Autoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.How the Mighty Have FallenThe Mazda CX-5 has been the brand's hottest seller consistently holding the brand's global and American sales crown since 2014. That's no small feat. According to Good Car Bad Car, Mazda sold 136,333 units of the CX-5 in the United States in 2025. While that figure doesn't come close to the Honda CR-V or the Toyota RAV4, it's still a tremendous hit for a small, independent car brand.Amos KwonThe CX-5 was praised for its style, premium cabin, thrilling driving dynamics, excellent physical controls, and its available turbocharged 4-cylinder engine good for 256 horsepower on premium fuel. Although the new 2026 CX-5 looks similar from the outside, a lot has changed in the cabin and under the hood, especially with the screen-only controls, updated steering wheel controls, and the loss of the turbocharged engine.AdvertisementAdvertisementMy tester was a 2026 CX-5 2.5 S Premium Plus, the top trim, with a base price of $38,990. With the $1,495 delivery, processing, and handling fee, the total price came ot $41,808. That base price is $3,210 more than the original MSRP of the 2.5 S Premium Plus's $35,680. It's also $670 more than the 2025 CX-5 2.5 Turbo Premium, which cost $38,320 last year. It had the more powerful 265 horsepower turbocharged engine. Again, Mazda isn't offering that mill in the new CX-5. My week with the redesigned CX-5 proved that Mazda did some things right but a whole bunch really wrong.Exterior Styling – 9/10Amos KwonThe new CX-5 looks remarkably similar to last year's model, and that's no mistake. The CX-5's looks were always part of its appeal. Taut lines, sculpted doors, and refined front and rear fascias gave the CX-5 an attractive look from every angle. You might mistake the new one for the old one. I did when I saw one parked in my neighborhood, and then my astute wife mentioned that it had Mazda lettering instead of the "M" logo on the liftgate (she has a 2022 CX-9). Almost fooled this auto journalist.View the 4 images of this gallery on the original articleThe new CX-5 proportions and overall look, thankfully, remain in tact despite the fact that it's a fully redesigned generation. The CX-5 is longer and wider, but the big news is the stretched wheelbase that grows by 4.5 inches. The CX-5 gets new headlights, taillights, and grille are evolutionary. Additional styling cues take the form of cutlines in the bottom of the doors and fender notches. The new CX-5 also gets black trim on the fenders, exterior mirrors, rocker panels, and front and rear fascias. Rated on its own merits, the CX-5 is very attractive, but when you compare it to the last one, it's just a little too similar.Interior Styling – 7/10Mazda managed to update the interior styling while keeping it in the CX-5's minimalist modern flavor. The result is a cabin that's evolved but also regressed by losing some of the quality and polish. Upon first glance, it's easy to get distracted by the big center touchscreen. The cabin's initial appearance is attractive, but that feeling doesn't last when you get closer. In terms of style, it's definitely more of a minimalist cabin now. Oddly, Mazda has managed to preserve the same shift knob that dates back to the days of the Mazda6 sedan a decade ago. It works well enough, but Mazda could've freshened it up. They must've made a crap ton of them.AdvertisementAdvertisementView the 4 images of this gallery on the original articleMazda cleaned up some of the shapes here. The pointy HVAC vents have been replaced by darker, more uniform shapes. The piano black plastic center console trim has been replaced by black matte plastic, and the door cards are simpler. The steering wheel controls are now satin black panels, which look better but feel cheaper. The hub mimics the liftgate by losing the emblem and replacing it with Mazda lettering. The loss of the chrome emblem makes it feel less special. It's hard to make a cabin that looks more upscale upon first glance but feels and operates a couple of notches below.Comfort, Space, and Usability – 8/10Amos KwonThe cabin of the new CX-5 checks two of the three most important aspects of the last CX-5. It has an excellent seating position that allows for ideal visibility and maneuvering. You can see where you want to point the car, and it's not difficult to get into a good position. The leather isn't as soft and supple as the last generation's, and it feels like material quality has suffered. The armrest material appears to be faux leather, and it feels it. The plastics on the sides of the center console are hard and sound hollow. Formerly soft surfaces in the last CX-5 have been replaced by harder, cheaper materials that take down the CX-5's near-premium look and feel.View the 4 images of this gallery on the original articleAdvertisementAdvertisementRow two is noticeably roomier. It's what saves the CX-5 in the interior game. There are 39.9 inches of legroom. That's two more inches than the RAV4 and just an inch less than the class-leading Honda CR-V. There's no question that the longer wheelbase is a huge plus. The result of this is that rear passenger room is improved, and the cargo hold is nearly two inches longer. These are important changes that make the new CX-5 more appealing to families and more competitive against the RAV4, Rogue, and CR-V.Cargo space is up. There's 33.7 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row and 66.5 cubic feet with the rear seats folded flat. That's more than the 2025 model's 29.1 and 59.3, respectively. Families can breathe a sigh of relief now that the back half of the CX-5 is more accommodating. Compromises happen elsewhere, especially in terms of vehicle operations.Technology & Infotainment – 6/10Amos KwonHere's the horsefly in the ointment: the new interface is terrible to use. As much as I adored the switchgear in the last CX-5, I figured Mazda would execute its on-screen operations incredibly well. I was dead wrong. The vivid 15.6 inch landscape screen ruins the experience but not because the screen is large. It fundamentally changes how you interact with the CX-5, and its physical controls were what made it so easy to live with. The focus was on the driving, and now that's all changed. It's as if Mazda didn't actually test the system while the car was in motion.View the 4 images of this gallery on the original articleAdvertisementAdvertisementIt's not intuitive at all. Almost everything takes too much time, and the most used functions (climate and audio) are painfully relegated to the screen. Here are some of my biggest gripes about the system:Fan speed changes require two presses. One to bring up the corresponding control panel, the other to change the fan speed.Heated seats, ventilated seats, and steering wheel heat require two presses. The first is on the tiny greyed out icon at the base of the screen, the second to make the adjustment.In order to pair a phone, you have to find the Bluetooth app on the menu screen and then find "pair phone". There is no phone icon on the main screen. There is a button on the steering wheel controls.There is no more Commander control knob or physical audio knob. The only immediately accessible audio controls are on the touchscreen and the steering wheel. Volume on the screen requires two touches to make any changes.Driving Experience – 8.5/10Amos KwonDespite the absence of the turbo four, the naturally-aspirated 2.5-liter four is capable. It's the same 187-horsepower version from the last model. It's not especially quiet, but mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, the engine is responsive and willing. Under hard acceleration, it sounds a tad unrefined but quiets down at highway speeds.Amos KwonIn classic CX-5 fashion, the steering has good heft and precision. The body roll is controlled, and it's easy to drive the CX-5 with enthusiasm. The CX-5 remains better to drive than most of its competitors, providing engagement and low-speed fun. I just wish it had more power, and the loss of the the turbo is palpable.Final Verdict – 7/10The 2026 Mazda CX-5 feels like a shadow of its former self. Yes, it looks better from the outside, and it drives like a Mazda should. The lack of an engine upgrade, cheap cabin materials (in top trim, no less), and overdependence on an obfuscating touchscreen sully the once superb CX-5. Here's hoping Mazda will at least bring the turbo mill over soon, as well as make some major interior changes and material upgrades for the mid-cycle refresh.AdvertisementAdvertisementThis story was originally published by Autoblog on Aug 30, 2026, where it first appeared in the Reviews section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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