The Mazda CX-50 Is A Better CX-5 Except For This One Important Thing

Bigger, wide, longer, and more rugged looking, the CX-50 looks like a better CX-5. It also comes with better tech and ergonomics. However, when it comes to this one important thing, we think the CX-5 is still the one to get.

What’s going on everyone welcome to shifting lanes my name is hanson and for this video you find me sitting in the 2023 mazda cx-50 this one is the 2.5 turbo premium plus model it has the zircon sand metallic paint with the terracotta leather interior and with delivery you can get this spec for 43 170 and in this video i want to share with you my likes and dislikes

About this compact crossover from mazda and to also compare it with the mazda cx-5 so that you have a better idea before you buy just like how the mazda cx-30 is the bigger sibling to the mazda cx-3 this mazda cx-50 has that type of relationship with the mazda cx-5 the cx-50 is just slightly longer and wider than the cx-5 and looks a lot more off-road ready visually

The cx-50 is a more rugged version of the cx-5 there’s a healthy dose of black cladding surrounding the vehicle up front the grille looks wider and flatter than other mazda models and the shape is starting to resemble cadillac’s design the cx-50 also trays in the chrome grille molding found in the cx-5 for a more reserved and sporty gloss black finish from the side

The cx-50 looks a bit more stretched than the cx-5 by a couple of inches the hood looks longer and flatter this model comes with a black 20-inch alloy wheels as standard and here you find more gloss black features like the side view mirror caps and the window surrounds save for the little bit of chrome by the c pillar the cx-50 also has a bit more ground clearance

Here at 8.3 inches versus the 7.6 inches and at the rear the led tail light configuration looks sharp the dual exhaust the simulated brushed aluminum finish and the fake venting give off that rugged utilitarian vibe whereas the cx-5 goes for a more classy look i’ll give the cx-50 a win in the exterior design but beauty is in the eye of the beholder so let me know

In the comments which one you like better jumping inside the cx-50 looks and feels more modern than the cx-5 the layout is more sleek and minimalist the dash has a much simpler design with the single center vent the steering wheel has a slim three spoke design that’s found in the more modern mazdas and the center console has been slightly reconfigured for better

Ergonomics for example the cup holders are forward of the gear lever with the cx-5’s cup holder replacement having drinks in there also made it more difficult to use the infotainment dial for the cx-50 mazda also moved the hvac controls further up so that if you have drinks in here it’s not going to interfere with the controls another big win of the cx-50 is the

Addition of wireless apple carplay and wireless android auto for the cx-5 you still have a wired connection regardless given that the infotainment screen is not a touch screen those smartphone integration apps which are touch-based using this dial becomes a bit of a chore as you have to scroll and slide a bunch of times to get to the app that you want looking through

The steering wheel you’ll find the standard 3 gauge style that you normally find in other mazdas the center gauge is a digital display and you’ll find this configuration in the cx-5 as well this is a perfectly functional display and i have zero issues with it but for a car that’s worth more than forty thousand dollars not having a fully digital instrument cluster

Is starting to feel very last generation hopefully mazda is working on something because all the other manufacturers have started moving to fully digital instrument clusters on their more premium models as for the seats i do not like the seats in the cx-50 the seat bottom feels stiff and the center pattern and the stitching is uncomfortable otherwise the back rest

And the bolsters are just fine like the cx-5 the terracotta leather interior is also a good look for the second row the cx-50 offers just a tiny bit more legroom at 39.8 inches which is generous i also like that the outboard heated seat buttons in the cx-50 has been placed on the center console in the cx-5 those buttons are on the armrest which means that if you

Have a fifth person accessing those buttons would be much more inconvenient cargo space wise the cx-50 provides no extra benefit here once you open the powered liftgate there’s 31.4 cubic feet of space behind the second row the cx-5 has a little bit less at 30.8 cubic feet and when you fold the second row down the cx-50 gets you 56.3 cubic feet of space while the

Cx-5 provides slightly more with 59.3 cubic feet of space regardless it’s not bad for a compact crossover and for hauling stuff in general but if you want to maximize on cargo space there are better compact crossovers to choose from overall i give the cx-50 another win for the interior because i think it looks more sleek and modern and it’s just ergonomically better

As for the driving experience the cx-50 is powered by a two and a half liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine it makes 256 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque with 93 octane fuel if you go with a lower octane fuel the engine will know and it’s going to detune itself to horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque that’s not so bad considering that if you’re just

Going for a long road trip and you don’t need that extra power go with the cheaper gas but if you want to have more fun on the back roads then just fill up with premium before you go this is the same engine in the more premium cx-5 models so power wise it’s a decent amount and it should give you a zero to 60 times somewhere around seven seconds not very exciting but

Also not painfully slow ride quality is very similar a bit on the firm side but the cx-50 feels a bit more compliant than the cx-5 as far as handling goes i think the cx-5 is still the standard for non-luxury compact crossover handling i think the smaller wheelbase of the cx-5 helps with making it feel more agile that being said i still like the cx-50s handling

And i think it’s generally better than other compact crossovers the steering feels great and they’re both fun to drive on back roads so for driving experience i will give the point to the cx-5 here it’s still the compact crossover to beat and the driving fun factor and for everything else i think that the cx-50 is still the winner here because if you look at the

Towing capacity this can do up to 3 500 pounds whereas the cx-5 can only do up to 2000 pounds this model also has more ground clearance than the cx-5 and as far as mileage goes the cx-50 is rated at 23 city 29 highway and 25 miles per gallon combined while the cx-5 gets 22 city 27 highway and 24 miles per gallon combined all of the benefits of the cx-50 does come

At a price albeit fairly small model for model the cx-50 is a little bit more expensive than the cx-5 by about 500 bucks so if you’re shopping around for compact crossovers you’re in for a tough task because there are a lot of models to choose from another close sibling to the cx-50 is the toyota corolla cross because they’re both built in the same mazda toyota

Manufacturing plant the hyundai tucson is another fantastic choice as it’s feature packed and comes with a very large interior and if you’re interested in a luxury compact crossover check out the genesis gv70 and the new lexus nx they’re both awesome choices and if you’re interested in any of those reviews check out the links down below i want to hear your thoughts

On this so please leave your comments down below if you found this video somewhat entertaining helpful or if you’ve learned something please consider hitting that like subscribe and that notification bell so that you can be notified any time we make a new video let’s wrap it up right there my name is hansen this has been the 2023 mazda cx-50 and i will see you in the next one

Transcribed from video
The Mazda CX-50 Is A Better CX-5 Except For This One Important Thing By Shifting Lanes