There is a moment, somewhere on a back road in second gear, when you realize what the rest of the industry has quietly traded away. The 2026 Mazda CX-5 does not whirl, it does not drone, and it does not pretend a rubber-band CVT is anyone’s idea of an enjoyable transmission. The new CX-5 still offers 187 honest horsepower from a gem of a naturally aspirated (non-turbo) engine. More importantly, it gives you six physical gears working in loving harmony with a real torque converter. The tachometer needle rises and falls in tidy, predictable steps. In a showroom now dominated by hybrids, CVTs, and emotionless overpriced electric crossovers, Mazda has done something almost defiant. It has shipped a compact SUV that drives like it was designed by people who actually love cars, the same reason fans went into a panic when the CX-50 arrived and worried this driver-focused machine would be quietly retired. Instead, Mazda doubled down, and you can see why the CX-5 keeps stacking up Car and Driver 10Best awards year after year for being a genuinely entertaining crossover. How dare they!?
My Own Bias - And Where It Comes From
Why am I qualified to make this bold opening statement? I’ve tested over 65 new cars each year for the past fifteen years. I’ve driven every single crossover in the CX-5’s crowded segment. There are many with great top trims fitted with more expensive optional powertrains, but none of them are great in their base trims with their base powertrains. Zero. Maybe with the sole exception of the just-released and now hybrid-only 2026 Toyota RAV4 with its newly standard hybrid powertrain, but I have not driven it yet.
What Makes the 2026 Mazda CX-5 So Unique and So Surprising?
As of this story's publication, Mazda offers the CX-5 with only one powertrain. It’s the tried-and-true 2.5-liter gas engine and its hand-in-glove six-speed that are almost old enough to vote. Over the past decade, Honda, Subaru, Nissan, and many other brands have quietly started to standardize on the continuously variable transmission (CVT). They are not bad, but nobody pretends they are the best transmission choice for folks who value driving enjoyment. We’d say they are consistently very tolerable (CVT). Even Subaru insists the CVT is the most misunderstood feature on the modern Forester and Crosstrek, and the comments under that article are a war zone.
Tech Talk
Here are some numbers that describe the Mazda CX-5’s powertrain. We will say that, while factual, they don't tell the whole story. The CX-5 feels much more satisfying than its specs would indicate, much in the same way Mazda's continued migration toward the premium segment has elevated the entire ownership experience well beyond what the spec sheet suggests.
0-60 MPH = 8.0 Seconds (Road & Track Testing)
Peak HP = 187 @ 6,000 RPM
Torque = 186 ft-lb @ 4,000 RPM
Gears = 6 Forward
Wheels Drive - All
What The Others All Get Wrong
Here are some factual representations an honest reviewer could apply to the base powertrains of OTHER popular models in the CX-5’s segment:
- So slow, I feel unsafe.
- Dead spot just after throttle tip-in.
- The engine revs, but the vehicle does not actually accelerate.
- Feels like there is an industrial-sized rubber band between the engine and the wheels.
- Loud and cheap-sounding when you floor it.
- OK when the electric motors are working, but harsh and raspy when the gas engine kicks in.
What The CX-5 Does Others Don’t and Why It Matters
In normal, adult, everyday driving, the CX-5 is smooth, satisfying, competent, and rewarding. It has no dead spot. You don't have to pin the throttle to merge into traffic and pray. You never press the right pedal and see the tach go up, but not the speedometer. There is no sound like a connecting rod just became an unconnected rod. If you’re going easy, it has almost no sound, and the shifts are nearly EV-imperceptible. Use a bit of the available power; it sounds nice, and the shifts are pleasant. This polish helps explain why the 2022 CX-5 review noted Mazda's renewal arrived without changing the brand's driver-focused DNA, and the 2026 sticks to that same script.
Independent reviewers outside Torque News are noticing the same thing. In its 2026 review, Cars.com notes that the carryover 2.5-liter "feels more peppy and responsive than its relatively modest output might suggest." That's a reviewer trying to be measured and still admitting what every CX-5 driver feels in the first ten minutes of a test drive.
Frankly, I wish I didn't have to write this story. Why aren’t all the vehicles’ base powertrains in this segment able to provide both decent fuel economy and enough oomph to make the drive enjoyable? Mazda does it with an underlying technology that is about a decade old.
CX-5 Is Best In Reliability And Value Retention
Mazda’s CX-5 is one of the most reliable vehicles in its segment, due in large part to the proven powertrain it uses. Consumer Reports has the 2025 CX-5 ahead of the Subaru Forester, Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Ford Escape, and Kia Sportage in Reliability.
In terms of value retention and a solid resale value, the CX-5 earns a spot on financial expert Tyler Garner’s Top Five Cars To Buy list. Tyler says of the CX-5: “Best value in the segment, lower insurance cost than a CR-V, and a reasonable depreciation curve. Budget 25K to get a 20 or 21. : Looks sharp, drives well, won’t ambush you with repair bills. This is the SUV that actually made peace with math.”
In terms of value retention and a solid resale value, the CX-5 earns a spot on financial expert Tyler Garner’s Top FIve Cars To Buy list. Tyler says of the CX-5: “Best value in the segment, lower insurance cost than a CR-V, and a reasonable depreciation curve. Budget 25K to get a 20 or 21. : Looks sharp, drives well, won’t ambush you with repair bills. This is the SUV that actually made peace with math.”
The 2026 CX-5 is not the quickest crossover you can buy, nor the most efficient, nor the most technologically ambitious. A hybrid option will arrive in 2027, and we're rooting for it to be a great one, since Mazda's existing hybrid partnership with Toyota in the CX-50 already delivers a refined and confidence-inspiring drive. But for one model year, in one quiet corner of the lineup, Mazda is still selling the thing the rest of the industry pretends cannot exist. A gasoline engine that breathes on its own, paired to a transmission that shifts because of gears, and a driver who is trusted to enjoy the result.
John Goreham is a 14-year veteran of Torque News. An accomplished writer and a long-time expert in vehicle testing, Goreham also serves as the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association and has a growing social media presence. He’s also a 10-year staff writer and community moderator for Car Talk. Goreham holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an undergraduate Certificate in Marketing. In addition to vehicle and tire content, he offers deep dives into market trends and opinion pieces. You can follow John Goreham on X and TikTok, and connect with him on LinkedIn.
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