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New Mazda CX-5 Review – Better… But Worse?

House of Cars

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The Mazda CX-5 has quietly become one of the most successful family SUVs in the world. Over 5 million sold globally, more than 100,000 in the UK, and for many buyers it has always represented something a little different in the SUV market. Stylish, tactile, driver-focused and refreshingly simple.

But now there’s an all-new Mazda CX-5 for 2026.

It’s bigger, more practical, more refined and packed with more technology than ever before. There’s a new Google-based infotainment system, more interior space, improved towing capability, a larger boot and a more mature road presence.

But…

Has Mazda lost some of what made the CX-5 special in the first place?

In this full in-depth House of Cars Road Test Review, we take a detailed look at the all-new Mazda CX-5 Homura, covering:

✔ Exterior design and dimensions
✔ Interior quality, technology and practicality
✔ The controversial move towards a more screen-heavy cabin
✔ Boot space and family usability
✔ 2.5-litre mild hybrid petrol engine performance
✔ Driving impressions and handling
✔ Ride comfort and refinement
✔ Towing capability
✔ Pricing and trim levels
✔ The key rivals including Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Volkswagen Tiguan and Toyota RAV4

Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
00:55 - Titles
01:05 - Meet the car
04:07 - Design
09:27 - Practicality
14:57 - Interior
25:15 - Technical
26:30 - Driving
33:22 - Pricing
34:13 - Competitors
35:11 - Verdict

The new CX-5 is objectively a better car in many ways. But emotionally? It might not feel quite as uniquely Mazda as the old one.

So… is the new Mazda CX-5 actually better… but worse?

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

👍 If you enjoy independent car reviews with a genuine buyer’s perspective, don’t forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and hit the notification bell to support the channel.

#MazdaCX5 #MazdaCX52026 #MazdaReview #SUVReview #FamilySUV #MazdaCX5Review #HouseOfCars #MazdaHomura #CarReview #NewMazdaCX5

20 Comments

@Mogsy28uk 4 months ago (edited)

hoping the Skyactiv-Z will improve the new CX-5 next year, as the new 2026 model is 2.5L auto, dropping 53bhp from previous gen, same engine/gearbox and just feels underpowered now, with just 139bhp. Prefer my current CX-5 Takumi Auto with the better alloys. Not keen on gloss black alloys, or external gloss black plastic. Prefer the physical climate buttons and rotary dial on previous gen. Also prefer logos/badges on steering wheel and boot lid. Back to lighter interior and panaroof, missed our Stone leather from our 2018 model. Should have used CX-60 console material, not black plastic. Interior is just underwhelming. I think the CX-5 sales will tank with this model, so the face-lift's corrective steps will HUGE!! Great honest review Brian. 👍

@stevewallace1387 4 months ago (edited)

I'm glad that unlike the rav 4 mazda are still making a full ICE engine but no physical buttons and no power is a problem for me

@Dejan-h8i 4 months ago (edited)

I'm the owner of new 2026 Mazda CX-5. So far i'm very satisfied with it. Comparing to older model of CX-5 some parts of interior are cheaper plastic, but it is very firm plastic and on places that i dont usually touch (top of doors, above steering wheel...). My previous car was also Mazda, so in my opinion it is very good that they put big screen instead od rotary knob. For example, when you need to type destination in navi, it vas very clumsy and slow, now it is much better. I would like if they stil kept climate controls and volume knob as physical buttons. Otherwise, the car has very nice and posh interior, clean lines, nice materials and easy to clean and mantain. The car has grown a lot, lots of space behind, big boot. Driving dynamics are also very nice, the engine is really sufficient (0-100 km/h is much better time than on paper, around 9.5s), and i think that people should test it first, they will be suprised, Torque is around 25% bigger than in previous generation, so it makes big difference. Suspension is improved, soft in city but firm in the open road, very nice setup. And one very important thing, safety systems are incredible, they dont interfere too much, they have nice sound an work very, very precise. I chose CX-5 over Tiguan, Terramar and RAV4. It has better interior, more space, it is more fun to drive, and it is 4-5k cheaper than Tiguan and RAV4 in similar configuration. Comparing to old CX-5, some things are worse, but price is lower than old model. Comparing to its competitors, i still think after all research and test drives, that this mazda is better package than other cars in this segment. Cheers!

