Hello everyone! I don't own a Mazda CX-50, but I would like to ask about a couple of things.

Firstly, I think the CX-50 is a fantastic SUV! I would definitely consider one for a family member or friend who needs a SUV.

On YouTube videos for this car, some comments state a couple of things:

"The car is underpowered. Come on Mazda. More power!" (Something along the lines of that)
"I was not impressed with the CX50 when I test drove it back to back with a CX5. Noise level was substantially higher in the CX50."
"Ride is hard though, and the seats are also very hard."

Based on those comments, it is a bit of a concern. Or maybe something subjective with the driver who test drove the car.

So, I have a few questions:
1. With the comments, will Mazda address the issues?
2. What will the reception of the Mazda CX-50 be like compared to the CX-5?
3. Are the complaints and comments about it true?

 

I test drove both the CX-50 and CX-5. I felt both are wonderful overall. I went with the 2022 CX-5 for the following reasons:

1) CX-5 seemed slightly quieter inside
2) I loved the seats and seating position in the 22 CX-5 and felt the CX-50 driver's seat turned my body slightly toward the passenger side and was harder
3) CX-50 was a first model year
4) heated leather seat equipped trim started $5000 less than the CX-50
5) personal preference for exterior design of the CX-5 - it's the wheel wells haha
6) Performance again is personal preference. I have the naturally aspirated 2.5 and purposefully avoided the turbo. There are owners that will feel the 2.5 is under and there are owners that would still feel the 2.5T is underpowered. There are owners that would be fine with a 2.0. As they say, when a 450 horsepower V8 is on the freeway going 75, and a 1.8 148 horsepower i4 is on the freeway going 75, neither is faster. They are both traveling at the same velocity/speed.

So yeah some of the criticisms seem valid but again there is personal preference involved. If someone had teens or other large adults they might need to transport neither might be optimal as the rear seats aren't roomy. But I don't give a rip about the rear seat just need to transport people on occasion (and the people I transport would be thrilled just having USB, a HVAC vent, and an armrest).

 

Thank you for your response! I have a couple questions:

1. Which trims of CX-5 and CX-50 did you test drive?
2. Subaru makes the Outback (which car journalists say is the CX-50's competitor). How do you think the CX-50 will compete/compare with the Outback?

IMHO, the CX-50 seats weren't too hard (I sat in one at a Mazda dealer). Do have to agree the CX-5 is a bit more comfortable. (also sat in one at a Mazda dealer)

 

I test drove the CX-5 Preferred like I ended up buying and the base turbo. I test drove the CX-50 Premium Plus (pretty sure it was the plus not premium).

Before my negatives about the outback, let me say I owned a 2016 Crosstrek and wife liked it (she was the primary driver). As it got to 100,000 the CVT started acting funny with some slipping sensations. That's why I bailed to the CX-5. I hate the outback. It's loud, cheap interior parts, and still has that CVT. The CX-50 still seems smaller but that's not a negative for me.

 

I'm about to switch from a 2020 CX-5 Touring FWD (non-turbo) to a 2023 CX-50 Preferred Plus AWD (non-turbo). The CX-5 is my second one, having had a 2018 CX-5 Touring AWD (non-turbo). The CX-50 will be my fourth Mazda. I started with a 2016 Mazda3 Hatchback Touring 2.0 (hence my username).

In the case of both CX-5's I have found the engine to have plenty of power. I have to make a left turn out of my community here in Florida, without the benefit of a traffic light, across two lanes of traffic from my left. When traffic is heavy, I wait for the first opening, and then mash the gas pedal to the floor. The engine revs up quickly and the car accelerates with plenty of speed. For me, living on relatively flat terrain, and usually traveling alone, I find that the turbo is not needed. If I lived in a hilly or mountainous area, or carried more passengers and/or cargo, then I could see the need for the extra power of the turbo.

As for why I'm going from the CX-5 to the CX-50, it's because the CX-50 has a longer and wider cargo area, especially with the seats down. I did test drive a Premium Plus CX-50 (dealer didn't have a Preferred Plus available), and found the ride fine, noise no worse than the CX-5. I did feel that the seats are firmer in the CX-50, though (maybe buy a seat cushion if it bothers me for long trips).
.
Stuart

Update: On Monday, November 27, 2022 I leased a CX-50 Preferred Plus (See my thread on that ). I find that it has plenty of power to accelerate, especially in Sport mode. This has the normally aspirated 2.5 engine. I find that the interior noise is no worse than the CX-5. The seats are a little firmer, but they have a fabric/leather combination which is acceptable.

Stuart

 

I figured that I would add on here in case others are searching the forum for CX-50 quirks. Our daughter purchased a 2020 CX-5 and my wife liked it so much that we just purchased a CX-50 (primarily because it has a higher ground clearance along with bigger storage in the back). We would recommend the CX-50 and the newer design CX-5 (taking CX-50 design cues) as long as you don't live in an area that regularly sees a bit of snow. We live in northern Michigan and are fighting a couple "winter snow" design flaws that, had we known, would've stopped us from buying it. That said, the AWD system handles decent amounts of snow (4+ inches) rather well with the stock tires. It's fairly effortless driving it. 1. The sensor dead center of the grill QUICKLY gets covered with a layer of slush/snow resulting in cruise control turning off and a warning on the dash that pops up indicating that some safety systems are disabled.

2. A significant portion of the headlights are recessed under the hood. The 2/3 that are under the hood edge pack up with slush/snow blocking that part of the headlight and encroach on the actual beam itself resulting in reduced visibility.

​3. The half of the tail lights that are on the hatch get completely iced over using the rear defroster on long drives (over an hour).

4. The auto-brights feature gets thrown for a loop when you have snow all around.

Nice car. Just not for the snowbound.

 

Whew, so close to trading for the CX-50. I live in West Michigan and we got about 27" of snow and wild drifting from the winds last weekend. I drove my 2022 CX-5 out in a desperate attempt to grab some things from the grocery store as it ramped. I didn't have any of the blowing snow impact my CX-5 headlights or snow on any sensors. That is a big drawback on the CX-50! Probably why I don't see many on the roads here.

 

We bought our CX-50 based on driving our daughter's 2020 CX-5. That has flush headlights so there isn't a recess to catch the snow. Only the new 2023 CX-5 have the redesigned headlights to match the CX-50. We drove thru the prior weeks storm from Ann Arbor up to to our house 3 hours north. Granted you only drive thru stuff like that a couple times a year so it's something that can be dealt with. Biggest hassle is the front radar sensor always getting coated with any type of snow or slush disabling cruise control. The AWD system handled that snow along with the recent one with ease. Nice car just a couple kinda big annoyances.