2026 Mazda CX-5 vs 2025 Land Rover Range Rover

Few automotive nameplates carry the star power of the Land Rover Range Rover. Arguably the first luxury SUV, it blazed a trail for high-end utility vehicles like the Lexus LX and Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, and it now counts more suburb-oriented models like the BMW X7, Cadillac Escalade, Infiniti QX80, Lincoln Navigator, and Mercedes-Benz GLS among its competition. Changes for 2025 are limited to some reshuffling of options.

Verdict: The Range Rover excels in refinement while offering competitive interior space and towing capacity. But its user interface remains a weak point.

Mazda's compact SUV gets its first full redesign in nearly a decade, and the results are a mixed bag.

The 2026 CX-5 is longer, wider, more spacious, and more technologically advanced than its predecessor, with a striking new exterior, standard all-wheel drive (AWD) across the lineup, and Google built-in as standard. But the carried-over 187-horsepower engine and six-speed automatic transmission feel like relics from a different era, especially when every key competitor now offers a hybrid option with significantly more power and better fuel economy.

Verdict: The 2026 CX-5 is one of the best-looking and best-equipped compact crossovers you can buy, but its sluggish and thirsty powertrain and odd interior quibbles hold it back from greatness. Buyers who prioritize style, interior quality, and value will love it; those who want efficiency or performance should wait for the hybrid in 2027.