Mazda pulled the wraps off a new version of the CX-5 crossover – not to be confused with the CX-50 – and its larger, more luxurious and, in 2027 will add the first hybrid package the Japanese automaker has developed in-house. Headlight.News checks it out.
The 2026 CX-5 is larger in all dimensions, including passenger and cargo space.
Let’s start with the numbers: the new model from Mazda is the third-generation CX-5. That’s not to be confused with the older CX-50.
Yes, it can be confusing. Both are compact crossovers, but the CX-5 is positioned as more of an urban vehicle, the CX-50 targeting road warriors likely to spend more time on the road and want the features to match.
The new CX-5 gets a number of upgrades, however. It’s bigger than the outgoing model, for one thing, with updated technologies including the largest touchscreen in any Mazda product. What may prove particularly intriguing to potential buyers, however, is the new SkyActiv-Z hybrid powertrain.
What’s new – design
The new CX-5 will feature the largest touchscreen in any Mazda product.
The new CX-5 adopts what Mazda describes as a “more chiseled, wider-set look” than the outgoing SUV. It measures about 4.3 inches longer than the gen-2 model, with a 3.15-inch stretch of the wheelbase. It’s also 0.6 inches wider. Not a lot, but it contributes to what is, overall, a roomier cabin.
Add wider doors that will make it easier to get in and out, as well as a cargo compartment that is nearly 2 inches longer than before and about an inch taller. Again, by the numbers, the new CX-5 gets a new, 15.6-inch touchscreen, larger even than the 12.3-inch displays in the automaker’s two top-line models, the CX-70 and CX-90.
The cabin, with its new, color-selectable ambient lighting, is meant to provide what Mazda calls a “uniquely Japanese sense of craftsmanship.” Among other new features: CX-5’s first panoramic moonroof.
One of the more subtle new details: the 2026 CX-5 picks up on the latest industry trend, the name, Mazda, boldly spelled out on the tailgate where the brand’s familiar logo previously sat.
New hybrid
Details haven’t been released but the CX-5 will add the new SkyActiv-Z hybrid in 2027.
At launch, the 2026 Mazda CX-5 will carry over the outgoing model’s inline-four engine, a 2.5-liter package which makes 187 hp. It’s paired to a six-speed automatic and sends power to the front wheels.
Surprisingly, the current upgrade, a 256-hp turbo-4 has been dropped from the line-up.
Those who want more power will have to wait until sometime in 2027 when Mazda adds th new SkyActiv-Z hybrid. It hasn’t revealed details about the engin but it’s widely expected to follow the current industry pattern, delivering more performance while still boosting mileage substantially. The plug-in versions of the CX-70 and -80 are case in point.
Significantly, the SkyActiv-Z is the first hybrid developed by Mazda in-house. The hybrid in the current CX-50 is a variant of the powertrain also used in the Toyota RAV-4.
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New technology
More cargo and cabin space, with a first-time panoramic moonroof.
The 2026 Mazda CX-5 not only will get a larger new touchscreen but will migrate to the Google built-in operating system. That should address past complaints about the limited functionality of the old infotainment system.
Among other things, CX-5 will get a Google-based voice assistant and constantly updated maps and traffic guidance.
New updates will be added to the current CX-5’s suite of advanced driver assistance systems, as well, according to Mazda.
A critical update
Mazda expects to bounce back from a sales slump last year with the new CX-5.
The new Mazda CX-5 is likely to be one of the brand’s most significant updates in some time, considering the growing popularity of compact crossovers – a segment expected to gain even more traction due to the overall price surge in the U.S. market due to the new Trump auto tariffs.
The 2026 CX-5 will go up against the likes of the Toyota RAV-4, Subaru Forester and Hyundai Tucson, among imports, and the Ford Escape on the domestic side of the ledger. Note that all of these are now available with hybrid options.
That could play well for the compact Mazda which lost significant momentum last year, sales tumbling 13% to 134,088, reported Automotive News. Combined with the CX-50, Mazda expects to sell about 250,000 compact CUVs in the coming years. What remains to be seen is whether CX-5 will cannibalize demand for the CX-50 which scored a hefty 83% increase in U.S. sales last year.
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