SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – 2023 Mazda CX-50 Not intended to be the answer to Wilderness ForesterBut SubaruOur story remains the super rugged compact SUV. Specifically, Subaru shared some data during that car’s press launch showing how popular the vehicle is. forester were among the people who camped, hiked and used their vehicles to carry kayaks and such. You know, outdoor lovers. However, right below forester on various charts showing the ability to work outdoors is a surprising entry: Mazda CX-5. Despite its focus on road sport and high-end desires, it turns out that its appeal to beaten-up off-roaders is above the segment average. “Hmm,” we thought, “Mazda perhaps can count on that with a new, more outdoor SUV. ”
Two weeks later, CX-50 has been revealed. It is not a special version of CX-5however: it’s a brand new, unique model built on the same platform as Mazda 3 and CX-30. Compared to CX-5, CX-50 significantly longer by 6.7 inches, 3.1 inches wider and first slightly above the ground, the latter clearly enhancing its off-road capabilities. Further to that goal, the CX-50 features a distinctive Off-Road driving mode, along with a Drag mode, along with a slightly more aggressive look thanks to the fender flares and more emphasis on the trim. glossy black. Still, it’s unmistakably a Mazda, and if it is, actually prettier than the CX-5 thanks to its aesthetically beneficial elongating, expanding, and raised proportions.
That’s a good thing, because a bigger outside doesn’t really translate into a bigger inside. In fact, the CX-50 is slightly smaller in size. If you’re looking for a larger rear seat or more cargo volume from a Mazda SUV, you won’t find it here, although it does have a significantly longer cargo area, which could be more beneficial. relative to the overall volume.
There isn’t really anything of a relative size in the regular compact SUV segment – Genesis GV70 come close in the luxury sector, while midsize Chevy Blazer there’s a similar big on the outside, small on the inside going on. Aside from its size, the CX-50 is really the hallmark of a midsize or luxury sedan at the point where it feels more substantial and planted. You can sense its more legroom, especially given the extra width and Mazda’s effort to give it a more premium feel than its predecessor. RAV4 and CR-Vs of the world. That makes it a happier highway cruiser, which we can attest to after riding the hundreds of miles of Highway 101.
It also embodies Mazda’s typical obsession with ensuring that the vehicle’s key controls and overall dynamics operate in a natural, instantaneous and, quite simply, distinctive manner. Its engineers keep many antique car have particularly commendable attributes (e.g., good steering rack or rear suspension tuning) to judge how great it is regardless of what’s going on right now. They chart things like calf muscle response when hitting the gas, and make sure the engine’s initial response matches it to prevent jerky, inconsistent responses (especially with turbos). . They shun things like adjustable steering settings and all-torque all-wheel-drive systems believing they feel unnatural, inconsistent, and/or different from what people expect. from vehicle dynamics. They programmed the CX-50’s five powertrain settings to vary the vehicle’s various parameters to ensure the car behaves and feels consistent despite different driving situations, as opposed to trying feels like five different cars.
More importantly, they built G-Vectoring Control, a unique system that is actually a little hard to understand, whereby the car effectively shifts weight onto the front tyres, thereby increasing accuracy. and steering response. This is really the key to the entire system, because all of those powertrain settings and the CX-50’s ability to maintain a consistent ride feel depend on the GVC. On a winding mountain road, putting the CX-50 in Sport mode actually set it back more clearly and eagerly than just keeping it in Normal. The result is another Mazda that just feels right behind the wheel, like it’s an extension of your body. It can be a lot of fun.
Wait a minute, isn’t this a sturdier SUV? Well, it… to some extent. According to project manager Mimi Battistella, the CX-50 was born because Mazda saw an overall increase in Americans venturing outdoors, and because the CX-5 is a global product, it had the opportunity to Keep up with the trend with a new product exclusively for the North American Market. That trend increased with the pandemic. They don’t have exactly the kind of outdoor customer data that Subaru shared, but a similar use case is expected. The CX-50, like the Forester Wilderness, is meant to be more rugged with the aim of getting you far enough off the beaten path so you can park and do something other than drive. You know, like camping, hiking and outdoor activities in general.
“No matter how many outdoor adventure lifestyle trips you take, most of it happens on the sidewalk,” said Mazda vehicle dynamics director Dave Coleman. “Only the last few miles on the way to the campsite… There is a lot of room to improve on our existing hardware without compromising our efficiency or comfort on the go.”
