9 WORST And 6 BEST Things About The 2023 Mazda CX5

Mazda CX5 or CX50?
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0:00 - Intro

BAD:

0:46 - Old Chassis

With the CX50 and the impending CX70
Will there be a need for the CX5 in the lineup anymore?
Seems like a silly question for mazda’s far and away best seller
But on paper there isn’t uch of a place for 3 SUVs so similar

1:22 - Fuel economy

In the turbo about 24 mpg according to the EPA
But i got closer to 23 in mixed driving
Plus added weight
The n/a motor i have in my car is currently at about 28 mpg over 40,000 miles which is pretty good

2:06 - No hybrid options

Will come in the CX90 and CX70
But not an option for the CX50, at least not in 2023
There’s a plug-in option which will bring around 30 miles of range

2:46 - Driver assist suite

Radar cruise
Lane keep, but not lane centering
But doesn’t have the robust system that will drive more you
Like hyundai, tesla or GMC..or anyone else

3:21 - Seatbelt warning

DONT TURN THE CAR ON IF YOURE NOT BUCKLED
Doesnt matter if you’re in park
Doesnt matter if you have the parking brake on

3:49 - Towing

Max capacity is 2000 lbs
Which is still more than the CRV and RAV4
But 1500 lbs LESS than the CX50

4:21 - FWD std

Not AWD std like the CX50
But that means less expensive and better fuel economy

4:42 - Trunk

Smaller than CX50
But also smaller than CRV, RAV4, Forester

5:27 - Things you get in the cx50

You get wireless car play in the CX50
You get a pano roof in the CX50
HUD

GOOD:

5:44 - Powertrains

Power in the 2.5 twin scroll
256 hp 320 lbft on premium
Reliability in the 2.5 n/a w/ 6 speed
187 hp 186 lbft
Have no issues with my car and my wife’s car

6:43 - Driving

Steering
This has a better setup than the cx50
This has a multilink rear suspension setup
It handles bumps better than the cx50
It has a shorter wheelbase than cx50 so more darty
Arguably less stable
Quiet cabin, good visibility

7:44 - Looks

Every Mazda looks great, but this is the best looking one(cx50)

9:11 - Interior design & materials

The design is very expensive and minimal
The materials are higher end than you’ll find in toyota, honda, subaru, or america
I LOVE the cross stitch and squish on the dash
There is more gloss black than I’d like

10:25 - Luxuries

Heated steering wheel
Heated seats
Cooled seats
Heated rear seats

10:42 - Rear seat

Smaller than CX50 legwise
Heated rear seats
More headroom than cx50 though

11:17 - Outro

[kirk]

Mazda is brilliant, they found a niche buyer like me and went with it. I’m a 30 year VW buyer, I want the CX5. Quality has fallen off at VW and, like most car companies, they focus too much on Tech and bling. I don’t want a pano roof, I don’t want a CVT, I don’t want a big screen, I don’t want a turbo, I don’t want self driving lane assist stuff. I’m the driver, I’ll do the driving, thanks. I don’t care about fuel mileage; quality and simplicity win me over, that’s why I’m breaking my loyalty to VW to buy this.

[wackit]

I don’t t care if it’s getting long in the tooth. The CX5 has timeless beauty both inside and out! The interior seems like a simple work of art. I wish other manufacturers would pay attention to the rich color of red on the interiors that Mazda's use as opposed to the painfully bright lipstick red they try to give us. Only gripe is the 6 speed auto which Mazda holds onto for reliability. Could use an 8 speed. Otherwise just a great product.

[JoseHernandez-bffi]

2023 Mazda CX-5 CE owner here. The color is called polymetal gray, the CX-5 CE you're reviewing literally has the AWD badge 💁‍♂️ It's an awesome vehicle, turbo or not is a great buy!

[timgt]

Correction: the CX5 has come standard with AWD on all models since 2022

[justiceall]

Love the CX~5..we're at 180, 00 miles and zero issues! Going for another one soon!

[Ed-krii]

Test drove a CX5 and CX50. I went with CX5 becuse overall it felt better and I prefer the higher rding position and the Cx5 was more comfortable

[msanmanable]

The CX-5 is a modern Day Classic. Timeless.

