Arrival: 2023 Mazda CX-50 2.5 Turbo AWD
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 23/29/25 mpg
“The Subaru Outback of Mazdas has entered our garage.”
Zach Gale
Base Price $42,775 As tested $43,170
The CX-50 drives a Mazda-shaped hole through the theory that weekend-adventure crossovers must look like the chunky Subaru Outback. With the sleek CX-50, you can almost hear the automaker whispering, “To each their own.”
The CX-50 represents a more subtle approach to a segment led by the well-rounded Outback—an SUV I chaperoned for a year (December 2021). Mazda’s first challenge is educating consumers on the difference between the CX-5, a longtime MotorTrend favorite, and the new CX-50. As we discovered during our first drive experience, there’s more to the CX-50 than just a “0” on the end of a CX-5 badge. What will having one in our fleet for a year reveal?
Starting at $42,775, our CX-50 is the most expensive five-passenger Mazda you can buy today. Let’s break down that price. Every CX-50 includes standard all-wheel drive, which is one reason the base model starts at a relatively high $28,025. Most CX-50s will get a 187-hp 2.5-liter inline-four, the same powerplant we’ve seen in everything from the 3 to the CX-30 and CX-5. Like all of those Mazdas, the CX-50 offers an upgrade to a 2.5-liter turbo-four good for 227 hp and 310 lb-ft on 87 octane or 256 hp and 320 lb-ft on 93. That’s the one we picked.
Within the CX-50’s 2.5 Turbo trims, we went all-out with the Premium Plus model so we could test as many of the CX-50’s features as possible, from its new panoramic moonroof to a 360-degree camera system. Going turbo is also the only way to get an interior color other than black. With the available Terracotta medium-brown leather seats and stitching accents, the CX-50 feels more premium and interesting than your average compact or midsize SUV.
