2023 Mazda CX-5

Is the 2023 Mazda CX-5 a Good SUV?

Yes, the 2023 CX-5 is a great SUV. In fact, we named it our 2023 Best Compact SUV for the Money because it has the best combination of quality and value in its class. It boasts an upscale interior with comfy first- and second-row seats, lots of standard safety features and a healthy amount of cargo space. It's agile and comfortable to drive, and its two available four-cylinder engines enable peppy acceleration and decent fuel economy. Better still, the CX-5 is a surprisingly good value. Pricing starts at just under $27,000, and that includes all-wheel drive.

Drawbacks are few, but it is worth mentioning that the infotainment system lacks touch-screen functionality. This can complicate some otherwise simple adjustments.

Should I Buy the 2023 Mazda CX-5?

The well-rounded CX-5 deserves to be a top pick if you're shopping for a small SUV. It simply looks and feels like a much pricier vehicle. That said, the compact SUV segment is jam-packed with compelling alternatives that might be a better fit for you, from the practical Toyota RAV4 and outdoorsy Subaru Forester to the all-new Kia Sportage and Mazda CX-50.

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2022 vs. 2023 Mazda CX-5: What's the Difference?

There aren't any major differences between the 2022 and 2023 CX-5 models.

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Here are the key changes for the Mazda CX-5 over the last few years:

If you're considering an older model, be sure to read our 2020 CX-5, 2021 CX-5 and 2022 CX-5 reviews to help make your decision. Also, check out our Best New Car Deals and Best New Car Lease Deals pages to learn about savings and discounts you can find on new vehicles.

Pricing

How Much is a 2023 Mazda CX-5?

The 2023 Mazda CX-5 has a starting MSRP of $26,700. The base 2.5 S model comes with desirable features like a 10.2-inch infotainment system. The 2.5 S Select trim costs $28,500 and adds synthetic leather upholstery, heated seats and proximity keyless entry. The 2.5 S Preferred trim will set you back $30,190. It gains genuine leather upholstery and a sunroof. The 2.5 S Carbon edition starts at $31,100 and adds black exterior accents and 19-inch wheels. Coming in at $33,000, the 2.5 S Premium trim includes satellite radio and adaptive headlights. At $35,500, the 2.5 S Premium Plus trim gains comfort features like a heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a head-up display and a power liftgate. The 2.5 S Turbo costs $36,850 and is the first trim with the more powerful engine. It also comes with gloss black exterior accents and wireless device charging. The top-of-the-line 2.5 Turbo Signature trim costs $39,650 and adds wood trim, metal exterior accents and a 360-degree parking camera system.

2023 Mazda CX-5 Versus the Competition

Mazda CX-5 vs. Mazda CX-50

The CX-50 is Mazda's newest compact SUV, and it echoes many of the CX-5's highlights. Both SUVs are similarly sized and priced, they have premium interiors with many of the same tech and safety features, and they even offer the same engine choices. Ultimately, both are great options in this class, but there are some differences to note. The CX-50 offers a touch-screen infotainment system, which the CX-5 lacks, and a higher max towing capacity of 3,500 pounds. On the other hand, the CX-5 has a bit more cargo space and a slightly smoother ride.

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Mazda CX-5 vs. Honda CR-V

The Honda CR-V is all-new for 2023, and it outshines the CX-5 in a few key areas. The CR-V gets superior fuel economy of up to 28/34 mpg city/highway, its interior provides significantly more cargo space, and its touch-screen infotainment system is a bit easier to use. On the other hand, the CR-V is much more expensive than the CX-5 (starting at roughly $31,100), its engine tends to drone noisily during passing maneuvers, and it can only tow up to 1,500 pounds (500 less than the CX-5). The right pick for you will likely come down to price or preference.

Compare the CX-5 and CR-V »

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CX-5 Interior: Finer Things

2023 CX-5 Interior Quality

The interior of the 2023 Mazda CX-5 punches well above its price point. It can even give some luxury compact SUVs a run for their money. The cabin has a sleek and sophisticated appearance, and most of the interior surfaces are wrapped with quality materials. Hard plastics are few and far between. Overall build quality is top-notch as well, and the interior does a great job of keeping road and wind noise at bay.

