Mazda CX-5 Review & Prices

The Mazda CX-5 is a handsome, practical and good-to-drive family SUV, but it only comes with a single engine option for now. Unfortunately, that means it’s slow, noisy and uses lots of fuel.

Mazda has (almost) always had a sporty edge to even its most mundane models, so you can consider the CX-5 a bit like an athlete that’s past its prime. The technique, the team and the potential is still there, but it’s not as competitive as the fresher upstarts.

But it isn’t just models from newer brands which the Mazda is up against - such as the Omoda 7 and Chery Tiggo 7 - but long-standing alternatives in the Kia Sportage, Citroen C5 Aircross, Ford Kuga and Nissan Qashqai, too.

In reality the Mazda really is on the upper-end of the scale in terms of size (it’s longer than all of the aforementioned alternatives) which means it has one of the roomiest cabins around for a medium-sized family SUV. You’ll easily fit a pair of six-foot tall adults behind another pair of six-footers thanks to the generous legroom and headroom. The large rear doors open wide enough to fit a hefty child seat in with no bother, too.

Mazda CX-5: size, practicality and storage

Dimensions (length/width/height in mm): 4,690/1860/1690mm
Number of seats: 5
ISOFIX points: 2
Boot space seats up: 583 litres
Boot space seats down: 2,019 litres
Towing capacity: 2,000kg

Another bonus of the Mazda’s size is its boot capacity, because at a whopping 583 litres it’s only bested by the Kia Sportage (591 litres) and Hyundai Tucson (620 litres). That’s some good going.

Unfortunately, once you’re behind the wheel you’ll notice the Mazda can’t quite keep up with its alternatives - not just in performance terms because its petrol engine is gutless, but in efficiency, too. Even if you feather the throttle and coast your heart out, you’ll struggle to see any more than 38mpg.

You can forgive that figure if you compare it to the entry-level petrol alternatives, but considering most are available with a far more efficient hybrid engine - plug-in or self charging - that’s just not good enough from the CX-5.

The interior isn’t good enough, either. While other brands have become touchscreen crazy, Mazda has had some of the classiest cabins going - up until now. Gone is the old CX-5’s padded, swoopy cabin, replaced with an (almost) buttonless, far less premium affair. Boo.

Start it up and do your best to tune out the grumbly engine, because you’ll be in for a treat. The CX-5 is more fleet-footed than a lot of alternatives, as it’s not only comfy in town and on the motorway but surprisingly good fun on a country lane. Opt for the all-wheel drive version and it’ll get you down most dirt tracks with little fuss, too.

Verdict

It’s a shame that Mazda has burdened the CX-5 with such a lacklustre engine, because its massive cabin, big boot and good driving manners mean it would be right up there with the best alternatives in the Nissan Qashqai and Citroen C5 Aircross. Unfortunately, it’s neither peppy nor fuel efficient enough to recommend over the others. The CX-5 has lost the classic Mazda charm.

You can get a great price on the Mazda CX-5 by buying through Carwow, or find a brilliant lease deal on Carwow too. You can browse used Mazda CX-5s or other used Mazdas for sale, and remember that Carwow can even help you to sell your old car when the time comes.

The CX-5 kicks off at just over £31,500 for a base-spec ‘Prime-Line’ car. For that you get 17-inch alloy wheels, cloth upholstery, LED lights all round, dual-zone climate control and a 12.9-inch touchscreen with a digital driver’s display.

There’s quite a big leap up to Centre-Line at just over £34,000, but this adds 19-inch wheels, artificial leather and suede upholstery with electric seat adjustment, a powered bootlid, keyless entry, heated steering wheel, a head-up display and wireless smartphone connectivity.

Exclusive-Line, at just over £36,500, brings a Bose sound system and 360-degree camera, while the top-spec Homura costs nearly £39,000 but gets a bigger 15.6-inch infotainment screen, full leather upholstery, adaptive LED headlights, ambient lighting and glossy black exterior trim.

Those prices line up very closely with the Kia Sportage and are a bit more than the Jaecoo 7 or Nissan Qashqai. Mazda isn’t quite a premium brand like BMW, but it’s more in the Volkswagen mid-range territory than it is a true budget player.

Loads of space in the boot and back seats, though cheap models lose out on some practical touches

Space in the front seats

There’s room for drivers of all shapes and sizes to get comfy in the Mazda CX-5. There’s a lot of adjustment in the seat and wheel and you can get a really low driving position if that’s the sort of thing you like. Even the base-spec car comes with adjustment for the angle of the seat base too, which is a real plus if you have very long or very short legs as it lets you get the right amount of under-thigh support.

Space in the back seats

It’s pretty palatial in the rear of the Mazda CX-5. The rear doors open nice and wide and there’s loads of room even for tall adults - our 6’2 road tester was able to sit behind his own driving position, comfortably. There’s also loads of headroom, a flat floor, and enough width to allow three adults to sit side-by-side without rubbing shoulders too much.

On some versions, the centre console has air vents and USB-C ports for rear passengers, but it feels very stingy that you don’t get these on the base model. It could potentially get quite sweaty in there on a hot day.

ISOFIX points

There are two ISOFIX points in the Mazda CX-5, on both outer rear seats. Nothing to write home about, but the big rear doors and ample space mean installing child seats is as easy as it gets. The points themselves are covered by flip-up plastic flaps which feel a bit fragile but are very easy to use.

