2025 Mazda CX-5 Turbo review: Should it exist?

Mitchell Weitzman
20 minutes ago
5 min read

The older CX-5 could have been replaced by the CX-50, but it's at least cheaper

2025 Mazda CX-5 turbo premium exterior blue

2025 Mazda CX-5 Turbo review by The Road Beat

Words and pictures: Mitchell Weitzman

In light of Mazda’s introduction of the excellent CX-50 several years ago, the older CX-5 continues to soldier on. Similar in size, similar in mission, and often similar in price, it’s fair to ask why Mazda continues to build and market both given the overlap. With 2025 representing the final model year before a meaningful rethink, nothing here is new — which makes it all the more important that the CX-5 justify its existence.

Picks

This was a stylistic knockout when it debuted at the tail end of 2016, and remarkably, it still looks fresh and handsome nearly nine years later. Tidy and taut, the design appears as if a sumo wrestler grabbed each extremity and pulled it tight — no bloat, just tension. It manages to look muscular yet suave, and in Mazda’s rich Soul Red paint, can easily pass for something far more expensive.

Inside, it follows the familiar Mazda formula of the past several presidential terms: restrained, premium, and tactile. The dash is well padded, the switchgear feels substantial, and everything you touch has real weight and purpose. The driving position is excellent, and the leather-wrapped steering wheel sits exactly where it should. It’s simply a very nice place to spend your time.

Because this is an older design, there are no trendy digital sliders or haptic panels — just physical controls. The 10.25-inch display is recessed into the dash, which means you rely on the rotary click wheel to navigate infotainment and Apple CarPlay. Some will appreciate the old-school tactility even if it's not immediately intuitive.

Mazda’s familiar 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder remains a gem. With 227 horsepower and a stout 310 lb-ft of torque (on regular fuel), it delivers a muscular midrange surge that makes everyday driving effortless. It even sounds good — a subdued, refined growl instead of an overworked cry for help. The six-speed automatic may be old-school, but it’s smooth and rarely caught off guard thanks to the engine’s abundant torque. If you bypass the turbo engine option, power otherwise drops to an entry 187 horsepower.

2025 Mazda CX-5 Turbo exterior rear three quarter

Handling was a revelation for mainstream crossovers when this generation launched, and it remains impressive today. Even as competitors have improved, few feel as composed and eager when the road turns technical. Steering is precise and properly weighted, with faint but welcome feedback through the wheel.

Drive it quickly and it encourages you to go quicker still. It’s beautifully balanced, absorbing mid-corner bumps without drama and maintaining composure in a way that feels distinctly un-crossover-like. Standard all-wheel drive in the Turbo further reduces understeer on corner exit, helping put that torque down cleanly to the road beneath.

Price is another strength. At $40,755 for this loaded Premium Turbo model, it undercuts the last equivalent CX-50 Turbo I tested by several thousand dollars.

Nicks

The biggest issue with this 2025 CX-5 is timing. By the time you read this, the redesigned 2026 model is effectively here. With subtly sharper styling and a more modern interior, it already looks like a meaningful leap forward — and makes this outgoing model feel every bit of its age.

Then there’s the CX-50. It arguably looks better, offers a more contemporary interior, and tows up to 3,500 pounds versus just 2,000 for the CX-5. It drives nearly identically in the real world despite using a torsion-beam rear setup, and it’s now available as a hybrid for buyers concerned with fuel economy.

That’s important, because as strong and enjoyable as the 2.5 Turbo is, overall fuel economy is a disappointing 22 mpg combined. The six-speed automatic, while smooth, shifts leisurely and keeps revs higher than necessary on the highway, which doesn’t help efficiency.

Oddly, despite the CX-50 lacking independent rear suspension, the CX-5 neither rides nor handles noticeably better; They’re virtually indistinguishable in everyday driving. Add in the CX-50’s lower, longer, and wider stance, more cohesive interior materials, and the available panoramic sunroof — an option not offered on the CX-5 — and the case grows stronger.

2025 Mazda CX-5 Turbo Premium interior front passenger side

There are smaller annoyances, too. Proximity keyless entry only works on the front doors (competitors like the Toyota RAV4 offer it on all doors). You must wait for the power tailgate to fully close before locking the vehicle, otherwise it protests with an incessant warning beep.

Measuring 10.25-inches, the central touchscreen is adequately sized, but the underlying hardware shows its age with slow reflexes. The rotary controller can feel awkward depending on menu layout, and the abundance of awkwardly-placed buttons around the gear lever reinforces the car’s vintage. The backup and 360-degree cameras are also particularly poor in low light.

And then there’s a bizarre (and consistent) Mazda quirk: the wireless charging pad repeatedly triggers an iPhone to launch Apple Wallet. No other vehicle I’ve tested does this. In an era increasingly sensitive to digital privacy, that kind of glitch feels especially out of place.

It's all stacked against the CX-5

The CX-5 remains an enjoyable, near-entry-luxury crossover with genuine sporting ambition. But in 2025, it feels like a lame duck. I genuinely do like the CX-5, yet I like the CX-50 more — for its fresher design, panoramic sunroof, stronger towing capability, and some extra ability for unpaved roads. That broader capability makes it easier to recommend. However, it's impossible to ignore the pricing advantage the CX-5 carries to the tune of several thousand dollars.

The incoming 2026 CX-5 could change everything. Early images suggest a much larger central display and fewer physical controls — which may or may not be a mistake — but if Mazda successfully differentiates it from the CX-50 and adds hybrid power, the CX-5 could once again become the brand’s standout crossover.

For now, though, this final-year 2025 model feels like a very good car caught at the wrong moment.