sophisticated car
• Handles keenly for a large vehicle

Cons:

• Lack of physical controls in the cabin
• Rivals offer superior ride comfort
• Engine lacks power for its size

What are the first impressions of the Mazda CX-5?

The Mazda CX-5 looks bold and sophisticated.

It seems better proportioned than before, too – the old front end, which could look slightly awkward from some angles, now appears far more confident. The new front is less droopy, with a straighter bonnet that curves downward less, giving the CX-5 a more assured stance.

The large grille is retained in a similar shape to before, but it’s now surrounded by a thick black indentation beneath, which curves up along the sides of the grille, blending into the more aggressive headlights.

Plenty of blank space sits beneath, while two modest air intakes sit at the bottom corners. Around the sides, the bodywork is largely smooth, with a modest crease towards the bottom of the doors, while cladding runs along the entire bottom of the car.

The cladding thickens at the rear, while the Mazda name is spelt out in uppercase lettering, sandwiched between thin taillights on either side. The number plate is housed within an indentation in the centre of the tailgate. While the CX-5 still doesn't look like the most aggressive car in the world, it certainly appears more attractive than before – more daring, more assertive – yet still family-friendly.

What are the Mazda CX-5’s key features?

The CX-5 is offered in four trim levels.

Entry-level Prime-Line gets 17-inch alloys, a 12.9-inch Google-derived infotainment touchscreen with a Google-derived interface, DAB radio, wired Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, plus a 10.25-inch digital instrument display.

Dual-zone air conditioning, premium black cloth seat trim, and LED headlights are also included as standard, along with a rear-view camera. Next up is Centre-Line, which gets 19-inch alloys, artificial leather and suede-like seat trim, smart keyless entry, an electrically adjustable driver's seat with lumbar adjustment, and a powered tailgate.

You also get a head-up display, a heated leather-wrapped steering wheel, and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto are both available wirelessly. Exclusive-Line gets a 12-speaker Bose surround sound system, as well as a 360-degree view monitor (including front, rear, and side-facing cameras to create a 'see-through' view).

The top-of-the-range Homura gets all-black leather seat trim, adaptive LED headlights, a larger 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen, seven-colour interior ambient lighting, and a powered tailgate that becomes hands-free.

Only one engine is available on the CX-5 nowadays – a mild hybrid (MHEV). It is a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol unit called the eSkyActive-G 141. But despite its size, those three numbers represent just 141PS of power, and it’s mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox. 

While the Prime-Line and Centre-Line trim levels are only obtainable in front-wheel drive, the Exclusive-Line and Homura trims offer all-wheel drive. There is no manual gearbox offered nowadays, and no diesels either, with no plans to reintroduce either.

What’s the performance and drive like with the Mazda CX-5?

We are testing each end of the scale, taking front-wheel drive Prime-Line and Homura models for a spin, but with only one engine available on the CX-5, there should be little to choose between how they drive.

Zero to 62mph is taken care of in 10.5 seconds in our front-wheel drive test car. That is quite slow for what is, in this day and age, a big petrol lump, and the four-wheel-drive version is even slower, taking 10.9 seconds.

It is somewhat disappointing that no proper hybrid models are offered – the current sole engine is only a mild hybrid (MHEV) – but Mazda has confirmed there will be more choice soon, including a full hybrid (HEV).

The powerplant also feels like it has to be worked hard to deliver any real performance, which somewhat defeats the purpose of its comparatively large size but reflects the extent to which it's detuned.

For the most part, it's quiet and refined when wafting along, but under hard acceleration, it can sound a little raucous. The Mazda doesn’t feel like it’s struggling to accelerate. Still, it does feel a little slow, especially in an era when electrification and hybridisation deliver significant low-speed punch as soon as you put your foot down.

Certainly, the CX-5 is better at cruising along at 70mph than it is getting up to that speed – and it’ll shut down half of its four cylinders when it can to save fuel. The six-speed automatic gearbox is refined, with smooth gear changes and a responsive kickdown that causes minimal delay when you need decisive acceleration.

However, upshifts feel a little too long, and, as we've mentioned, the acceleration is also drawn out more than it should be. If you’re unfamiliar with the usual characteristics of Mazdas, you may be surprised to hear that handling is a strong point of its cars. Even though the CX-5 is a fairly hefty SUV, it corners remarkably well.

