TL;DR: The $35k 2026 Mazda CX-50 Premium serves up luxury fixings at a mass-market price, and steering feel that could come from a Porsche. However, the SUV is held back by its ho-hum engine and infotainment software that is a decade out-of-date. There is much to like about the CX-50 Premium, but if you demand the most dynamic or most technologically-advanced SUV, you may want to pursue the competition.
I have the Mazda CX-50 Premium for a summer vacation at Disney World, where it will be challenged to find an empty parking space in the largest parking lots I’ve ever seen. The Mazda will also help us squirt to off-site restaurants and deliver us to the Cape Canaveral cruise port. The itinerary is hardly the ideal workout for a Mazda—a brand known for dynamic delights—but it’s what we have.
Okay, enough of Mickey Mouse excuses.
Jumping out of the Kia K4 and the Hyundai Sonata—rentals from leg one of my vacation—and into the 2026 Mazda CX-50 proves challenging, as Mazda has a completely different logic to its interior controls.
The biggest speed bump is Mazda’s infotainment system. While the CX-50’s screen supports touch interactions while driving—something Mazda hasn’t always condoned—the infotainment software is designed around the rotary/click controller. Like an older BMW iDrive puck, spinning the knob walks the menus, clicking it selects, and nudging it east, west, north, or south opens peripheral functions like Apple CarPlay. The system’s disadvantage is that less-used features—like tire pressure readings—hide many menus deep. Also, its gray-and-black word lists are visually boring.
Modern smartphone connectivity is available in the CX-50. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay work well, but the short-and-wide 10.3” screen is poor for driving directions. Navigation routes invariably stretch from top to bottom on the screen, and the short screen limits how far ahead I can scan.
Putting those quibbles aside, the CX-50’s interior leans into easy-to-use buttons and knobs. All the HVAC functions have hard buttons, as do many radio features.
For our muggy Disney days, the CX-50 Premium’s ventilated front seats are a breath of fresh air…at least before they blow past my sweaty backside!
A bad driver’s seat can break a car, but—kudos to Mazda—the CX-50’s is supportive, comfortable, and ergonomic. It is electrically adjustable in all the ways that matter, and the seat cushion is firm but well-shaped.
All CX-50 trims come with AWD, radar cruise control, and safety features like blind-spot monitoring and lane-keeping assistance. Our rental CX-50 Premium bears a $5k surcharge over the entry-level $30k CX-50 Select; that cash goes into leather upholstery, heated and cooled front seats, 20” wheels, wireless phone charging, cross-stitched dash coverings, a BOSE 12-speaker stereo, and a panoramic sunroof that brightens the interior. To me, the premium for the, ahem, CX-50 Premium is worth it, as it elevates the SUV to near-luxury status.
It wouldn’t do to visit Disney without my wife and kids. The littles fit well on the CX-50’s back bench, and the rear seat’s lower LATCH points were easily accessible behind plastic covers. My oldest child reported that the rear bench is plushily cushioned, and was happy to have dedicated second-row air vents in the oppressive Florida heat.
My kids are still fun-sized, so I tried sitting behind my driving position to see how grownups would fare. The rear head and legroom were reasonable for 6’ 2” adults; families with teens should fit well in the CX-50.
Although the Honda CR-V or Kia Sportage may offer more storage, the CX-50’s trunk is right-sized for a compact SUV. Our three 21” rollaboard suitcases and three backpacks sloshed around in the boot; we could have more than doubled our luggage haul.
Some SUVs offer extra storage under the trunk floor, but in the CX-50, that space holds a spare tire, jack, and tire iron. How refreshingly practical! I wished there was an inflator kit, too, as our rental had a leaky tire.
Driving around Disney and Orlando, the CX-50 challenged my values. I love vehicles that communicate their road connection, so the CX-50’s detailed read of road textures and bump impacts should have been my cup of tea. (The sensations add noise to the cabin.) But on this vacation, the vibrations were more of a grating grievance.
That is because Disney is in the middle of grid road plans and urban sprawl. Did I want tire rumble and a detailed read of the road pimples as I went stoplight to stoplight? No, silence and blissful separation the deteriorating infrastructure would have better fit my mood.
The CX-50’s sporty leather-wrapped steering wheel felt great in my hands and relayed Porsche-levels of feedback through its firmly padded rim. Mazda makes the rare electrically power-assisted steering (EPAS) that passes my high bar for road feel.
The brake pedal was firm and immediate, with just-right bite that didn’t surprise with over-sharp chompers or gum to a stop like the CX-50 is missing its dentures.
Spurred on by the excellent steering and brakes, I drove the CX-50 like an animal on the way to dinner at, well, Animal Kingdom and ultimately left disappointed with the SUV’s overall driving joy. Steering notwithstanding, the CX-50 isn’t a Porsche Macan-lite.
Why? Well, for one, the engine’s performance was mediocre. The naturally-aspirated 2.5L I4 had reasonable grunt and response in unhurried driving, but 187 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque didn’t light the tires on fire when I was throttle-stamping my way to dinner. The engine pulled evenly to its 6.5k rpm fuel cut—some motors run out of steam at high rpm, but not the Mazda 2.5L—but the vibrations got coarser as the redline approached. The engine’s egg-beater sound and steady power delivery were reminiscent of the Mazda MX-5 Miata, but with less top-end zing.
And the gearbox? In automatic mode, the six-speed slushy reacted intelligently to my throttle inputs. In manual mode, it was obedient and predictable, but the cog changes lacked crispness, and there was a slight lull in torque on upshifts. The contemporary 8- and 10-speed automatics from other brands are sportier.
In highway cloverleaf interchanges, the CX-50 clung on well through the corners, exhibited well-controlled body motions and let me pick my lines, apexes and exits. However, there was little enjoyment in full-tilt orbits. The AWD system wasn’t obviously rear-driven and didn’t offer aggressive torque vectoring, so I couldn’t use throttle to turn the CX-50 by its tail.
How frustrating that the CX-50’s steering whispered “sports car” but its engine, transmission, AWD, and chassis didn’t back the boast. Would the $38k CX-50 Turbo dispatch my disappointment? It flexes with 256 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque.
Our grand finale with the CX-50 was a trip to Florida’s Space Coast. The CX-50 acquitted itself well and the radar cruise control reliably paced the state’s many left-lane highway hogs. Wind noise and tire roar were present, but not so pesky as to drown our conversations or ruin the music from the Bose stereo. The ride quality was good, and the seats kept us happy on the hour-long drive. According to the trip computer, the CX-50 burnt unleaded fuel at 24 mpg, which is a well short of its 30 mpg EPA rating.
I wanted to love the 2026 Mazda CX-50, but the best I could muster was respect. Yes, the CX-50 Premium’s style, polish, convenience, and comfort are compelling, but the naturally-aspirated 2.5L engine and long-toothed software leave me cold. With a more playful drivetrain and redesigned infotainment system, the CX-50 could be one of my favorite compact SUVs. Now, can anyone loan me a CX-50 Turbo?
Mike's Steering Column 