Official 2026 Mazda CX-5 Pics and Details Released

[nickswhip24]

And now they're copying Toyota with hard plastic dashes and side door panels instead of soft-touch materials? What's going on Mazda?

i was suprised to see toyota name on mazda extended warranty ... they are in biz since 2017

 

[ColoradoDriver]

To me, that's telling. Because windshield defroster and rear window defogger are important to make sure they work. Because Mazda (or whichever manufacturer) can get sued and have recalls issued and such if the defroster / defogger doesn't work and someone has a crash they want to make sure it works. Those being on physical buttons says to me Mazda isn't completely confident in that touch screen interface not failing. Nor am I.

I mostly like the looks of interior other than the overgrown screen.

Agreed. To me all the manufacturers moving to this giant screen as the control center screams a lack of actual good user experience design. While you can eventually learn the muscle memory movements to control various things on a touchscreen, that lacks the intuitive design of actual tactile controls one can feel and not have to look around for, especially while driving! For the same manufacturer who introduced the commander knob, this is a really bizarre move for Mazda in my opinion.

They just keep moving away from Kodo.

 

[Antoine]

Interesting to read everyone’s reactions, impressions, concerns…I get it but at the same time now that we’ve had time to see more of the new CX-5…I think Mazda “threaded the needle” well for this next generation. As we know, it’s not easy updating a bread and butter model, you want to keep it fresh while still retaining the original appeal and character etc…Seems to me the two winning factors that may outweigh concerns like power output and controls/user interface is increasing interior/cargo space while at the same time making it as attractive as possible (relative to its peers).

All to often, function wins over form especially for mainstream utility vehicles but I think Mazda really cares about design and did what they could to merge the two elements and I think they did a great job actually…It appears the reception of the CX-5 at the Japan Mobility Show has been very positive, lots of interest…Of course, I’m very interested to see how it will be received once it’s available in North America.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the initial sales figures are strong. Naturally Mazda doesn’t just want to keep existing CX-5 owners, they want to attract new ones as well and that’s going to influence what changes get prioritized. Giving the CX-5 more mainstream appeal (ultimately the goal is to sell more, not fewer) without loosing its essence is really tough but so far from what we can see, I think they did it…

 

[chickdr]

Other than the big screen, I agree. The screen is a big miss IMHO. I seriously would not buy the car (and didn't wait for it because of the screen and the powertrain). I bought a Telluride a couple of weeks ago. Would have considered a CX-90 if I could have found a Turbo S to look at/drive.

 

[jadmt]

Interesting to read everyone’s reactions, impressions, concerns…I get it but at the same time now that we’ve had time to see more of the new CX-5…I think Mazda “threaded the needle” well for this next generation. As we know, it’s not easy updating a bread and butter model, you want to keep it fresh while still retaining the original appeal and character etc…Seems to me the two winning factors that may outweigh concerns like power output and controls/user interface is increasing interior/cargo space while at the same time making it as attractive as possible (relative to its peers).

All to often, function wins over form especially for mainstream utility vehicles but I think Mazda really cares about design and did what they could to merge the two elements and I think they did a great job actually…It appears the reception of the CX-5 at the Japan Mobility Show has been very positive, lots of interest…Of course, I’m very interested to see how it will be received once it’s available in North America.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the initial sales figures are strong. Naturally Mazda doesn’t just want to keep existing CX-5 owners, they want to attract new ones as well and that’s going to influence what changes get prioritized. Giving the CX-5 more mainstream appeal (ultimately the goal is to sell more, not fewer) without loosing its essence is really tough but so far from what we can see, I think they did it…

I feel a bit the other way..I think if people are on the fence about how the cx5 looks now they will be disappointed in how the 26 cx5 looks..if a person is neutral then they might just go with a 2025 to save money...I am not sure many people who were neutral or not loving the current cx5 style will be wowed enough to get one.

 

[jadmt]

Other than the big screen, I agree. The screen is a big miss IMHO. I seriously would not buy the car (and didn't wait for it because of the screen and the powertrain). I bought a Telluride a couple of weeks ago. Would have considered a CX-90 if I could have found a Turbo S to look at/drive.

