2026 Mazda CX-5 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Step back and take in the 2026 CX-5 from any angle, and it's hard to argue with Mazda's design team. This remains one of the best-looking — if not the best-looking — crossovers in its segment. The evolved Kodo design language, which Mazda calls "Wearable Gear," gives the CX-5 a more sculpted and purposeful appearance than the outgoing model. Up front, the Signature Wing grille flows seamlessly into new LED headlights with a two-tiered daytime running light signature, while the rear gets more angular lighting that visually ties the CX-5 into Mazda's larger CX-70 and CX-90 models. A new "MAZDA" script badge across the rear replaces the traditional logo, and the overall effect is a vehicle that looks like it should cost more than it does.

Our one gripe with the exterior is the wheels. Previous Mazda models have offered some genuinely attractive wheel designs, but the options here are underwhelming. The 17-inch wheels on the base GX trim look small on the new, larger body, and even the 19-inch units on GS and GT, while an improvement, lack the intricate detailing of Mazdas past. We’re not fans of black-painted rims, and we're sorry to see them as the only option on the high-end GT trim (we tested the U.S.-spec equivalent). On a vehicle this good-looking, the wheels deserve to keep up.

Inside, the story is largely positive. Mazda has always punched above its weight in terms of interior quality, and the 2026 CX-5 continues that tradition with a clean dashboard design, a prominent central touchscreen, and a driver-focused cockpit. We were happy to see Mazda jettison its much-derided small rectangular touchscreen found in the rest of its lineup in favour of a more contemporary — and more useful — large centre infotainment screen.

Materials are a step up from the competition in most areas, with soft-touch surfaces where they count and a two-tone interior option on upper trims that looks genuinely premium. Leather seating on the GT trim is supple and well-bolstered, and the overall ambiance is more upscale sedan than mainstream crossover.

That said, there's a noticeable amount of hard plastic scattered throughout the cabin — on the lower door panels, portions of the centre console, and around the rear seat area in particular. It doesn't ruin the experience but slightly undercuts the otherwise upscale feel, and it's the kind of material that tends to show wear and easily pick up scuffs. In a vehicle that gets so much right aesthetically, the hard plastic stands out precisely because the rest of the interior is so well-executed.

The dimensional improvements are immediately apparent. Mazda stretched the wheelbase by more than 11 centimetres over the outgoing model, the overall length grew by the same amount, and the body is 1.5 cm wider. These aren't incremental changes; this is a meaningfully larger vehicle that wears its added size well.

Here's where the 2026 CX-5's story gets complicated. The only available powertrain is the carryover SkyActiv-G 2.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder, producing 187 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque and paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. On paper, those numbers are adequate and on par with a few lowly competitors. In practice, behind the wheel of a vehicle that now weighs 1,747 kilograms (3,851 pounds) — heavier than every competitor in its class — the engine feels noticeably underpowered.

That added heft is a byproduct of the larger body and standard i-Activ AWD system, but Mazda didn't add any power to compensate. Merging onto the highway requires planning ahead, and passing maneuvers at speed demand patience. The 0-96 km/h time of 9.6 seconds is the slowest in the segment by a meaningful margin; the all-hybrid 2026 Toyota RAV4 gets there in roughly seven to 7.5 seconds, and even the similarly powered Kia Sportage manages 9.1 seconds thanks to its eight-speed automatic and lighter curb weight.

The six-speed automatic is the other weak link. It does its job without drama, and the shifts are smooth enough in normal driving, but it simply can't match the responsiveness or efficiency of the eight-speed units offered by both the Hyundai Tucson and the Kia Sportage. The transmission hunts for gears on inclines and feels like it's always a beat behind when you ask for a quick downshift. Paddle shifters are available on the top-trim GT when you add the Premium Package, but they can't overcome the fundamental gearing limitations.

The loss of the turbocharged 2.5-litre engine from the previous generation is a genuine bummer. That motor, with its 256 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque, gave the old CX-5 a meaningful performance edge over its peers, and its absence here is conspicuous. The good news is that Mazda has confirmed a hybrid variant for 2027, using the new SkyActiv-Z engine and Mazda Hybrid System technology. That can't come soon enough.

Handling is where the CX-5 still shines. This has always been a Mazda hallmark, and the new model hasn't lost the plot. The steering is direct and well-weighted, body roll is well-managed through corners, and the overall chassis composure gives the CX-5 a sense of agility that most compact SUVs lack. There's a genuine connection between driver and road that you simply don't get in a RAV4 or a Tucson. But the lack of power gets in the way of fully enjoying those crisp road manners, and you find yourself wanting to push the CX-5 harder than the engine allows.

