The CX-50 Hybrid has a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine with two electric motors.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
It’s no secret that Mazda’s recent upscale addition to its compact-crossover lineup, the CX-50, is built in a plant in Alabama co-owned and shared with Toyota. It’s also no secret that the new-for-2025 hybrid version of the CX-50 uses a powertrain borrowed from the Toyota RAV4.
But don’t go thinking this is just a rebodied-and-rebadged RAV4: Powertrain aside, the CX-50 Hybrid is, like its non-hybrid siblings, all Mazda’s own work. The underlying architecture is shared with the Mazda3 and the CX-30, not with any Toyota.
Not that there’s anything wrong with a Toyota. The powertrain borrowed from the RAV4 may be a generation older than the one in the new Camry, but it’s nothing if not well-proven. Up front, it combines a 2.5-litre gas engine with two electric motors to generate a combined 219 horsepower delivered to the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission. Another electric motor out back drives the rear wheels to provide all-wheel drive.
Thus equipped, the CX-50 Hybrid′s official fuel consumption numbers – 6.1 litres per 100 kilometres in the city and 6.4 on the highway – make it respectively 37-per-cent less and 20-per-cent less thirsty than the base non-hybrid CX-50 – with the bonus of acceleration closer to that of the CX-50 turbo.
The CX-50 Hybrid has fuel consumption of 6.1 litres per 100 kilometres in the city and 6.4 on the highway.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
The Hybrid is offered in three trims, starting with the GS-L at $42,950 – a $3,000 premium over the non-hybrid GS-L, but well below the price of a Honda CR-V Hybrid. The other CX-50 Hybrid trims are the Kuro and GT at $44,850 and $48,350 respectively. Ford, Kia and Toyota hybrids start at lower price points, but may lack features like a panoramic glass sunroof, wireless phone charging and power liftgate, which are standard on all three trims of the CX-50 Hybrid.
Mazda classifies the CX-50 as a compact crossover utility vehicle (CUV), as it also does the CX-5, except that size-wise the CX-50 ranks near the top of that category, while the seven-inches-shorter CX-5 is a bottom-dweller.
We can hope that in time Mazda will also electrify its better-selling and more affordable vehicles like said CX-5, and the Mazda3 and CX-30. But at least the CX-50 is a step in that direction. Until now, Mazda’s only hybrids were the bigger and pricier CX-70 and CX-90, which come either as six-cylinder mild hybrids or four-cylinder plug-ins.
And the CX-50 Hybrid does deliver. In our day with the top trim GT, we put it through 210 kilometres of mixed driving and it recorded 6.2 litres of gas per 100 kilometres – exactly the same as its official combined fuel-consumption rating. We wish there was more of that old Mazda zoom-zoom in its driving dynamics, but if you’re sold on the CX-50′s other attractions – styling, posh interior, value, safety and comfort – the availability of hybrid fuel economy is icing on the cake.
Tech specs
2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid
- Price range: $42,950 to $48,350, plus $2,095 for freight, plus fees and taxes
- Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder with two electric motors
- Horsepower / torque (lb-ft): 219 / 163
- Transmission / drive: Continuously variable automatic / e-AWD; rear wheels driven by electric motor
- Fuel consumption (litres per 100 kilometres): 6.1 city / 6.4 highway
- Alternatives: Dodge Hornet PHEV, Ford Escape Hybrid, Honda CR-V Hybrid, Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, Kia Sportage Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
Looks
It’s a hybrid so no tachometer, but the gauges are traditional in appearance and easily readable.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
The CX-50′s broad-shouldered body shape is unchanged in the Hybrid, but its stance suffers a little from a 35-millimetre increase in ride height (to offset ground clearance that would otherwise have been stolen by low-hanging hybrid hardware), and, on the GT, narrower tires than the non-hybrid GT’s.
Interior
The ride-height increase affords a correspondingly higher seating position relative to the road, but the driving position still feels more sporty than tall in the saddle – though not at the expense of decent visibility. The old-school cockpit environment will please Luddites and will be familiar to Mazda owners. The gauges are conventional analogues (or a good imitation thereof), there’s a proper shift lever on a substantial middle console, and most minor controls are still physical switches.
The old-school approach extends to the entire dashboard, Mazda still staying with its small screen interfaced by a physical controller on the centre console.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
In Mazda tradition, the small screen works with a twist/toggle/tap controller handily placed on the centre console, and although you still have to look at the screen to navigate it, at least it’s high on the dashboard to minimize the driver’s distraction from the road ahead.
Rear seaters get a mixed bag – nicely reclined backrests, but below-average legroom and, for adults, a somewhat knees-up seating position unless the front seats are set high enough to let you get your feet under.
Performance
The engine cover says Mazda, and some recalibrations to give it more of a Mazda “feel” but essentially the hardware is all Toyota and that’s how it feels.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
By the numbers, expect performance between that of the base non-hybrid CX-50 and the available Turbo – around eight seconds from zero to 100 kilometres an hour. With electric assist instead of turbo lag, the Mazda Hybrid launches smartly enough but the overall subjective experience is pure RAV4 hybrid. The continuously variable transmission sends engine rpm rising and falling seamlessly, but seemingly randomly, with a soundtrack that won’t charm gearhead ears. And changes to the chassis, notably the ride-height increase and tires oriented to fuel economy, don’t make for especially engaging handling. As in many recent Mazdas, we find the steering heavies up unnaturally when cornering at speed.
Technology
Standard driver-assist technology on the GS-L and Kuro includes adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keep assist, rear cross-traffic alert and more. It seems like a full suite, yet Mazda came up with even more for the GT, including emergency lane-keep with blind-spot assist, rear emergency automatic braking, plus alerts and emergency braking for front cross-traffic and turning across oncoming traffic. In short, lots of reactive alert-and-avert technology, but little in the way of semi-autonomous capability.
Standard infotainment and connectivity assets include Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and phone charging (all wireless), plus Amazon Alexa, and Navi readiness (SD card required). The GT adds a 12-speaker Bose audio, SiriusXM and Mazda Online Navigation through Mazda Connected Services.
Cargo
The cargo area looks big and practical, though the official volumes are below average for the compact CUV segment.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
The seat backs fold usefully flat, though with a slight step up from the rear deck. Cargo volumes of 826 litres, seats up, and 1,594, seats down, are among the lowest in the segment, and there’s no extra storage to speak of below the deck.
The verdict
Most of what people like about Mazda SUVs can now be combined with hybrid fuel economy, though there’s not much here to enthuse engaged drivers.
The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.
Shopping for a new car? Check out the new Globe Drive Build and Price Tool to see the latest discounts, rebates and rates on new cars, trucks and SUVs. Click here to get your price.