Mazda CX-5 (2025) Review

The CX-5 has been on sale long enough that rivals have replaced themselves twice, and it still wins the parts of the test that involve a road. Steering weight builds naturally, the body stays flat through a corner and the standard all wheel drive system shuffles torque before you notice it slipping. The proportions are handsome in a way that expensive cars usually manage and cheap ones do not, and the interior on higher trims uses stitched leather and metal trim that would pass in an entry level luxury car.

What it does not have is modern equipment. The screen is small, the rotary controller is the only way to use it on the move, and there is no hybrid option, so economy in the mid twenties is well behind a RAV4 or CR-V hybrid. The naturally aspirated 2.5 makes 187 horsepower and is willing without ever being quick, though the turbo version adds real shove. Reliability records are strong, parts pricing is reasonable and residuals sit comfortably in the upper half. It is the enthusiast choice in a segment that rarely offers one.