2025 Mazda CX-5 Review: Pace Over Space
Is the Mazda CX-5 a Good SUV?
- In its top 2.5 Turbo Signature trim level, the 2025 Mazda CX-5 is tight, zippy, entertaining and devilishly good-looking — but it suffers from a fatal flaw: a nearly unusable multimedia system.
How Does the Mazda CX-5 Compare With Other Compact SUVs?
- The CX-5 is smaller than many of its competitors, which makes it challenging to use as a family vehicle, but it’s also more entertaining to drive than many of those rivals, making it the sports car of the segment.
The 2025 Mazda CX-5 is a compact SUV, not to be confused with the automaker’s slightly bigger CX-50 compact SUV, which is similarly priced but has a different mission. The CX-5 is the more mainstream offering meant to go up against the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson and a bunch of other popular models. So what makes the CX-5 different from the rest, and why should you pick it? In short, this SUV’s sportiness sets it apart from its milquetoast competitors — it’s fun, it’s zippy, and it handles well. But it also comes with a multimedia system that’s best described as hot garbage. Is that system bad enough to kick the CX-5 off your shopping list? It just might be.
Related: What’s the Best Compact SUV for 2025?
How Much Does a Mazda CX-5 Cost?
Starting prices for the 2025 Mazda CX-5, which is built in Hiroshima, Japan, are as follows (all prices include a $1,420 destination fee):
- 2.5 S: $30,190
- 2.5 S Select: $31,520
- 2.5 S Preferred: $32,870
- 2.5 S Carbon Edition: $34,220
- 2.5 S Premium Plus: $36,820
- 2.5 Carbon Turbo: $38,620
- 2.5 Turbo Premium: $39,420
- 2.5 Turbo Signature: $42,220
How Does the Mazda CX-5 Drive?
There are two available powertrains for the Mazda CX-5, which comes standard with all-wheel drive. The base version uses a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 187 horsepower and 186 pounds-feet of torque, mated to a standard six-speed automatic transmission. The optional powertrain is a turbocharged version of this engine making a much healthier 227 hp and 310 pounds-feet of torque on regular 87-octane gasoline; if you pump some 93-octane premium petrol into the tank, output increases to 256 hp and 320 pounds-feet. That’s some huge torque for a vehicle this size, and it’s rare for one that doesn’t also employ electric hybrid assist. (The CX-5 does not have a gas-electric hybrid option, though the CX-50 does). The fully loaded CX-5 2.5 Turbo Signature trim I tested comes only with the turbocharged powertrain, and boy does it absolutely define this family truckster.
Between the exceptional handling characteristics of the CX-5 and its punchy, powerful, always-ready-to-rumble turbocharged engine, it’s clear this Mazda SUV is the enthusiast’s choice in the compact SUV class. It’s beautifully balanced in its steering responses, providing excellent feel and feedback from the 19-inch wheels and tires that come on higher trims. Mazda engineers make a lot of noise about how much attention they pay to the driver’s seating position and how the vehicle responds to driver inputs, and that care is evident here. The CX-5 is a hoot to drive, eager to romp through twisty bits or run from stoplight to stoplight when you feel the need. Its brakes aren’t quite as firm as I’d like, with pedal feel that does have a bit of mush to it, but they’re strong and progressive when you need it.
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The price you pay for such a sporty demeanor, however, is ride quality that’s on the grimacing side of firm. The CX-5’s sport-tuned suspension makes for a choppy, bumpy ride — something many family-car shoppers won’t want to live with on a daily basis. In places with smooth pavement and no inclement weather (i.e., potholes), it’s fine; if you live somewhere that doesn’t have the best roads, though, you’ll want to take an extended test drive in the CX-5 to make sure you’ll be able to tolerate the ride.
Is the Mazda CX-5 Comfortable?
The CX-5’s compact dimensions work well with its sporty nature, but if you need space to carry a family, its size works against it. The front seats are a bit firm and flat, though there’s decent space for occupants in terms of hip-, head- and legroom. The instrument panel isn’t too high or too low like it is in many competitors, and the gauges are easy to read and sufficiently hooded from sunlight glare.
The rear seats, however, have scant legroom for passengers. It’ll be fine for kids, but adults will need whoever’s sitting up front to adjust their seats forward — meaning putting two grown-ups in the back will result in four people being uncomfortable. Stuffing a fifth person in between the outboard backseat passengers would be truly unpleasant; the bench just isn’t wide enough. The backseat isn’t oddly positioned or too low, there just isn’t enough space to keep everyone comfy.
Front visibility is especially good, and over-shoulder views to the rear are acceptable. There’s no rearview camera mirror option like there is in the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox, which would allow an unobstructed view out back when the CX-5 is loaded with people or cargo. More family-focused SUVs should have this feature.
How Well Does the Mazda CX-5’s Multimedia System Work?
The CX-5 falls down where every modern Mazda falls down: The multimedia system is hot garbage — the worst in the industry. Mazda’s refusal to allow its touchscreen to be a touchscreen 100% of the time (it can work as a touchscreen when using Apple CarPlay, for instance, but only when you’re stopped) is a bizarre anachronism dating back to a time of debate about whether a rotary knob controller was safer than directly touching icons on a screen. That argument has been settled, and pretty much every other car on the planet lets you touch a screen to control functions in your car. Anything else — like the CX-5’s console-based knob controller and surrounding buttons — is an unnecessary distraction.
The CX-5’s voice command feature doesn’t make up for the multimedia system’s lack of usability, as it doesn’t work well, either. For example, when I asked it to “tune to 98.9 FM,” it changed to SiriusXM 98 Sports.
Should You Buy a 2025 Mazda CX-5?
The buyer of a Mazda CX-5 is perhaps not the typical compact SUV buyer. They’ll likely be focused more on fun than function, pace over space — and they’ll probably be looking for a healthy dose of style, too. It’s a zippy, rewarding, sporty option in a field of boring-but-comfortable choices, but it does come with significant compromises. If you’re not planning to have a huge family or just want to be entertained on your commute, this is the compact SUV for you. That is to say, if the “sport” part of “sport utility vehicle” is most important to you, go for it — but if you need to prioritize “utility,” there are more suitable options out there.
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- Which Compact SUV Has the Most Cargo Room?
- Shop for a 2025 Mazda CX-5 Near You
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