2023 CX-5 Infotainment, Bluetooth and Navigation

Mazda equips every CX-5 with a 10.2-inch infotainment display mounted high on the dashboard, which makes it easy to see while driving, and it largely impresses with crisp graphics and prompt responses. That said, it isn't a touch screen. It's controlled by a knob on the center console, as well as a smaller audio volume knob and a few buttons. The layout works fine for adjusting basic settings, but it's a cumbersome way to navigate through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

On the plus side, the climate controls are intuitive and conveniently placed in the center stack.

For more information, read What Is Apple CarPlay? and What Is Android Auto?

2023 CX-5 Cargo Space

The CX-5 has 30.8 cubic feet of cargo space behind its rear seats and 59.3 cubic feet with these seats folded. That's a fairly small cargo capacity by compact SUV standards, especially next to spacious rivals like the Subaru Forester and Hyundai Tucson. Even so, there's plenty of room for stowing large and small items alike. A manual liftgate comes standard; a power liftgate is available.

How Many People Does the 2023 CX-5 Seat?

The CX-5 is a two-row SUV with five seats. Cloth upholstery and manually adjustable front seats are standard. Available upgrades include leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats with power adjustments, heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel.

The CX-5's front seats are supportive and nicely contoured, and there's ample headroom and legroom for taller occupants to stretch out. The range of seat and steering wheel adjustments makes it easy to find a comfortable driving position. Outward visibility is great to the front and sides of the SUV, but the rear sightlines are rather slim. The rear seats have sufficient room for adults to sit comfortably on short trips, but on longer outings the second row is best reserved for kids or teens.

2023 CX-5 and Child Car Seats

The CX-5 has two complete sets of LATCH connectors for the rear outboard seats and a tether anchor for the rear middle seat. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave this LATCH system the second-highest rating of Acceptable for its ease of use. Though the setup is mostly user-friendly, the lower anchors are set too deeply in the seats.

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CX-5 Performance: Enjoy the Drive

2023 CX-5 Engine

The 2023 Mazda CX-5 features a 187-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, a six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. A turbocharged version of this engine is available, and it produces up to 256 horsepower on premium gasoline and 227 horsepower on regular gas.

The standard engine is perfectly fine for everyday driving. It hustles the CX-5 off the line and around town with respectable verve, and this muscle is maximized by the prompt-yet-smooth shifts of the six-speed automatic. That said, the engine starts to feel out of breath when passing other vehicles on the highway. Zero to 60 mph takes about 8.5 seconds.

The turbocharged engine largely fixes that issue. It's noticeably punchier, both in town and on the highway, and its deeper well of torque makes for snappy passing maneuvers. It also trims the zero-to-60 sprint to just 6.5 seconds.

2023 CX-5 Gas Mileage

The 2023 CX-5 gets an EPA-estimated 24 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway, which is average fuel economy for a compact SUV. Models equipped with the turbo engine are rated at 22/27 mpg city/highway. Thriftier alternatives include the Nissan Rogue and Toyota RAV4.

2023 CX-5 Ride and Handling

The CX-5 feels like a much pricier SUV from behind the wheel. Its taut suspension does a nice job of soaking up bumps and dips in the road, resulting in a firm but comfortable ride, and it keeps body lean to a minimum around turns. The steering is quick and nicely weighted, and the brakes slow the SUV confidently. Overall, the CX-5 exhibits a great blend of comfort and sportiness, and it remains one of the best-driving SUVs in this class.

2023 CX-5 Towing Capacity

The CX-5 can tow up to 2,000 pounds when properly equipped. That's an average tow rating for the segment.

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CX-5 Reliability

Is the 2023 Mazda CX-5 Reliable?

The 2023 Mazda CX-5 has a predicted reliability score of 82 out of 100. A J.D. Power predicted reliability score of 91-100 is considered the Best, 81-90 is Great, 70-80 is Average, and 0-69 is Fair and considered below average.

2023 Mazda CX-5 Warranty

Mazda covers the 2023 CX-5 with a three-year/36,000-mile limited warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty.