[BigBadJohnDiesel]

This is an outstanding vehicle! It is very practical across the board. I've owned two CX 5's. A 2016 and now a 23 Carbon Edition! You don't need all the extra "safety" features! It's simply unneeded tech! If it ain't broke, don't fix it! As of 2023, the CX 5 has AWD as standard equipment.

[aaronbaird]

Although y the CX5 is on an older platform, the CX 5 has a better chassis that the CX 30/50. I much rather prefer independent four-wheel suspension than a torsion beam rear axle. If you’re looking to buy a small SUV, the CX 5 is not only the best value, but one of the best rated vehicles in the segment. All the nitpicking about the chassis, and the infotainment is pretty much noise. My only grave is the infotainment as I wish it was dual touchscreen as well as directional dial. I’ve had mine for over a month and my wife and I are absolutely in love with it. Of all the cars I purchase this might be the best one I’ve ever had.

[georgesmith]

Just because a chassis design hasn't been changed in several years doesn't make it somehow worse. The most typical reason manufacturers are changing the chassis is to make them slightly bigger but that is not "better" if you don't want the extra size, expense, and other tradeoffs of a larger vehicle.

[NathanR]

Love my 2022 CX-5 carbon edition so much I have 60, 000 miles on it! Made in Japan ! Oh, why so much mileage, , I live in phx, Az and make trips home( Navajo Nation) rain, mud, snow and sand! AWD crawls through it !

[ianjohnson]

My Mazda CX 5 is amazing, I have a 2litre front wheel drive model, it's very quiet on the road, handles great, plenty fast enough for me and gives me around 40 mpg, it's amazing.

[edstanisz]

Have owned a 2014 since 2015 and have not had any significant problems. Gear safety switch/neutral safety switch and a switch for the sunroof is all we have done. 140, 000 kms or 86, 000 miles on this car. Will be buying another one!

[kathycarter]

I love my CX5! I’ve owned a list of other cars and SUV’s, but the CX5 is the best vehicle I’ve ever owned. I feel more confident and safer and I love the way it drives.

[freedomaipros]

I test drove the cx 50 and cx 5 and bought the cx 5. I bought the cx5 easy choice. Sportier, better ride

[jamesa]

On my 3rd cx5. 2016/20/23. I liked the 20 the best. Things I don’t like about the 23:
Can’t change satellite radio stations from the steering wheel anymore.
The delay when hitting the accelerator quickly.
Stiffer suspension
Ugly rims

[kevtn]

There is no way Mazda is going to discontinue it's bread and butter. They already confirmed a new generation cx5 coming in 2025, most likely with hybrid option.

[barrycondon]

A great car - Here in Ireland, the "Carbon" version is called the "Homura". Thankfully it doesn't have those awful red leather seats. I thought the stone (white) seats were bad but that's not nice. I drive the 2018 Platinum CX5 which was the premium model back then. I thought about upgrading to the newer version. So looking at an extra $30000 extra for a 2022/3 model, I decided to stay with the one I have. It has about 55, 000 miles and I'm only putting around 5k miles a year on. Makes no sense to change . My car is a keeper - Love the CX5 !! Great review - Thanks.

[lewismartinez]

I've test driven a bunch of cars lately that were better than the CX-5--on paper. This is very likely to be my next car--driving experience and interior quality win out over fuel economy, space, and extra doodads.

[timingenkamp]

I have a 2018 CX-5 GT AWD and for a compact SUV it impresses me greatly. 2022 IIHSA crash test upped the force of the side impact by 86% because of the weight of electric cars. CX-5 was the only car to rank a good rating. The side windows didn't even break during the test. The moose test checks the cars ability to steer around a large object quickly, and safely by steering hard left, hard right, and then straight at minimum 40mph. Toyota RAV4 front left tire crumbled and blew out from the stress and failed. Mazda did it successfully at 48mph. An Australian race car driver took a 2017 model around a track at speed. Before he tried he was asked how he thought the car would . He said it's an SUV, not built for this at all, but when he finished, he was very impressed with the handling, and how flat it sat in the corners. My father is hard of hearing, and he never could hear me talk to him on the highway at speed because of road, wind, and engine noise in other cars. But we can easily carry on a conversation without shouting. From 2017 on they added 150lbs of sound deadening material, made the windows double thick all around, and double sealed the doors as well which silences the outside world around me. You can find the test videos I've mentioned on Youtube easily.