2025 Mazda CX-5 2.5 Turbo Premium - A very good, mid-size SUV (or cross-over)

 

Way back when the earth was still cooling there was a belief that 4-bangers just couldn't cope with the high-speed roadways of the '50s, '60s, and '70s. They just had to spin too fast to keep up with traffic, and eventually they'd suffer fatal destruction.

Maybe that was true of some 4-cylinder engines; I don't know if it was truth or lore. I grew up in Central Connecticut, one town over from Storrs, the home of UCONN. Storrs was a dry town (no alcohol), so a lot of the students would drive over to my town (Coventry) to buy their booze. Many of them drove "foreign" cars, cars with little 4-cylinder engines. I never heard of an epidemic of 4-cylinder engines self-destructing. 

But that was then, this is now. Now 4-cylinder engines are in cars from the tiniest to almost the biggest. And they generally last forever with proper maintenance. 

Case in point is the 2025 Mazda CX-5 2.5 Turbo Premium, a 3,800 lb (+/-) SUV. Back in my younger days no one would have dreamt that a 4-cylinder could propel such a vehicle. But its 2.5-liter, turbocharged engine is more than up for the task. It makes 227 hp on regular gasoline, and 256 on premium. Torque is rated at 310 or 320 depending on octane. 

The AWD system delivers the power through a 6-speed automatic. It will tow a 2,000 lb trailer, and will carry about 1,000 lbs. Car and Driver says 0-60 comes up in 6.2 seconds.

You will notice the truncated (pun intended) rear of the CX-5. This is not one of those SUVs that carry the whole team and all their gear. It is a SUV that gets the job done for a small family or empty-nesters.

Actually the cargo area is deceiving; it has more space that you might think. There is up to 59.3 cubic inches of space with the rear seats folded down. The picture shows how much space with the seats up.

I really wish car companies would stop saying these rear seats are for three. Mazda makes it obvious that it is intended for two.

Up front the seats are fairly normal - that is to say comfortable. 

Mazda may not use their "Zoom-Zoom" tag line anymore, but the instrument cluster is still sports-oriented. Big gauges - speedo and tach, as well as coolant temp and fuel level are prominent. 

Mazda styling is not to my taste but it is distinctive. In a world of often hard to recognize SUVs, the Mazda line-up stands out. That is a good thing.

I'm often impressed with the paint on many new vehicles. The Deep Crystal Blue Mica of the CX-5 2.5 Turbo Premium was gorgeous (yeah I like blue). In some light it looked almost black, other times the blue was predominant. 

No SUV is a sports car, or even a sport sedan. Regardless of the platform, a SUV is a SUV. The center of gravity is higher than a car, there is no changing that. Yet the CX-5 Turbo Premium held it's own. It is relatively quick, and it is agile. It would be nice to have a manual transmission but given the relatively low number of people that can actually drive a stick, there is no point. You can put the automatic into manual mode if you are so inclined.

According to the EPA, fuel economy is good but not OMG! this is frugal. It is rated at 22-mpg in the city, and 27 on the highway. To be honest the highway figure is easy to equal but 22 in the city? I am not that easy on the throttle.

The question is, would I buy one? Yes if I was in the market for a vehicle of this size. I trust Mazda. 

A base 2025 Mazda CX-5 2.5 Turbo Premium starts at $39,775 (price is from https://www.mazdausa.com/ as of 11/18/2025). In today's world that isn't out of line. You could add some options but they won't make it any faster, or handle better. I think the Turbo Premium is a darn well-equipped vehicle without options.

You may disagree.