I literally just drove a CX90 and was expecting to love it but didn't.

 

[a69mach1377]

Waiting to see what the hybrid brings...glad I got my '25 turbo!

 

[ColoradoDriver]

Interesting to read everyone’s reactions, impressions, concerns…I get it but at the same time now that we’ve had time to see more of the new CX-5…I think Mazda “threaded the needle” well for this next generation. As we know, it’s not easy updating a bread and butter model, you want to keep it fresh while still retaining the original appeal and character etc…Seems to me the two winning factors that may outweigh concerns like power output and controls/user interface is increasing interior/cargo space while at the same time making it as attractive as possible (relative to its peers).

All to often, function wins over form especially for mainstream utility vehicles but I think Mazda really cares about design and did what they could to merge the two elements and I think they did a great job actually…It appears the reception of the CX-5 at the Japan Mobility Show has been very positive, lots of interest…Of course, I’m very interested to see how it will be received once it’s available in North America.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the initial sales figures are strong. Naturally Mazda doesn’t just want to keep existing CX-5 owners, they want to attract new ones as well and that’s going to influence what changes get prioritized. Giving the CX-5 more mainstream appeal (ultimately the goal is to sell more, not fewer) without loosing its essence is really tough but so far from what we can see, I think they did it…

If I was in the market for a new car, the giant screen would instantly turn me off to it. I get what you are saying, but for me those things don't outweigh what I see as a huge mistake on Mazda's part. They gave us the commander knob which is an intuitive user control experience and ditched it for that? This is something you use every single time you drive.

Im not only picking on Mazda here. Seems to be a trend for all manufacturers. Just thought Mazda knew better. Its not just a preference thing, it's absolutely driving safety related too. I really dont understand why all the manufacturers are doing this.

 

[N7turbo]

I think people should try it at the dealership and give it an honest chance.

It will be annoying cleaning it but as we don't yet have working knowledge of how the system works, we can only say so much about it.

 

[chickdr]

I think people should try it at the dealership and give it an honest chance.

It will be annoying cleaning it but as we don't yet have working knowledge of how the system works, we can only say so much about it.

Well, we have evidence of other manufacturers who have done it and backtracked- see the 26 Subaru Outback which now ditched the huge screen and added physical controls for the everyday things. There isn't a way to make a touchscreen which works like physical controls. You will have to look at the screen to see where to touch, you can't just feel without looking like you can on the current car for changing the air temp for example. What surprises me is Mazda would come out with the CX-90 in 24 and not have the huge screen (it is just a bigger screened version of what the CX-5/50 have) but they pick the CX-5 to make the big switch? Odd choice to me for a car that still sells quite well in it's 9th year without the huge touchscreen.

 

[N7turbo]

I don't disagree.

 

[cxha]

I get that Mazda needed to increase the rear seat area to stay competitive with Honda and Toyota, and likely the monitor touch screen was where the bean counters won out over the engineers, so if the pricing is kept close it should fare better against the competition. For those of us who value the handling and performance of the 2.5T models in a compact size, could Mazda offer a larger redesigned CX-30 with a revised rear suspension to fill that gap?

 

[HyFlyer]

... I really dont understand why all the manufacturers are doing this. ...

Follow the money. It's cheaper to make and program screen icons than physical controls.

Not better.
Not safer.
Not more reliable.

Just cheaper.

IMHO

 

[BoomerZoomr]

My policy is I don’t text while driving. I consider operation of the 2026 infotainment screen while moving distracted driving, depending on driving conditions. I can adjust my AC temperature without looking just by feeling the clicks of the knob.
The '26 CX-5 looks great, and the extra interior room would be much appreciated. But I bought a '25 CX-5 because of the stuff Mazda is deleting from the '26 model.

 

[a69mach1377]

Have we seen how much the weight increases with the larger size?
And yet, the same and only powertrain option...seems like a step back.

 

[bazooka joe]

Less powered, no knobs