Mazda gives the 2025 CX-50 a big efficiency boost to 38 mpg with hybrid power

Mazda won itself a lot of fans over the years with the sharp styling and attention to detail of its engaging-to-drive vehicles. But in recent years its cars have been left behind by rivals when it comes to fuel efficiency. As a small automaker facing daunting development costs, it decided to partner with Toyota on advanced technologies, including a battery electric vehicle due by 2027. A more immediate benefit has been access to Toyota's hybrid powertrains, one of which can now be found inside the $33,970 2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid, which we've driven ahead of it going on sale this month.

Engineering stuff

Open the hood, and instead of one of Mazda's Skyactiv engines, you find one of Toyota's 2.5 L naturally aspirated Atkinson cycle engines, which drives the front wheels together with two electric motors (one is really the integrated starter motor) via a continuously variable transmission. At the rear, a third electric motor powers the rear wheels when necessary. The front traction motor provides 118 hp (88 kW), the rear motor can add an extra 54 hp (40 kW), and total output is rated at 219 hp (163 kW) and 163 ft-lb (220 Nm).

It wasn't exactly a case of shoehorning the new powertrain into the CX-50, but Mazda has had to modify the front frame rails to fit the new engine, transmission, and hybrid motors, and there's a new rear subframe with the rear eAxle, as well as the 0.9 kWh hybrid traction battery, which lives under the rear seat. (This improves the front-rear weight distribution to 55:45, Mazda says.)

Although Mazda has tuned things like throttle maps to better suit the way it likes its cars to drive, fundamentally the experience will be very familiar if you've driven any of Toyota's recent hybrids. If the battery has sufficient charge, you can put it in EV mode, although only up to 25 mph (40 km/h), or until you apply too much throttle, at which point the engine will fire. It's a harsh-sounding thing as it revs toward its redline, which probably helps fuel efficiency all by itself, as no one really wants to listen to that.

The EPA rates the CX-50 Hybrid at a combined 38 mpg (6.2 L/100 km), which is quite a lot better than the 28 mpg (8.4 L/100 km) of the version with Mazda's 2.5 L Skyactiv engine while offering more power at the same time.

Living with it

Unusually for a media first drive, Mazda sent us a CX-50 Hybrid rather than having us travel to drive the car in a place of its choosing. While empty back roads and a fine-handling car usually equal a good day out of the office, a better test is how well they cope with the daily grind. Even better, we had several days to get to know the CX-50 Hybrid, rather than a few hours on unfamiliar territory.

Truth be told, the CX-50 is not really the car to be in on the same roads that made the smaller CX-30 shine so brightly. While it uses the same platform as that car, and the Mazda 3, there's none of the same feedback through the steering wheel even if that steering wheel is perfectly sized and shaped for your hands. Mazda says that all CX-50s have had new steering calibration from the middle of this year to aid low-speed maneuverability, but expect little in the way of feel.

Numb steering coupled with that noisy-when-revved engine makes it easy to settle into a relaxed driving style with the CX-50 Hybrid, which is no bad thing as it gives you more time to appreciate the interior. Mazda has successfully moved itself upmarket in terms of how well designed and put together its interiors are, exercising restraint and attention to detail where other automakers might go for something flashy.

There are physical dials to control how hot or cold the cabin is and push buttons to control the other climate settings. While the 10.25-inch infotainment system will respond to a finger's touch, it's far easier just to use the jog dial and buttons on the center console instead. Mazda's native infotainment system is pretty bare-bones, but none the worse for that, and there's wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay (plus four USB-C ports), as well as a wireless charging pad.

The CX-50 Hybrid is also quite well equipped in its base Preferred trim. Opting for the $37,400 Premium trim adds a panoramic-powered moonroof, some small styling tweaks, leather seats, and a better sound system, including satellite radio. Our test CX-50 Hybrid was the $40,050 Premium Plus, which adds powered folding side mirrors, 19-inch wheels, ventilated front seats, and a rather crisp full-color head-up display that not only shows turn-by-turn directions from Apple Maps in CarPlay or Google Maps in Android Auto. It also works well even with polarized sunglasses.

The back seat might not be quite as roomy as some electric SUVs we've sampled recently, but it's not cramped in the back, even with the traction battery taking up room underneath. And with the moonroof shade retracted, there's plenty of natural light. The cargo area is pleasantly roomy, with 29.2 cubic feet (827 L) with the rear seats in use, expanding to 56.3 cubic feet (1,594 L) with the rear row folded flat.

Sadly, the ride is not as refined as the interior. Like the steering, Mazda says that all CX-50s have had recalibrated dampers from the second half of this year, but at 4,008 lbs (1,818 kg) the Hybrid is the heaviest CX-50, and you feel every bump and bounce along the way.

Mazda says that in 2025 it expects to build about 40,000 CX-50 Hybrids at the joint factory it operates with Toyota in Huntsville, Alabama, and while a base CX-50 Hybrid is a little more expensive than the RAV4 alternative, the extra ~$2,000 goes a long way in terms of a nicer environment to surround yourself with while commuting to work or doing a grocery run. The vastly improved fuel efficiency means this is a Mazda I don't mind recommending, but I wish the company could bring back the jinba ittai.

Jonathan M. Gitlin Automotive Editor

Jonathan is the Automotive Editor at Ars Technica. He has a BSc and PhD in Pharmacology. In 2014 he decided to indulge his lifelong passion for the car by leaving the National Human Genome Research Institute and launching Ars Technica's automotive coverage. He lives in Washington, DC.

159 Comments