@topthecat2259 2 months ago (edited)

A highly impartial and fair review; bravo sir😊

I have an 11 year old CX5, 170,000 km and one of the reasons we bought it was that it comfortably holds two sets of golf clubs and two golf trolleys, shoes, umbrellas etc without folding the back seats, so we feel size and practically were never an issue.

My wife thinks the new model is too large, quality, performance, emissions and user interface are worse, and the price is nearly double the 25k we paid 11 years ago.

We have a test drive for a full day on Tuesday to give the new model a chance to prove our perceptions wrong but I feel we will be buying a Terramar or Sportage as long as the golf stuff fits in the boot 😂

@alankirbywoodwork 4 months ago

Button down at the side of the steering wheel turns off the. Safety warnings with a single press, no need to touch the screen at all to turn them off.

@brentmcc6048 4 months ago

I have an 11/25 model mid spec known as touring in Australia. I always thought that when the hybrid arrives I may update but there is no way I will give up the excellent interior in the 25 KF model. There is no way that I will take on the screen and plastic interior disappointing but that's how it goes. FYI here in Australia they are everywhere with over 327,000 units sold.

@ralphsmyth9635 4 months ago (edited)

Just subscribed. Thanks for the great review! Owner of a 2023 CX5 from new here. Love my car too, in its beautiful Soul Crystal Red. This new iteration is indeed disappointing! Great room inside certainly but the interior finish is a pale shadow of what has gone before. The superb build and interior finish with its soft touch trim and and well-oiled switches and buttons was one of the things that attracted me to the CX5 in the first place, after enduring a troublesome Tiguan R-Line! You are right it is so sad. Love the look of the car (except I hate black alloys!) which looks classy - a nice evolution from the current car. The engine seems to be down on power from my 2.0 litre as well🤔. Well-priced but I think we can see how they have achieved this…….

@GordonThompson-n8h 4 months ago

I’m on my fourth CX5 now and love it but this one is such a backwards step like you say.
I’m not sure I like the lights, not keen on the wheels, the horsepower is less than the 2.0 petrol. But I agree with you the interior (front) is just so cheap.
Just cleaned my current one and all I thought was how much nicer and classier it is.
Not sure I’d be upgrading when the time comes. Probably paying more money for a cheaper car.
Always been a Mazda fan but I think I’ll be keeping my current 25plate for a long time yet.
Thanks for the review great as always

@Champavanadventures 4 months ago

Firstly, a great honest review which I do share a lot of your comments. I’ve had Mazdas since 2003 and always loved them. I have put off changing my current CX5 for the last year as I was waiting for the new version to come out. To say disappointed is an understatement. Backwards steps on the display, why not leave the heater controls as they were. Going away from the dial control is going to upset current owners. The engine seems underpowered, my current 2 Litre one produces more BHP and returns 38MPG with a good smooth ride. I made a mistake of buying a CX3 when it came out with the 2Litre 120BHP engine which really was underpowered and you had to work hard. Of course there are some improvements with the boot space and the rear legroom plus softening of the suspension. I will be test driving soon and I could hang on and wait for the hybrid version which I would like but not sure I can live with the controls. I have looked at the Kia Sportage hybrid and that impressed me..we shall see.