There is plenty of grip, and the steering feels nicely weighted and responsive, with lots of front-end bite for a car whose size wouldn’t suggest it’d be keen to turn in. Granted, it's nowhere near sports-car levels, and premium marques will exceed its characteristics – plus Mazda has made the steering slightly lighter than before, aiding around-town driving but taking some of its handling sparkle away.

Nevertheless, if you need a practical, reasonably priced family SUV but also like being entertained, there are few better options than this. Certainly, keen handling usually compromises ride comfort, and the trade-off is true here. However, Mazda has fitted softer springs to address criticism that it cares too much about the driving experience for an ordinary family car.

The suspension setup is still quite firm, though, and it can feel quite harsh on poor road surfaces, where it clatters over potholes and jolts over bumps. However, the firm setup means it settles quickly and, on freshly baked road surfaces, it feels very well planted.

The car’s soundproofing is impressive, effectively limiting wind and road noise. Not being a plug-in hybrid or EV, there’s no regenerative braking, but despite the new brake-by-wire system, it feels consistent and intuitive.

What are the running costs and emissions for the Mazda CX-5?

The CX-5 returns 40.4mpg, which isn’t bad for a 2.5-litre petrol unit, though that drops to 37.7mpg in all-wheel drive models. 159g/km of CO2 are emitted, rising to 169g/km in all-wheel drive variants.

That means the first year’s road tax costs £1,410, reverting to the standard rate of £200 a year thereafter (subject to annual increases).

While the CX-5 costs less than £40,000 if you were to buy it, it’s worth noting that the all-wheel drive model in Homura trim is the exception, meaning that particular variant will attract the £440-a-year Expensive Car Supplement from years two to six inclusive.

With no plug-in hybrid models, it won't be attractive as a company car, though PHEVs and particularly EVs attract the lowest Benefit-in-Kind tax rates. Mazda tends to be a middling brand for reliability, but the old CX-5 performed better than other cars in the range; it remains to be seen whether that holds for the new version.

Even though you're here to lease, you might be interested to know that a six-year, 100,000-mile warranty is offered. That shows that Mazda has confidence in its products.

What’s the interior and technology like with the Mazda CX-5?

The Mazda CX-5’s interior looks sophisticated, especially in our Homura trim car, which features a dual-coloured cabin with the seats, centre console, and lower portion of the dashboard bathed in a ‘tan’ colour.

All but our other test car, the entry-level Prime-Line, can choose a brighter colour free of charge, and all models have silver decor around the gear lever and on the double spoke at the bottom of the steering wheel.

The infotainment screen, too, looks sophisticated, with an almost borderless design that sits on the dashboard like a tablet – it's 12.9 inches in all models except our top-spec Homura car, which gets a larger 15.6-inch touchscreen.

One drawback, though, is that the materials don't seem quite as high-quality as the outgoing version, and there are more hard surfaces than before. Still, at least it looks the part, but the opulence of the traditional German premium brands remains ahead.

The build quality feels as solid as ever, though, with everything feeling securely fixed in place. The infotainment system itself is nice to use, offering a responsive interface with sharp, clear graphics that look upmarket, based on a Google Android system.

This gives you native access to apps such as Google Maps for satellite navigation.

However, it's not all good news: Mazda has removed all the exiting CX-5 model’s physical controls, including the rotary dial that let you operate the infotainment screen without touching it.

In fact, you were forced to use the dial, as the touchscreen wouldn’t accept inputs from your fingers when the car was moving. It also means that the air conditioning controls, which were previously left out of the touchscreen, have now been embedded within it.

Even worse, some of the climate control buttons on the screen are very small and challenging to hit accurately on the move. This is a backwards step in usability, for the sake of offering a decluttered cabin.

At least the virtual buttons to increase or decrease the temperature are always in view.

Is the Mazda CX-5 practical, and how big is the boot?

The Mazda CX-5 offers a reasonably commanding driving position.

That means you get a great view of the road ahead, and seeing out at T-junctions is aided by the front windscreen pillars, which are fairly thin. They are much thicker at the back, though, and, combined with the boomerang shape of the rear side windows and the side support for the roof spoiler, they restrict rearward visibility.

Thankfully, front and rear parking sensors are on all models, along with a rear-view camera; the top two trims upgrade the latter to a full 360-degree surround-view camera. Powered adjustment is offered on the driver’s seat unless you opt for our entry-level test car, the Prime-Line.