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2023 Mazda CX-5 Safety

2023 CX-5 Crash Test Results

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the 2023 Mazda CX-5 the highest rating of Good in all six crash tests and named it a Top Safety Pick+. Select, Preferred and Carbon Edition trims received the second-highest rating of Acceptable for how well their headlights illuminate the road, while all other trims earned a Good rating for forward visibility.

The IIHS uses a different scale for grading collision avoidance features. The CX-5 earned the highest rating of Superior for its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system. The standard vehicle-to-pedestrian system received the midtier rating of Advanced.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the 2023 CX-5 an overall safety rating of five out of five stars, with five stars in the frontal and side crash tests and four stars in the rollover test.

2023 CX-5 Safety Features

Standard driver-assistance features:

Available driver-assistance features:

2023 CX-5 Dimensions and Weight

The CX-5 is 15 feet long. Its curb weight ranges from 3,728 to 3,867 pounds.

Where Is the 2023 Mazda CX-5 Built?

Mazda builds the 2023 CX-5 in Japan.

2023 Mazda CX-5 Models and Trims

The 2023 Mazda CX-5 comes in eight trims: 2.5 S, 2.5 S Select, 2.5 S Preferred, 2.5 S Carbon Edition, 2.5 S Premium, 2.5 S Premium Plus, 2.5 Turbo and 2.5 Turbo Signature. Generally speaking, each trim adds a few more features than the last. The other main difference is engine performance. All of the 2.5 S trims feature a 187-horsepower engine, while the 2.5 Turbo trims have a punchier 256-horsepower engine. All-wheel drive is standard across the lineup.

Mazda CX-5 2.5 S

The entry-level CX-5 2.5 S has a $26,700 starting price. It comes with a 187-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, a six-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive, 17-inch alloy wheels and all-season tires. Standard features include cloth upholstery, manually adjustable front seats, split-folding rear seats, a 10.2-inch infotainment display, an analog gauge cluster, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, HD Radio, a four-speaker stereo, Bluetooth, two USB ports, Wi-Fi, remote keyless entry, push-button start, remote start, rain-sensing windshield wipers and a manual liftgate.

A number of advanced safety features also come standard, including a rearview camera, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, forward automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and LED headlights with automatic high beams.

Mazda CX-5 2.5 S Select

The CX-5 Select is priced at $28,500. This trim gains synthetic leather upholstery, heated front seats, a power-adjustable driver's seat, dual-zone automatic climate control, proximity keyless entry, a six-speaker stereo and two additional USB ports.

Mazda CX-5 2.5 S Preferred

The CX-5 Preferred rings in at $29,590. This trim adds genuine leather upholstery, a power-adjustable front passenger seat and a moonroof.

Mazda CX-5 2.5 S Carbon Edition

The CX-5 Carbon Edition costs $31,100 and gains black exterior accents and 19-inch wheels.

Mazda CX-5 2.5 S Premium

The CX-5 Premium trim starts at $33,000. This trim includes all of the Preferred features, as well as satellite radio, a digital speedometer, shift paddles, adaptive headlights and 19-inch wheels.

Mazda CX-5 2.5 S Premium Plus

The CX-5 Premium Plus trim carries a $35,500 price tag, and it adds a heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a head-up display, a 10-speaker stereo and a power liftgate.

Mazda CX-5 2.5 Turbo

The CX-5 Turbo costs $36,850. This trim features a 256-horsepower 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and adds gloss black exterior accents and wireless device charging.

Mazda CX-5 2.5 Turbo Signature

Lastly, the CX-5 Turbo Signature is priced at $39,650. This trim adds navigation, ambient lighting, wood interior trim, metallic exterior accents, front and rear parking sensors, a surround-view parking camera system, driver-attention monitoring, traffic-sign recognition and reverse collision warning.

Check out our U.S. News Best Price Program for great savings at your local Mazda dealer. You can also find excellent manufacturer incentives on our Mazda deals page.

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Why You Can Trust Our Reviews

U.S. News & World Report has been ranking the best cars, trucks and SUVs since 2007, and our staff has more than 75 years of combined experience in the auto industry.

This 2023 CX-5 review combines 46 professional reviews with concrete data like performance specs, fuel economy estimates and safety ratings and incorporates applicable research for all models in this generation, which launched for 2017. Check out excerpts from some of the reviews that drive our rankings and analysis.