Ride quality is firm and comfortable without being floaty, and Mazda has improved insulation for reduced road and wind noise, which makes highway cruising more relaxed than before. Natural Resources Canada rates the CX-5 at 9.9 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, 7.9 on the highway, and 9.0 combined — among the highest figures in a segment where more power and better fuel economy are becoming the norm. Every competitor either matches or beats those numbers in standard gas form, and many offer hybrid variants that leave the CX-5 in the dust on efficiency.

The dimensional growth is the headline here, and it translates directly into a more livable interior. The more than 11-centimetre wheelbase stretch has been put to excellent use, and rear knee clearance jumps by nearly 6 centimetres to 1,012 millimetres, addressing one of the most persistent criticisms of the outgoing CX-5. A 6'1" test driver was comfortable in any seat in the vehicle — front or rear — with room to spare. That's a meaningful improvement over the previous generation, where taller rear-seat passengers often felt pinched.

Rear headroom is a particular bright spot. At 1,007 mm without the sunroof, it's the best figure in the class, beating the RAV4 (1,003 mm), the Tucson (1,019 mm), and the Sportage (1,006 mm). Even with the panoramic sunroof on the GT trim, you still get a respectable 996 mm. Front legroom matches the rest of the segment at 1,058 mm, and rear legroom of 1,012 mm is competitive, though the Tucson (1,050 mm) and the CR-V (1,042 mm) offer a bit more stretch-out room in the second row.

Cargo space has also improved. Behind the second row, you get 954 litres — essentially tied with the RAV4 and the Tucson and a smidgen behind the CR-V (1,113 litres) and the Sportage (1,036 litres). Fold the rear seats and that expands to 1,882 litres, which is adequate, but trails the Tucson (up to 2,119 litres) and the CR-V (2,166 litres) by notable margins. Larger door openings make entry and exit easier, and the available hands-free power liftgate on the GT trim’s Premium Package adds convenience for loaded-up grocery runs.

Other practical touches include a standard rearview camera with dynamic guidelines and a tow hitch guide, roof rails starting on the GS trim, and a reasonably flat load floor when the rear seats are folded. Towing capacity takes a hit for this generation, dropping from 900 kilograms (2,000 pounds) to 680 kilograms (1,500 pounds), which puts the CX-5 in a tie with the Honda CR-V and the base Subaru Forester and well behind the Tucson (1,250 kilograms/2,750 pounds) and the Sportage (up to 1,587 kilograms/3,500 pounds).

The infotainment system is one of the CX-5's most significant upgrades for 2026. The old setup, controlled by a rotary knob on the centre console — or via the narrow touchscreen itself in some, but not all circumstances — has been replaced by a 12.9-inch touchscreen on all trims. (A 15.6-inch unit is available on the GT trim as part of the Premium Package.) The screen is easy to reach from the driver's seat, responsive to inputs, and a massive improvement in terms of visual clarity and usability.

The standout feature is Google built-in, which comes standard across the entire lineup. You get native Google Maps for navigation (no more relying on phone projection), the Google Gemini AI voice assistant for natural-language commands, and access to the Google Play Store for downloading apps directly to the infotainment system. It’s important to note that Mazda includes a year's free data trial to use this functionality, after which you’ll need to subscribe. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also available — wired on the base GX, wireless on the GS and GT trims.

All trims also get a 10.2-inch fully digital instrument cluster, which is a nice inclusion at every price point. However, its execution leaves something to be desired. Key information — particularly the resettable trip computer and odometer — isn't displayed in the instrument cluster where you'd expect to find it. Instead, you have to navigate into the main infotainment screen to access those readouts. The cluster also doesn't display as much at-a-glance information as you'd hope for a fully digital unit. It's a missed opportunity, especially when competitors such as the Kia Sportage pack their dual 12.3-inch displays with highly configurable data.

One notable omission: the physical volume knob is gone. Previous CX-5 models kept it mounted on the centre console between the driver and front passenger, where it was always within easy reach. There's still what looks like the perfect spot for it on the new centre console, but Mazda has moved volume control to either the touchscreen or the physical buttons on the steering wheel. The steering wheel buttons work well — they're tactile and easy to use without looking at them — but the loss of a dedicated knob remains a step backward for a function drivers use constantly.

The climate control interface is also suboptimal. It's not immediately intuitive, and making quick temperature adjustments requires more attention than it should while driving. These are solvable issues — a software update could address some of them — but as delivered, the CX-5's tech experience is a mix of genuine advancement and frustrating oversights.

Higher trims add welcome upgrades. The GT trim gets a Bose 12-speaker audio system and SiriusXM satellite radio, while that model’s Premium Package adds the larger 15.6-inch screen, a 360-degree View Monitor with underfloor and parking views, a Driver Monitoring system, and rear USB-C ports.

