2026 Mazda CX-5 review

Our verdict

This is a family SUV for the buyer who still cares how a car drives, wrapped in a cabin that’s finally worth the money. It does refinement, handling and value better than almost anything in the class. The catch is fuel, because the hybrid that would complete the package is still a year or two away.

What does the Mazda CX-5 cost in Australia?

The range spans five grades, all sharing the same engine and standard all-wheel drive, with pricing climbing in sensible steps from the entry Pure to the flagship Akera.

Every figure listed is a manufacturer list price so budget for drive-away costs on top.

What matters is what sits under those numbers. All-wheel drive is standard on every grade which is rare at this end of the segment and does a lot of heavy lifting to justify the small price rises over the old car. Mazda has clearly priced the CX-5 sharply on purpose, knowing it is fighting hybrid rivals with a petrol-only hand for now.

We tested the Touring at $47,490, which piles on the comfort gear: 19-inch alloys, a 10-way powered driver's seat with memory, a heated steering wheel, a power tailgate and roof rails. It is a genuinely lovely thing to live with, though for most families the Evolve makes the strongest value case adding heated front seats, wireless charging, wireless smartphone mirroring, keyless entry and rear air vents over the Pure without the bigger leap in price.

What does the Mazda CX-5 look like?

Mazda has played the long game with styling.

This is clearly a CX-5, just stretched, sharpened and given a more grown-up stance. At 4,690mm long on a 2,815mm wheelbase, it reads as one of the bigger options in the medium SUV class, and the longer rear doors and thicker C-pillar give it a more substantial, almost premium silhouette.

The detailing rewards a closer look. Slim LED headlights, a full-width lower intake and the new MAZDA lettering across the tailgate lift it above the wallpaper of identikit family SUVs. The Pure and Evolve ride on 17-inch wheels, with 19-inch alloys arriving from the Touring up and there is a fresh Navy Blue Mica if you want to step away from the inevitable Soul Red Crystal. It is handsome rather than shouty, which suits the brand.

What is the Mazda CX-5 like inside?

This is where the new car earns its keep. Climb in and the confidence is obvious. The dashboard is cleaner, the materials feel a class above the price and the whole space carries a calm, almost upmarket mood that the old CX-5 never quite managed.

A 12.9-inch central touchscreen is standard with a 15.6-inch unit reserved for the Akera, and it is comfortably the best infotainment Mazda has ever fitted. It is crisp, quick and sensibly laid out, running a Google-based system with Mazda Connected Services baked in.

There is a catch, though, and it is a big one for some buyers: Mazda has gone almost fully touchscreen. The old rotary dial is gone and most functions now route through the display. There is logic to it, the menus are clean and a row of climate shortcuts stays visible, but anyone who loved the physical simplicity of the old car will need a short adjustment period.

Fit and finish are strong where it counts and only the occasional plain plastic surface hints at where the accountants got involved. Even so, the cabin feels like a clear generational leap.

How practical is the Mazda CX-5?

Finally, the answer is properly.

The single biggest fix in this generation is rear-seat space, long the CX-5's weakest link. The stretched wheelbase opens up real legroom and headroom in the back, and the longer rear doors make loading kids and child seats far less of a contortion act.

Boot space grows too, up by around 61 litres to roughly 500 litres, with a versatile 40-20-40 split rear seat and a lower loading lip for bikes and prams. It still is not the outright cargo champion of the class, but it is no longer a reason to walk away.

Add the rear air vents from the Evolve up, sensible storage and the easy-access doors, and this is now a CX-5 that works as a genuine family car rather than one you tolerate for the way it drives.

What is the Mazda CX-5 like to drive?

Here is the good news for anyone who has ever enjoyed a Mazda: it still feels like one.

Point it at a decent road and the CX-5 comes alive in a way precious few family SUVs bother to. The steering is sharp and quick, body roll is kept firmly in check, and there is a tidy, eager balance through corners that makes everyday driving feel like less of a chore.

Standard AWD adds a reassuring layer of grip, and the ride is a clear step more compliant than before without going soft. Even on the Touring's 19-inch wheels it stays composed over scrappy suburban surfaces, and the cabin is impressively quiet at speed. The Pure and Evolve roll on smaller 17-inch wheels, so if ride comfort sits at the top of your list, those grades should ride softer again.

