The New 2026 Mazda CX-5 Fixed Almost Everything I Wanted. Almost

I owned a 2018 CX-5 and loved it. It was the car that pulled me out of European brands for good after poor reliability,  years of expensive repairs, and lukewarm dealer service around Boston. I drove the Mazda CX-5 until about 2½ years ago. What I always loved about the CX-5 was its driving dynamics, interior comfort, upscale design, and overall refinement. The infotainment screen in my older CX-5 felt small and somewhat outdated, but otherwise the vehicle was exceptionally well designed. Its biggest drawback for me was fuel economy, since it was a conventional gas-powered SUV. When I went shopping for my next vehicle, though, a few small frustrations with the CX-5 nudged me to a 2024 Toyota Venza Hybrid, which has been my personal vehicle ever since. 

So when I spent a week in the all-new 2026 CX-5, I came in as a former owner, a current hybrid convert, and someone who is exposed to new technology via a different press vehicle nearly every week. The 2026 CX-5 felt both familiar and surprising, and it left me with a clear verdict on whether I'd come back to the brand.

2026 Mazda CX-5 - What Mazda Does Better Than Any Other Brand

From my point of view, Mazda is a premium brand that offers a near-luxury product at mainstream prices. That is certainly true of the new CX-5. I’m in a new media vehicle for a day or two each week, and I can honestly say the CX-5 is the smoothest and quietest crossover in its class. It’s EV-like in this way. It’s even smoother and quieter than my more expensive Venza. (See my Venza's 10K mile update).

One other aspect of the Mazda CX-5 is that it is right-sized. It's not the largest in its segment, and I like that. For 2025, it adds about four inches of length, and that’s OK with me. I liked the prior CX-5, but I’m not going to complain about four more cubic feet of cargo volume and a few more inches of rear seat legroom. It’s still easy to maneuver and park, which are my main priorities.

During my time with the 2018 CX-5, I had two flats. One from a stone puncture in a construction zone near my practice, and another from a puncture two hours from home in a rural area. I won’t be buying a vehicle without a compact spare tire, so when I saw that Mazda kept the standard spare tire, I was glad it could still be on my list of possible vehicles. 

The Best Thing Mazda Fixed In the CX-5 - And the Worst Thing It Removed

I became a six-sigma ninja super-user of the Mazda Command rotary mouse thing. “Twist, bump, twist bump,” all while looking away from the road to aim the pointer. It was terrible, and I am overjoyed to see Mazda has taken it behind the woodshed. The new ginormous screen in our CX-5 Premium Plus tester is amazing. The Apple CarPlay maps are so much easier to use, the menus are intuitive, and I like that Mazda kept the HVAC menus at the bottom of the screen. This is the new CX-5’s biggest step forward.

However, entering the vehicle after another tester and having the music come on loudly spurred me to instinctively reach down between the seats to quickly lower the volume. No familiar CX-5 volume knob there, so I looked at the center dash. No volume knob there either. It turns out Mazda took it away and replaced it with little arrows in the screen I need to look at to operate. What the…? There is a volume controller on the steering wheel, but it’s awkwardly placed, and I have to take my hand off the wheel to use it. Mazda, why!? You had perfected the volume knob and then quit on it. 

I Won’t Be Buying a Conventional Engine Again - Hurry Mazda

As much as I liked the smooth powertrain of the new 2026 CX-5, I will not be shopping for a regular gas powertrain again. My Venza Hybrid introduced me to the benefits of hybrid ownership, especially the excellent gas mileage, quiet ride, and smooth daily driving experience. When I drove the new 2026 CX-5, I was impressed by how much Mazda improved the infotainment system, particularly the large touchscreen and updated interface. The ride quality and cabin comfort now feel very comparable to the Venza, which is high praise. However, the powertrain felt a bit more modest than I expected, but still perfectly adequate for everyday driving. The thing is, my Toyota hybrid has won me over on hybrids. 42 MPG with stock all-season tires and 36 MPG with all-weather tires rated for severe winter duty is just too much of an advantage to pass up. I have a 70-mile round-trip commute, and I often make trips in New England farther than that, so I want the extended range a hybrid provides. 

Our 2018 CX-5 also needed two sets of brakes before 60K miles. That was an expense I didn’t plan for. Hybrids use regenerative braking, prolonging brake life and reducing the frequency of my service visits.

Then there is the torque. I’m now addicted to the silent, powerful feeling one gets when starting off with a hybrid. I won’t be interested in a base powertrain when I shop next, and I think that, with gas prices spiking in America this year, most shoppers want a hybrid now. I see that the CX-50 has a hybrid option (and a spare), so I hope the CX-5 will adopt that same powertrain. If it does, I will almost certainly return to Mazda when I replace the Venza in a few years. 

Mazda Did One Thing To Earn My Lasting Respect

During COVID, Mazda dealers offered me free maintenance for my CX-5. I have not forgotten how Mazda supported medical professionals, and I will always cross-shop any vehicle I buy with the closest Mazda alternative. I used two Massachusetts Mazda dealers during my six years of CX-5 ownership, and I thought they did a much better job than the BMW dealers I had used previously. 

Overall, the new CX-5 reminded me why I enjoyed owning a Mazda so much. So would I buy a CX-5 today? Mazda is closer than any other brand to winning me back. Toyota has discontinued the Venza and replaced it with the Crown Signia, which costs more, doesn't appeal to me stylistically, and ditched the spare tire I refuse to live without. That opens a door for Mazda. The CX-5 already nails the things that matter most to me: it's quieter and smoother than my Venza, it keeps the spare, and the new infotainment screen is a genuine leap forward.

What's standing in the way is simple. Bring back a real volume knob, add a hybrid option while keeping the refined driving experience and practical features, and it would be very difficult not to consider returning to the brand in the future.

About The Author

Hande Tuncer, MD, is a contributing writer to Torque News and publications related to medical topics. When she is not submitting a guest story or working as a clinician and researcher she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. You can follow Hande on Tiktok at @handehayirlioglut.

Images by Hande Tuncer. Editing by Armen Hareyan.