The extra ground clearance is an area, with 8.3 inches (base engine) and 8.6 inches (Turbo), larger than average for a vehicle. intersectionif only below the basic standard of Subaru (Forester and Outback wilderness are in number 9). However, upshifting on the GVC also plays a big role here, especially at higher speeds on dirt or gravel roads. We ran the CX-50 on the same dirt road twice at 30 mph, the first time in Off-Road mode and the next time in Normal mode. Really have more precision and confidence in steering (just like a race car driver with his left foot brake cornering to put more weight on the front tyres), plus the powertrain, traction control and all-wheel drive have all been fine-tuned for ideal response. The CX-50 will also detect when you’re stopping on an incline and automatically accelerate idling to prevent rollback or jerky acceleration when moving forward again.
Coleman’s team tested a variety of off-road modes for different surfaces, but after regularly finding themselves in situations with a variety of conditions, they decided to go with a full-blown Off-Road mode. . They also don’t mind controlling down the hill.
“Our downhill control system is the wide pedal on the left,” Coleman jokes about the cruise control-like system, where you take your foot off the brake and let the SUV/vans do all the work for you. “We’ve driven a lot of cars with downhill controls and to be honest, we didn’t find it very useful. It changes the control algorithm with the way humans interact with the vehicle. We could take control down the hill very easily and chose not to do so.”
We do not disagree. We dashed down a steep hill on loose ground with our feet on the brake and the ABS expertly catching on to maintain control and forward progress. Nothing much. We tackled similar challenges in other press launches with the aim of demonstrating downhill control and really wondered if it was necessary. Perhaps in extreme situations, but this is not an SUV for extreme situations.
Similarly, the CX-50 Turbo can drag That’s 1,500 pounds more than the CX-5, but that’s still just 3,500 pounds (the CX-50’s base engine gives the same results as 2,000 pounds). That would be good for some dirt bikes, a small boat or a camping trailer. With that higher rating, Turbo adds a special Drag mode that increases the all-wheel drive’s minimum rear torque split to reduce trailer tilt and – all of a sudden, what a surprise – the GVC is ramped up as high as possible to counter all that weight in the rear lifting the weight off the front tyres. The difference there is actually harder to spot while towing exactly 3,500 pounds of trailers and concrete (NOT what’s in the picture above), but the CX-50 seems confident enough and the turbo seems to have taken it. complete the task during short-term testing.
Speaking of which, the CX-50 is offered with the same powertrain options as the CX-5 and CX-30, including standard all-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic transmission. Standard is a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated in-line four that produces 187 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque as standard (it delivers 27 miles per gallon combined. ), while the 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-four produces up to 227 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque (25 mpg combined). Like its brethren, that output is far more than what most near-compact SUVs offer and, at least in the CX-50, seems like a must to ensure that the feel more upmarket, especially on the highway and to fully appreciate its on-road talent. That said, we haven’t sampled the base engine and considering it’s perfectly capable of working on the CX-5, we doubt it’ll make any difference in the CX-50, which actually weighs 3,700 pounds.
We also sampled only the top-spec 2.5T Premium Plus trim, and considering Mazda hasn’t released interior images of the other trim levels, it’s hard to tell exactly how much you’ll gain or lose in terms of quality. amount of material. At least, the contrasting stitching you see here is exceptional for the top 2.5T Premium and 2.5T Premium Plus trim levels – and it looks pretty cool, with the distinctive criss-cross pattern bisecting trim. looks firm and like leather. The Terracitta leather found in our test car also lends itself to the rich atmosphere and is unique to the CX-50 – so does the Zircon Sand Metallic exterior paint that pairs beautifully with it.
The interior design is in line with the rest of the Mazda lineup, but the vertical, obstructing air vents lend a bit more muscle to the exterior. The big difference, however, is the 10.25-inch widescreen found on all but the base trim level. Mazda’s menu structure, including the integrated radio and navigation system, continues to be controlled only by the top-mounted console. Command knobs and menu shortcut buttons. However, that display now has touchscreen functionality that only works when using the standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto systems, including on the go, as Mazda has accepted that they are well controlled. than by touch. The Apple/Android system can still be controlled with the Commander knob, as it’s still a good tool for flipping through playlists or contacts. The screen is fairly easy to reach, but then it’s also mounted closer to your line of sight and thus less distracting… that was exactly Mazda’s set point in the first place. This is a reasonable compromise, but we admit it won’t be for everyone.
Prices start at $28,025 for the base 2.5 S, which, again, comes with standard all-wheel drive. The base 2.5 Turbo starts at $37,625, while the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus shown here costs $42,775. Pricing for the Meridian Edition, which takes the rugged crown to the max with all-terrain tires, hood graphics and a range of still-unfinished accessories, will be announced closer to the on-sale date. This is about $1,000 more than the CX-5 and $4,000 more than the most expensive CX-5 Turbo Signature. That seems in line with increased capacity, refinement, and a more premium look. The CX-50 really takes a step beyond the usual compact SUV standard, and certainly, is probably better for campers and hikers.
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