{"id":1815522,"date":"2026-03-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1815522"},"modified":"2026-03-09T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T21:00:00","slug":"mazda-cx-5-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1815522","title":{"rendered":"Mazda CX-5 review"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Why, it\u2019s the all-new, third-generation Mazda CX-5 of course. This mid-size SUV is a big deal for the Japanese carmaker \u2013 to date Mazda has sold over five million of them (only its third model to hit that milestone, after the 323 and 3<\/a>), and in 2025 it was its biggest seller, both globally and in the UK.<\/p>\n

So chances are several CX-5s have passed you by in the street without you realising. This is the thing with Mazda \u2013 you know the name, you recognise the badge, but because it goes about its business so quietly, it\u2019s rarely the first brand you think of when buying a new car.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What’s new about this CX-5 then?<\/h2>\n

Not a whole lot, actually. But that\u2019s intentional, so as not to put off any repeat custom from previous buyers. And there are a lot of them.<\/p>\n

It wears the next evolution of Mazda\u2019s \u2018Kodo\u2019 design language, looking slightly more chiselled than before, and in the metal it\u2019s a rather smart looking thing. Certainly a better proposition than some of the other identikit mid-size SUVs on the market.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s what\u2019s underneath that really matters here, because the petrols and diesels of old have been replaced with a 2.5-litre mild hybrid<\/a>. Total output is 139bhp and 176lb ft, and it comes in front-wheel or all-wheel drive, with 0-62mph seen off in 10.5s and 10.9s respectively.<\/p>\n

The other big news is it\u2019s now available with an automatic gearbox only \u2013 more popular nowadays, so we\u2019re told.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Makes speccing it easier…<\/h2>\n

Yep. Mazda has long favoured natural aspiration in favour of turbocharging, with the e-Skyactiv G engine here \u2013 the same as that seen in the 3 hatchback<\/a> and CX-30 crossover<\/a> \u2013 no exception.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mazda says it\u2019s more responsive at low- and mid-range engine speeds compared to the old unit, but it\u2019s still sluggish, noisy and needs to be worked quite hard to make any sort of progress.<\/p>\n

We are told that a full<\/em> hybrid (i.e. one that’ll briefly drive on e-power only) will arrive at some point in the future, but we don\u2019t know when yet. Based on our experience here\u2026 it\u2019s likely worth waiting for.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hmm. Any updates to the cabin?<\/h2>\n

The CX-5 car has grown compared to its predecessor \u2013 with an increased wheelbase leading to more head and legroom for rear passengers. Oh, and a bigger boot too. All good news from where we\u2019re sitting.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s not\u00a0<\/em>quite so good news is that Mazda’s lobbed much of the switchgear in the bin, in favour of a new 10.25in driver\u2019s display and a 12.9in or 15.6in central screen (spec dependent). It does at least get Google built in \u2013 maps, voice control and suchlike \u2013 but gone is the dedicated climate control panel, and the rotary dial. Sniff<\/em>.<\/p>\n

It looks quite fancy, but it can be quite slow and it’s undoubtedly more fiddly. The cabin itself is similarly all very lovely to look at, but dig a little deeper and material quality is lacking in places.<\/p>\n

How much does it cost?<\/h2>\n

Dunno. Not because we\u2019re being lazy and haven\u2019t looked it up, but because Mazda hasn\u2019t released UK pricing yet. Though we\u2019re told the starting price is \u201ccheaper\u201d than the outgoing car, which starts around \u00a331.5k. Full list prices are due out in April.<\/p>\n

That puts it in the same ballpark as rivals including the Citroen C5 Aircross<\/a>, Ford Kuga<\/a>, Peugeot 3008<\/a>, Honda CR-V<\/a>, Kia Sportage<\/a>, Nissan Qashqai<\/a>, Renault Symbioz<\/a>, Skoda Karoq<\/a>\u2026 and all those other mid-size SUVs arriving in droves from China.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mazda might tell you that this is an all-new CX-5, but it\u2019s very much evolution rather than revolution for the Mk3. That\u2019s a deliberate move \u2013 Mazda knows that many of its customers will be coming back for seconds, and doesn\u2019t want to put them off their supper.<\/p>\n

And sure, while we can see the logic behind the retuned dynamics and softer ride, the previous generation was a better steer, the mild hybrid engine is hugely underwhelming, and the screen-heavy cabin feels like a misstep.<\/p>\n

That makes it a hard sell in what is a very congested section of the market, even with the prospect of more space inside. To any existing CX-5 owners wondering whether to upgrade, we\u2019d suggest sticking with what you\u2019ve got \u2013 at least until the new, full hybrid powertrain enters the chat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why, it\u2019s the all-new, third-generation Mazda CX-5 of course. This mid-size SUV is a big deal for the Japanese carmaker \u2013 to date Mazda has sold over five million of them (only its third model to hit that milestone, after the 323 and 3), and in 2025 it was its biggest seller, both globally and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,237],"class_list":["post-1815522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-topgear-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1815522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1815522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1815522\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1815522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1815522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1815522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}