2025 Mazda CX-50

Is the 2025 Mazda CX-50 a Good SUV?

"The CX-50 is a well-rounded and highly likable little SUV that also happens to be one of the best-looking compact vehicles you'll find. We favor the new hybrid variant with its Toyota-sourced powertrain excellence, but every CX-50 delivers capable handling and a refined driving experience. You also get the expected technology features, including a standard 10.25-inch infotainment screen, plus a high-mounted backseat that's comfortable even for taller adults. It's a winner."—Ranked #1 out of 15 Compact SUVs

Which 2025 Mazda CX-50 Should I Buy?

MotorDonkey's proprietary vehicle data identifies every significant version of each model so that you can compare and decide. Ordered by price from low to high, here are the versions of the 2025 Mazda CX-50 that you need to be aware of, along with our expert analysis and recommendations.

1. 2025 Mazda CX-50 2.5 All-Wheel Drive

• Base Price: $30,500
• MPG Combined: 28
• Drive Type: All-wheel drive
• Engine: 2.5-liter inline-4
• Aspiration: Naturally aspirated
• Transmission: 6-speed automatic
• Horsepower: 187 
• Torque: 186 lb⁠-⁠ft
• 0-60: 8.5 sec
• Weight: 3,706 lbs
• Length: 185.8 in
• Towing Capacity: 2,000 lbs

The base CX-50 has a lot of things going for it, but the engine isn't one of them. It runs out of breath at higher speeds, and it's also rather inefficient for an ordinary four-cylinder engine. Better to stretch for the CX-50 Hybrid if you can, or even the CX-50 Turbo if you feel like spending that much. Zero to 60 in the mid-8-second range is not great for a contemporary compact SUV.

2. 2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid (2.5 CVT AWD)

• Base Price: $33,970
• MPG Combined: 38
• Drive Type: All-wheel drive
• Engine: 2.5-liter inline-4
• Aspiration: Naturally aspirated
• Transmission: CVT
• Horsepower: 219 
• Torque: N/A
• 0-60: 7.6 sec
• Weight: 4,008 lbs
• Length: 186.1 in
• Towing Capacity: 1,500 lbs

The CX-50 Hybrid has the lowest towing capacity of any CX-50 at 1,500 pounds, trailing the Turbo by a whopping 2,000 lbs, but it compensates with nearly 40 mpg in combined driving. The RAV4-sourced powertrain provides decent pep, too, making this Mazda a have-your-cake-and-eat-it kind of proposition. It's not perfect, though. For one thing, it weighs about 300 lbs more than the RAV4 Hybrid, which is partly because the Mazda gets a heavier nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery versus the Toyota's lithium-ion pack — but whatever the reasons, that gap explains why the RAV is both slightly quicker and slightly more fuel-efficient. For another, that NiMH battery pack's placement under the floor causes rear legroom to drop by two inches compared to the non-hybrid CX-50s, and this rig didn't have a lot of rear legroom to spare. It's not exactly a seamless powertrain swap, then, but all things considered, we still think the CX-50 Hybrid is the pick of the litter.

3. 2025 Mazda CX-50 Turbo (2.5T All-Wheel Drive)

• Base Price: $41,000
• MPG Combined: 25
• Drive Type: All-wheel drive
• Engine: 2.5-liter inline-4
• Aspiration: Turbocharged
• Transmission: 6-speed automatic
• Horsepower: 256 
• Torque: 320 lb⁠-⁠ft
• 0-60: 6.4 sec
• Weight: 3,913 lbs
• Length: 185.8 in
• Towing Capacity: 3,500 lbs

This is easily the fastest version of the CX-50, and the most capable towing-wise, too — but it's also far and away the most expensive. With a price edging past $40k just to get in the door, the CX-50 Turbo is getting close to the territory of entry-level luxury SUVs. We'd be more enthusiastic if the 2.5T engine were thrilling to drive, but the truth is that it doesn't really feel like a turbo, for better or worse. It gives the CX-50 confident acceleration, for sure, but we'd prefer confident-plus for our $40k-plus.