The 2026 CX-5 comes with one of the most comprehensive standard safety suites in its class. Every trim includes adaptive cruise control with speed limit assist, automatic emergency braking with turn-across traffic detection and head-on collision mitigation, rear automatic emergency braking with rear cross-traffic alert and pedestrian detection, lane keep assist, blind spot monitors, vehicle exit warning, driver attention alert, traffic sign recognition, front and rear parking sensors, and dynamic guidelines for the mandatory rear-view camera.

That's a lot of standard equipment, and it's worth noting that several of those features — particularly blind spot monitors, front parking sensors, and rear cross traffic alert — are items that some competitors reserve for mid-level trims.

The top-tier GT trim adds an adaptive front-lighting system. In the Premium Package, you’ll find front cross-traffic alert with automatic braking, Cruising & Traffic Support with Lane-Change Assist (Mazda's semi-autonomous highway driving system, comparable to Toyota's Proactive Driving Assist or Kia's Highway Driving Assist 2), a driver monitoring system, and the 360-degree View Monitor camera system. Seven airbags come standard across all trims.

Crash test results from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) hadn't been published at the time of writing. The outgoing CX-5 earned a five-star overall rating from NHTSA and an IIHS Top Safety Pick designation for model years 2023-2025, with a “Good” rating in the institute's updated moderate front overlap test.

Given the new model's larger body structure, updated crumple zones, and expanded safety hardware, expectations are high that it will continue Mazda's strong safety track record, but we'll update this section when official results are available. At the press launch, Mazda made a point of noting that nearly its entire lineup was rated by the IIHS as a Top Safety Pick+, so colour us shocked if this new CX-5 doesn’t get the same top rating.

For context, the 2026 Kia Sportage has already earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ for vehicles built after May 2025, and the 2026 Subaru Forester holds a Top Safety Pick rating. Current generations of the RAV4, the CR-V, and the Tucson are similarly well-regarded for safety.

Pricing is where the 2026 CX-5 makes a compelling argument for itself. In Canada, the lineup spans three trims from $39,690 for the GX trim (including the $2,195 destination charge and other fees) to $45,590 for the GT trim. The panoramic sunroof is a $2,000 option, and the Premium Package adds $4,500 to the GT’s price. AWD is standard on all trims, though that’s becoming increasingly common in the compact SUV segment in Canada.

Compare pricing and the CX-5 often undercuts its peers by a meaningful margin. The base Honda CR-V with AWD starts at $42,921 including fees, and the base RAV4 LE starts at $40,622 (though it comes with a standard hybrid powertrain). Only the Kia Sportage LX AWD ($37,666) and the base Subaru Forester ($37,032) come close on price, and neither can match the CX-5's standard equipment or level of refinement.

At the mid-range sweet spot, the CX-5 GS costs $42,796 with fees and gets you AWD, 19-inch wheels, a power liftgate, a head-up display, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a 10-way power driver's seat with memory. If it were our signature on the cheque, this is probably the trim we’d opt for.

To get a comparably equipped Honda CR-V, you'd be looking at the Sport at $46,521, while a Hyundai Tucson N-Line runs $46,796. The CX-5 GS isn't just competitive at that price — it's the best value in the group.

The CX-5 falls behind on running costs and long-term value. Its 9.0 L/100 km combined rating is the highest in the class, and it's not even close if you bring hybrids into the conversation. The RAV4 — now exclusively a hybrid — delivers as low as 5.5 L/100 km combined. The CR-V Hybrid manages 6.4 L/100 km combined, and even the Tucson and Sportage hybrids rate at 6.7 L/100 km combined. Over the life of ownership, that fuel economy gap adds up.

For buyers who want to maximize efficiency, the CX-5 simply isn't the answer today. There's neither an eco-focused variant nor a hybrid option. That changes in 2027 when the SkyActiv-Z hybrid arrives, but for the 2026 model year, efficiency-minded shoppers are better served elsewhere.

Warranty coverage is average for the segment, though it comes with a twist. Mazda offers a standard three-year basic warranty and a five-year powertrain warranty. These timelines are similar to competitors, but in Canada Mazda covers unlimited kilometres for those periods, an unusual offering.

Still, the CX-5's combination of upmarket styling, standard AWD, premium interior materials, a comprehensive safety suite, and competitive pricing makes it a strong value proposition in the compact SUV segment — especially for buyers who prioritize driving engagement and design over outright efficiency. If Mazda can deliver a compelling hybrid for 2027, the CX-5 will be a genuinely difficult vehicle to argue against.