You will find plenty of space up front in the CX-5, which is 115mm longer than the previous model, 15mm wider, and 20mm taller. Because of that, there's loads of headroom and legroom, and the cabin is sufficiently wide to eliminate the need for competition when it comes to elbow room.

The rear benefits, too, with increased legroom enabling grownups to stretch their legs, and the roofline slope is modest enough to leave backseat occupants untroubled for headroom. Three adults in the rear is still a bit of a squeeze, but doable.

Boot space has increased by 61 litres over the old one, with the new CX-5 boasting 583 litres of capacity. This expands to a whopping 2,019 litres with the rear seats folded in a handy 40:20:40 configuration – an increase of 381 litres over the old model. The seats fold down easily at the pull of a lever, but the rear bench doesn't slide forward or backwards.

One advantage of picking a lower trim is that you'll get around 30 litres of underfloor storage, but you'll lose all of this in the top two trims because they’re fitted with the Bose premium sound system, which is placed there instead. Towing capacity is 2,000kg braked in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive models.

How safe is the Mazda CX-5?

The new Mazda CX-5 earned a five-star rating from Euro NCAP in 2025, scoring impressively: 90% for adults, 89% for children, and 83% for safety assists.

Those assists include automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, driver attention alert, driver emergency assist, driver monitoring, emergency lane-keeping, and front cross-traffic alert, all standard across all models.

You also get a lane departure warning system, proactive driving support, traffic sign recognition with intelligent speed assist, and radar-guided cruise control, with cruising and traffic support.

Hill descent control is also included on all-wheel drive versions.

Can I choose optional extras with the Mazda CX-5?

There is plenty to choose from, with all trim levels except for our entry-level Prime-Line model offering brighter interior colour schemes free of charge. There are eight body shades to select from, with arctic white as the default, while red, dark grey, rhodium white, light grey, medium grey, navy blue, and jet black cost extra.

There are various packs available, too, including a Sport Aero Pack with sportier exterior styling elements and an off-road under-garnish set, including an optional tow bar, while various sets of 17 and 19-inch alloys are also offered.

You can also choose from a range of interior styling extras, including illuminated door sills, steel boot plates, key fob protectors, and illumination packs. Cargo boxes, bike carriers, and even phone charging cables and cleaning wipes are also obtainable.

What are the rival cars to the Mazda CX-5?

There is no shortage of competitors for your money.

The Ford Kuga, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Nissan Qashqai and Volkswagen Tiguan are among the CX-5's main rivals. Citroen’s C5 Aircross, Honda’s CR-V, and the Renault Symbioz are also vying for business, along with the Skoda Karoq.

At the premium end of the market, consider the Range Rover Evoque, Volvo XC40, BMW X1 and X3, or the Audi Q3 and Q5, as well as the Lexus NX. If you’re on a budget, the MG HS is one to think about leasing.

What’s the final verdict on the new Mazda CX-5?

The new CX-5 remains a strong contender for those wanting something that feels sophisticated but doesn’t break the bank, even though this new version has a handful of frustrations.

Inside, the Mazda still looks great, but the removal of physical controls is a real shame; the excellence of Google's infotainment system is diluted by having to do everything through the touchscreen, and the interior feels a step down in material quality.

Despite its 2.5-litre engine, it's not the most powerful. Still, it offers a smooth automatic gearbox, good handling for a mid-size SUV, and it’s well equipped, with enhanced practicality thanks to its larger size compared with the retiring model.

Entry-level Prime-Line is the cheapest, but we'd opt for the second trim – Centre-Line – which offers more luxuries (including a no-cost option for brighter interior upholstery) and other nice features.

Unless you’re towing or off-roading, there’s little benefit to having all-wheel drive, particularly with the Homura trim, since it attracts the Expensive Car Supplement.

There are more comfortable foes, and the top two trims get no underfloor storage. Still, if you want something good to drive without a premium price tag, there are few better options than this to lease.

Where to next?

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Mazda CX-5. 

**Correct as of 18/06/2026. Based on 12 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 36  month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 12 monthly payments, or £3,081.84 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.

Every lease deal is a fixed monthly cost for the whole of your contract, apart from changes to government costs, e.g. VAT changes or road fund license cost changes and in certain specific cases where the funder changes the price. Electric range quoted is WLTP.

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