Boot space

The CX-5 has 583 litres of boot space on offer, which makes it one of the biggest boots in the class. The Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson have 591 litres and 620 litres respectively, making them a bit more spacious, but the CX-5 easily beats the 505-litre Nissan Qashqai, 536-litre Ford Kuga and 500-litre Jaecoo 7.

You get an electric tailgate on all but the base model, and there’s a nice flat floor, low loading lip and a bit of underfloor storage, which is nice.

Interior storage and accessories

The Mazda CX-5 has quite a well thought-out dashboard with room for plenty of odds and ends. Two cupholders sit ahead of the gear selector, with a small tray ahead of that ideal for keys and wallets. There’s a wireless phone charging pad just under the front edge of the armrest, which places your phone in a really sensible place - easily accessible, but out of direct sight so you’re not tempted.

The under-armrest storage can be divided in two and the split armrest means you can access it without disturbing the front passenger. The glovebox is a reasonable size and so are the door bins. Rear passengers get cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest and small door bins suitable for holding water bottles.

The CX-5’s cabin feels very well-built, but some of the materials feel quite nasty and the dashboard isn’t as easy to use as it should be

The interior of the CX-5 is a major departure for Mazda. Previous models have all had loads of proper physical buttons, including a clickwheel for the infotainment. The new CX-5 instead has a massive touchscreen instead through which you control everything, including the heating and air-con.

The screen itself is a large 12.9-inches across on the standard models, and a massive 15.6-inches on the top-spec Homura. The smaller screen actually looks better, as the bigger one is very off-centre and really dominates the dashboard too.

To use, it’s not too bad. It runs on Android software so it’s a lot like a phone, plus you have built-in access to Google Maps, the Google Assistant and the Play Store to download other apps. But the climate controls are all rather small and fiddly, and the interface uses a lot of black and grey so it’s not the easiest to see everything.

The Nissan Qashqai and Renault Austral both show that you can have Android software while retaining proper buttons, while the Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson also have a better blend of screens and physical controls. Mazda’s system is still much better than the interface in a Jaecoo 7 or MG HS, though.

The CX-5’s driver display is clear but again, the previous model’s was nicer to look at - especially for keen drivers, with its prominent rev-counter. The new version isn’t as configurable as the screen in a Volkswagen Tiguan.

Basic models have cloth seats, and you have to go up to the second-top Exclusive-Line trim level if you want wipe-clean artificial leather. Elsewhere material choices are a mixed bag. It looks nice, but there are hard and nasty-feeling plastics on the centre console and particularly the top of the door where you rest your elbow. The steering wheel buttons also pick up greasy fingerprints like nothing else.

The CX-5 is one of the best-handling cars in its class, but it’s down on power and the automatic gearbox is clunky - it doesn’t match up

All versions of the CX-5 come with the same engine. It’s a 2.5-litre petrol engine with a six-speed automatic gearbox - which sounds like a recipe for big power - but it only has 141hp, which really isn’t much in such a big car. It’s also only a mild hybrid, rather than a proper hybrid that can travel on electric power alone at low speeds.

Around town, the controls are heavier than a Qashqai or a Jaecoo 7, but it’s not excessive, and the steering’s lovely and accurate. The suspension is well judged - it’s a bit firmer than a Ford Kuga’s, but it’s never uncomfortable, and it doesn’t feel uncontrolled over rough roads.

Visibility is good for parking and the 360-degree camera on the top two models has a ‘transparent’ feature where it shows what’s under the car as well as around it.

Once you get onto a faster road, the engine’s lack of power makes itself more obvious, and you do have to rather boot it to get up to motorway speeds. When you do, you’ll also notice that the six-speed gearbox has rather wide gaps between its ratios, and it’s not as quick-shifting as the seven-speed gearbox in a Volkswagen Tiguan.

The highlight is that when you get onto a twisty road, the CX-5 is great fun to drive. It’s agile, the steering feels accurate and perfectly weighted, and the suspension is a great balance of being sporty without feeling uncomfortable.

Mazda’s reliability record is truly excellent, and the brand has a policy of putting bigger, unstressed engines in its cars rather than highly-strung small turbocharged units. This was the case with the old car, and that had a great reputation for reliability, plus it was only recalled once over its nine years on sale.

Mazda provides a long warranty of six years and 100,000 miles, among the longest on sale. The manufacturer achieved a mid-table 17th out of 31 manufacturers in the most recent Driver Power survey.

Euro NCAP results: 5/5 (2025)

Adult occupant: 90%
Child occupant: 89%
Vulnerable road users: 93%
Safety assist: 83%

The CX-5 was tested by Euro NCAP in 2025 and achieved a full five-star rating, the same as the previous two models. It returned particularly impressive scores for adult and child occupants, so you can feel reassured about carrying your family about.

Mazda’s safety equipment covers all the bases, and one of the car’s few physical buttons is a shortcut to silence the speed limit alert - a really handy touch. Other systems have to be adjusted within the complex touchscreen though.

Running a Mazda CX-5 won't be the cheapest affair. Official fuel economy is around the 40mpg mark - during our testing, we saw 38mpg while driving like a saint, and 34mpg when driving more normally - and that was with just the driver on board. Fully-laden with passengers and luggage, economy will likely descend even closer to the 30mpg mark, which is pretty poor for a family SUV.

You'll certainly see better fuel economy from any one of its hybrid-powered alternatives, especially a plug-in where you can cover much of your mileage on electric power alone.

The CX-5's CO2 emissions of 157g/km mean it'll be a pretty rubbish choice as a company car too, and first-year road tax is high. But even the poshest version stays under the £40,000 mark, so they don't pay the expensive car tax supplement.