Mazda CX-5 (2026) Review

Mazda showed the third generation CX-5 on 10 July 2025 and put it in American showrooms in January 2026, which makes it the newest thing in a class where most of the volume is sold on habit. It is 184.6 inches long, 4.5 more than the car it replaces, on a 110.8 inch wheelbase, and the extra length went where it is useful: 39.9 inches of rear legroom, 33.7 cubic feet of luggage behind the second row and 66.5 with it folded. All wheel drive is standard on every trim, which very little else at 29,990 dollars before delivery can say.

The cabin is why people buy these and it is still the best part of the car. A 12.9 inch touchscreen is standard across the range and the Premium Plus carries a 15.6 inch unit, the largest Mazda has fitted to anything, with a 10.25 inch instrument display behind the wheel. Materials, seat shape and the noise the doors make remain a class above the sticker, and nothing from Toyota or Honda at this money feels as considered. The steering is still the sharpest in the segment by a distance.

What has not moved is the engine. The 2.5 liter four still makes 187 horsepower and 186 pound feet, still drives through a six speed automatic while rivals use eight speeds or a hybrid system, and returns 24 miles per gallon in town and 30 on the highway, 26 combined. That is well behind a RAV4 and clearly behind a CR-V, and Mazda has no hybrid CX-5 to sell here yet. It is the right answer for a driver who wants a small crossover that feels expensive and steers properly, and the wrong one for anybody whose first question is the fuel bill.