2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Review and Test Drive
A new Toyota-sourced hybrid drivetrain offers higher gas mileage at a higher price.
Christian Wardlaw
With a total output of 219 horsepower, the CX-50 Hybrid is more powerful and efficient than the standard CX-50 and is significantly better on gas than the CX-50 Turbo.
What will this Toyota-sourced hybrid goodness cost? Compared with an equivalent standard CX-50, you'll spend up to $3,400 more to get into the CX-50 Hybrid. It comes in Preferred, Premium, and Premium Plus trim levels, and prices range from the mid-$30,000s to the low $40,000s, including the destination charge to ship the SUV from the Huntsville, Alabama, assembly plant to your dealership.
Christian Wardlaw
I test-drove the 2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus in Southern California. The only option on the test vehicle was a navigation system, which brought the manufacturer's suggested retail price to $41,946, including the $1,420 destination charge. Mazda provided the vehicle for this CX-50 Hybrid review.
Is the 2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid a Good SUV?
Toyota has decades of experience building reliable and efficient hybrid powertrains. However, hybrids rarely meet efficiency expectations in real-world driving, and that's the case with the new CX-50 Hybrid. Mazda claims it should get 37/39/38 mpg city/highway/combined. My test vehicle returned 34.8 mpg in the city and 30.2 mpg on the evaluation loop. By comparison, the last CX-50 Turbo I drove got 19.7 mpg on the same route.
What's New for the 2025 Mazda CX-50
The CX-50 Hybrid has an Atkinson-cycle 2.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine, three electric motors, and a 1.59-kilowatt-hour battery tucked under its back seat. One of the front motors is a generator that starts the vehicle and offers supplementary drive power, while the other is a traction motor that helps the gas engine propel the front wheels.
Mazda locates a third motor at the rear axle, which adds traction when necessary and creates an electronic all-wheel-drive system.
Christian Wardlaw
At low speeds, an EV mode allows the CX-50 to operate solely on electricity stored in the small battery. Examples include traveling at low traffic speeds or driving in parking lots. The gas engine provides propulsion with electric motor assistance at higher speeds or when battery power is unavailable. The CX-50 uses an electronic continuously variable transmission (CVT) instead of the six-speed automatic found in other versions of the SUV.
Net horsepower measures 219 ponies, 32 more than a standard CX-50. The largest front motor offers 202 pound-feet of torque, a modest increase of 17 lb-ft, but it is immediately available when the driver steps on the accelerator pedal. The 2-ton Hybrid weighs 267 pounds more than a base model, but the weight distribution improves to 55:45 front to rear.
When necessary, you can choose Power or Trail driving modes. The latter is helpful when traveling on terrain that puts the SUV's maximum 8.1 inches of ground clearance to good use. As for cargo space, figures for the CX-50 Hybrid are unchanged, matching the non-hybrid versions at 31.4 cubic-feet behind the back seat and a maximum volume of 56.3 cu-ft.
Christian Wardlaw
Across the CX-50 lineup, the changes for 2025 extend beyond the new Hybrid model. They include a slightly more fuel-efficient base engine, more standard equipment for the CX-50 Turbo models, and Amazon Alexa Built-in for the infotainment system. In addition, the i-ActiveSense collection of advanced driver-assistance systems adds numerous new features.
What It's Like to Drive the 2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid
Mazda says it has tuned the CX-50 Hybrid to ensure it drives like a Mazda, supporting its new "Move and Be Moved" advertising tagline. The claim mostly rings true, particularly regarding suspension control over the added weight nestled low in the SUV's platform. I did not experience sudden weight shifts while driving the CX-50 Hybrid enthusiastically on local mountain roads, where the pavement can undulate like a roller coaster.
However, I wouldn't say the CX-50 Hybrid provides the same sense of joy as its non-hybrid siblings. The steering effort level is too high, and the regenerative braking system's pedal feel is occasionally numb and inconsistent. Also, despite the test model's 19-inch wheels, the CX-50 Hybrid felt squishier in the corners and curves of Mulholland Highway near Malibu.
Christian Wardlaw
Fortunately, Mazda mutes the characteristic engine droning common with e-CVT powertrains enough that it's not a constant bother. You don't notice the powertrain in urban and suburban driving situations, but it doesn't feel as lively as I expected. At a traffic light, I tried to beat other motorists to get over one lane and use a freeway on-ramp. That move was barely successful.
Otherwise, the CX-50 Hybrid makes enough power. During my drive, it climbed a local mountain grade at a steady 75 mph without any trouble. The most disappointing thing during my drive of Mazda's latest electrified SUV was the observed fuel economy of 30.2 mpg. Considering the price premium, you'd need to drive one for a long time before breaking even.
Christian Wardlaw
The 2025 CX-50 Models Get New Infotainment and Safety Tech
In addition to the new CX-50 Hybrid, Mazda has updated its technology. For example, if you have an Amazon account, you can sign in and use the new Amazon Alexa Built-in technology and its digital voice assistant. I don't have an Amazon account, but the wireless Apple CarPlay and my iPhone 16 got along just fine.
Safety improvements are also on the menu for 2025. The standard i-ActiveSense safety tech package adds a new pedestrian detection system that works after dark, head-on collision mitigation, an exit warning system, and a rear-seat reminder .
Christian Wardlaw
Move up to the CX-50 Turbo Premium for Mazda's Cruising and Traffic Support system, which pairs adaptive cruise control with lane-centering assist as long as you're holding the steering wheel. The most expensive model in the lineup, the CX-50 Turbo Premium Plus, gains front cross-traffic alert, an intersection collision-avoidance system, and a surround-view camera with a see-through viewing mode.
I didn't experience most of the new safety features. But Mazda's blind-spot monitoring system shows notifications on the CX-50's available head-up display. That is a thoughtful, helpful, and uncommon detail.
Christian Wardlaw
Hybrids make the most sense when gas prices are high, and the price difference between the gas-only and electrically assisted powertrains is slight. When you crunch the numbers, choosing a hybrid is often easier to justify if you don't have a choice. For example, the 2025 Toyota Camry comes only as a hybrid, so if you want a Camry, you get the hybrid.
Based on Mazda's efficiency estimates, 12,000 miles of annual driving, and the average cost of gas in the U.S. at the end of October 2024, I've calculated that it will take a minimum of 6.6 years to break even with a new 2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid. Factor in my real-world fuel-economy observations and one of the more expensive trim levels, and it will take even longer.
Therefore, if you plan to buy it and keep it for a long time, choosing the new 2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid makes sense.
Written by humans.
Edited by humans.
Christian WardlawMy first word was “car.” That’s what I’m told, anyway. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with them. The design. The engineering. The performance. And the purpose. I’m a car enthusiast who loves to drive, but I’m also most interested in the cars, trucks, and SUVs that people actually buy. Anybody can tell you that a sports car is fast. What you need to know is whether or not you should buy that new SUV, and why. My life purpose is to help you make that decision.
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