For all intents and purposes, the 2026 Mazda CX-5 should’ve been a home run.
It’s not like Mazda didn’t already have a great starting point. The outgoing CX-5 quickly became Mazda’s best-seller over its near-decade run because it looked great, drove great, and had a really nice interior to go along with aggressive pricing, solid reliability, and good-enough fuel economy when you tried. It made the masses take notice of the finer things; it may not have been the overall best-seller in the segment, but it was arguably the best one you could buy.
So, what happened?
Though it was a stellar buy all around, the outgoing CX-5 had its flaws. It had less rear legroom and cargo space than a good chunk of its competitors, fuel economy lagged behind competitors with hybrid powertrains, and Mazda’s resistance to putting in a full touchscreen turned off buyers — despite the knob being a better solution, but that meant you had to get used to it. Mazda addressed all of this with the 2026 CX-5, but to varying degrees of success.
The 2026 CX-5 is indeed bigger than before. It’s 4.5 inches longer bumper-to-bumper than the old one, it has a three-inch-longer wheelbase, it’s a half-inch wider overall, and the cargo area opening is an inch taller. This really does translate to a roomier cabin. There’s barely more rear-seat legroom on paper — 39.9 inches in this new CX-5, compared to 36.6 in the old one — but there’s more space under the front seats for your toes, there’s more breathing room between your knees and the seat back, the extra width lets you stretch out a bit more on longer drives, and cargo space is now up to 954 litres with the seats up and 1,882 when folded. It’s still not as much as some competitors — the Tucson and CR-V offer more than 1,000 L with the seats up — but it’s a big improvement over the old CX-5.
We’re no strangers to Mazda making pretty cars, and the new CX-5 is no exception. It draws a strong resemblance to the outgoing CX-5, but with a scaled-up greenhouse and a more chiseled front fascia inspired by the CX-50 and CX-90. Around back, a new, slimmer tail light design leads your eye to a spelled-out M-A-Z-D-A script instead of a logo, while our particular tester wears gloss black cladding instead of unpainted body cladding, plus gloss black wheels to match. Bright wheels would’ve been nice for some more contrast, but by and large, the CX-5 remains a looker.
It’s what’s on the inside that counts—right?
Here’s where Mazda choked on its way to a home run. In addressing the issue of infotainment, Mazda leaned maybe a little too hard into minimalism and digital real estate. Gone is the love-it-or-hate-it, knob-based infotainment, replaced by either a 12.9- or 15.6-inch touchscreen. Our GT-trim tester uses the bigger display, and while it does add a Tesla-style wow factor, usability is challenging. Some icons are hard to see in direct sunlight, the home screen image — a digitally rendered, grey CX-5 against a grey wall — is low-res despite the massive screen, and most controversially, Mazda moved pretty much all of its controls to the screen.
Now, aside from a few small buttons for defrost and hazards, you do everything through the screen. This idea is hardly new, but between the glare, graphics, and layout, carrying out something as simple as turning on the heated steering wheel without using voice controls becomes needlessly frustrating. Doubly so if the screen goes blank, which it did in our time with this very vehicle. There’s no volume knob, either, and the steering wheel controls are haptic-feedback touch panels that are, at the very least, not gloss black. I have a sneaking suspicion Mazda uses a thoroughly version of Toyota’s newest infotainment; beyond the home screen, the menu structure and fonts are very similar between the new CX-5 and the also-redesigned 2026 RAV4. To that end, here’s hoping Mazda implements an “emergency” mid-cycle refresh borrowing some of Toyota’s tricks to integrate physical controls.
I don’t blame Mazda for chasing a wider audience with a bigger screen and a minimalist aesthetic, but in doing so, Mazda stepped away from much of what made the previous CX-5 stand out. It used to be a tactile delight, with easy-to-use controls, buttery leather, tight stitching, and sometimes better quality and fit-and-finish than some pricier crossovers with a three-pointed star or four rings for the logo, but this 2026 model feels a noticeable step down. Most touch points are no longer stitched leatherette or soft-touch plastic; there's no more contrast stitching and piping; there's no more medley of convincing wood trim and brightwork. The 2026 CX-5 no longer has that sense of craftsmanship and attention-to-detail that made Mazda stand out; the old CX-5 felt special inside, but this new one feels soulless, taking two steps forward and one step back.
Surely Mazda made up for all that by keeping the turbo—right?
It’s complicated. Mazda promises the third-gen CX-5 will go hybrid in 2027, but for now, the outgoing 2.5-litre inline-four carries over as your only powertrain option. It still puts out 186 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque, it’s still paired to a six-speed automatic transmission, and all Canadian-spec CX-5s are all-wheel-drive.
Ordinarily, we wouldn’t have a bone to pick with Mazda continuing with this powertrain combination. I'll take a “big” normally aspirated four-popper and a conventional automatic over a small, overworked turbo engine and a CVT any day of the week. At the same time, Mazda also needs a hybrid; the new one destined for next year will pull a double-duty as the fuel efficient, but also the more powerful choice.
But with how contentious the rest of the CX-5's redesign has proven to be, sticking with the old powertrain — whether voluntary or not — rubs salt in the wound. The six-speed automatic felt more hesitant to kick down than we remembered, and there's more engine noise here than most other competitors.
That said, it’s still likeable enough — it’s smooth and although the 8.6 L/100 km we averaged over our week is thirstier than a hybrid, at least the 2026 CX-5 still takes regular. Refinement and ride comfort overall is commendable — it filters out most bumps and potholes rather well, and to Mazda’s credit, the steering remains tight and responsive. Impressive for a crossover, but the passing power of the CX-5 Turbo Signature will be missed.
New 2026 or a demo 2025?
Pricing for the 2026 CX-5 is another pickle. Its starting price of $36,300 for the base GX trim is very agreeable, but once you factor in destination and other unavoidable fees, you’re looking at just over $50,000 as-tested outlay for our loaded-up, top-trim GT tester. It costs less than many loaded-up competitors that are now hybrid-only, but considering the mixed-bag nature of the 2026 CX-5’s updates, do yourself a favour and try to find a leftover, unsold 2025 CX-5 first if you want to save a few bucks.
Final thoughts
We didn’t have the 2026 Mazda CX-5 as one of the more contentious redesigns of the year. On the surface, Mazda addressed all the shortcomings — the third-generation CX-5 is indeed appreciably roomier than before, it looks sharp, and yes, there’s a full touchscreen inside. But the execution of these updates leaves a lot to be desired, feeling as though Mazda sold out by sacrificing the aspects buyers loved about the old one in exchange for chasing trends.
Perhaps Mazda will roll out an “emergency refresh” addressing some of these missteps when the CX-5 hybrid debuts, but for now, the 2026 Mazda CX-5 takes two steps forward and one step back. It didn't have to be that way.