@nellyuk75 4 months ago

Great review again Bryan 👍 I do love a Mazda SUV’s no so much but I think the cheap feeling interior and lack of buttons is a mistake. Some tech is useful but the majority is just gimmicky and annoying. I have to say though while the power is very disappointing but I think not going down the PHEV route is a good thing as you rightly said a lot of people are choosing PHEV but for the majority it’s absolutely nothing to do with being green etc it’s purely down to cost because they’re in the salary sacrifice schemes and tax breaks the EV gets and never plug them in. Where I work more than 50 people have chosen a PHEV and only 2 of them plug them in most of the cables are still in the wrapping and never used. I went with a HEV (as an EV doesn’t suit my needs and I can’t charge at home) which didn’t have the tax breaks but I’m doing more mpg than the others and cost less in fuel as I’m not dragging round a big battery which hurst the mpg and never using the EV side. I think the amount of PHEV’s will drop once they start getting charged 1.5p per mile eVeD the savings will soon diminish

@nickyfoulkes8476 4 months ago

You have to rev the manual version mazda 3 to the top of the rev counter to make progress. That hard top of the speedo is awful when you think it costs forty grand. It looks like the top edges of the doors are hard plastic too. BMW have taken away their rotary dial as well. When you opened the tailgate and I saw that upholstery I thought beautiful. My enthusiasm went downhill rapidly. That huge entertainment system plonked on the top of the dash. Then you cannot have the navigation on the other screen. I there still a heads up display can you have your navigation displayed up on the windscreen.For a car that is supposed to be able to tow a caravan then there needs to be a diesel or a bigger engine.Not the car I would be rushing out to buy and I almost bought a mazda 3 about 2 years ago. Salesman was too pushy, nothing personal. What a let down Mazda and that cheep hard centre in the middle of the steering wheel. Yuk!

@douglasritchie2836 4 months ago

I think they have shot themselves in the Foot. I have just 3 weeks ago bought a 2025 CX5 and although not a Fast car, it is beautifully fitted out with quality materials.
Also, strangely, it has a little more power from its 2-litre engine than the 2.5 in the new one.

@markdoran1787 4 months ago

I have to think that Mazda is trying to increase the desirability of the CX-60, which still has the rotary controller and full button controls.

@stuart1984 4 months ago

These are by far the best car reviews on YouTube! I’ve been test driving a few cars recently and the reviews correspond very well with my own experience, particularly with subjective things like interiors and driving experience. So if you can’t test drive a car, these reviews are a pretty good substitute.

@nigelmitchell5726 4 months ago

Thanks for the review , shame about the negatives 😮

@johntrinick712 4 months ago

Its odd how every reviewer of cars today complain about hearing the engine. I like the sound of a petrol engine. Its hard to tell from these videos, but this engine sounds quite nice to me compared with some of it's competitors who have gone down the small highly stressed turbo charged engines that are not only loud when pressed, but also sound very strained.

@rafaeldouglas2065 7 days ago

Great to see that Mazda has kept with ICE. They quite rightly don't change things for the sake of change or fashion. If it works and it ain't broke, don't change it! The majority of car buyers are not fully adopting the full EV platform because the technology just isn't there yet and the true costs are all over the place. Japanese manufacturers are looking ahead and seem to be very aware of customer feelings. Reliability is a major selling point given the costs of servicing and repair. The buying public have the ultimate power in what they are prepared to accept but once brands that sold on a reputation of build quality and reliability ( Audi, Volkswagen, Porsch BMW. ) mainly all German I know, but they are not alone in falling by the wayside. Top money for cars that are definitely going to cost plenty when things go wrong.

@davidrobson672 1 month ago

Everyone complaining about the lack of dials of setting can be controlled Ai Gemini on the built in android system. and with regard the driver safety option these are not everyday setting you fiddle about with. You set them up once and never touch them again. Wether it’s a dial or a screen your still
distracting yourself from the road

@stobied 4 months ago

Best car review channel I've seen - absolutely on point! So engaging with the viewers while pulling no punches with the cars 🫡

@firstfreonwarrior 1 month ago

I took a test drive last week. We currently have a 73-plate Exclusive-Line, which we both really like.

As for the new model, I have to agree with this review. There is far too much plastic, and some of it was resonating over poor road surfaces. The steering wheel controls are too small and difficult to read.

The screen is another concern. On our current car, touch screen functions are disabled while driving, for good reason, whereas this new system remains active. Combined with the very small icons, I think it could be quite distracting and, in my opinion, potentially dangerous.

We're going back tomorrow to have a look at the Homura, but at the moment I don't think the new model is for us.