The weak spot is muscle. The 2.5-litre petrol four makes 132kW and 242Nm on 91 RON, rising to 138kW and 257Nm on 95 RON, paired to a six-speed automatic. It is smooth and perfectly adequate around town, but ask for a decisive overtake with the family aboard and you notice the chassis has more talent than the engine can feed it. The gearbox does its best, yet you find yourself daydreaming about the hybrid to come.

How efficient is the Mazda CX-5?

This is the CX-5's toughest conversation. Mazda quotes a combined 7.4L/100km, but in mixed real-world driving we saw closer to 8 to 9L/100km. That is acceptable for a petrol AWD SUV of this size, yet it lands well behind the segment's petrol-electric leaders, which is exactly the gap a hybrid would close.

Tipping in 95 RON unlocks the extra outputs noted above, but premium fuel costs more at the bowser, so the maths only really stacks up if you value the slightly stronger response.

The hybrid is not due until 2027, and possibly 2028, so for now you buy the CX-5 in spite of its efficiency, not because of it.

Servicing is a genuine bright spot. Mazda has confirmed capped-price servicing on 12-month or 15,000km intervals and it actually undercuts the outgoing model.

That comes to $1,228.96 over three years and $2,201.00 over five, or an average of around $440 a year. For a midsize AWD SUV, that is keen, and the pattern of cheaper minor visits offset by the odd pricier major keeps any single year from stinging too hard.

On warranty, Mazda covers the CX-5 with a 5-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty plus 5 years of roadside assistance, which is perfectly respectable but no longer the headline it once was. Several rivals, particularly the Korean and Chinese brands, now stretch to seven years, so Mazda sits in the solid middle rather than out in front.

Is the Mazda CX-5 safe?

On the evidence so far, very. The new CX-5 has already scored a five-star Euro NCAP result with a standout score for protecting vulnerable road users, which bodes well given ANCAP and Euro NCAP share testing protocols. A local ANCAP rating is still pending, so we will update once it lands, but the early signs are strong.

The active safety kit is comprehensive across the range with autonomous emergency braking front and rear, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise with stop and go, and front and rear parking sensors as standard. Step up the grades and you add a 360-degree camera and adaptive headlights. There is enough here to reassure any family buyer.

What are the main competitors to the Mazda CX-5?

The Toyota RAV4 is the benchmark and the default efficiency pick, now hybrid across the board from around $42,260 plus on-roads. It will sip far less fuel than the Mazda and its resale is famously bulletproof, but the CX-5 is the more engaging steer and feels a clear notch more premium inside.

The Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is the value play opening from around $42,850 plus on-roads with generous rear-seat room and a longer warranty. It's a smart, spacious thing, though it can't match the CX-5's polish behind the wheel or the cohesion of its cabin.

The Kia Sportage Hybrid shares much of the Tucson's mechanical package and the same sharp value pitch, from around $44,450 plus on-roads. It's roomy and boldly styled, but the Mazda still feels the more grown-up, better-finished proposition for not much more money.

The Nissan X-Trail e-Power is the clever-tech alternative, its petrol engine acting purely as a generator for an EV-like drive, from around $58,000 plus on-roads in Ti-L trim. It's smooth, quiet and nicely appointed, but it costs more than a comparable CX-5 and isn't as rewarding when the road turns interesting.

The Honda CR-V e:HEV is the refined all-rounder from around $49,990 drive-away, with a slick hybrid system and cheap servicing. It's spacious and effortless to live with, though it lacks the CX-5's appetite for a corner and its sense of occasion inside.

Cross-shop on fuel bills and the hybrids make a strong case. Cross-shop on how the car drives and how the cabin makes you feel, and the CX-5 climbs right back to the top of the list.

Should I buy the Mazda CX-5?

If you're not fussed about a hybrid SUV, this is an easy car to recommend.

The CX-5 nails the things that make daily ownership pleasant: it looks sharp, the cabin feels genuinely premium, there is finally proper room for a family and it remains one of the very few SUVs in this class that is actually fun to drive.

Mazda has come tantalisingly close to building the perfect family SUV here, and only the missing hybrid keeps it from the full marks.

Close, though, is still the best CX-5 Mazda has ever made.

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