Test Drive: Mazda CX-50 Behaves Well In Everyday Life

• by Tanya Gazdik , Staff Writer, August 19, 2024

Taking the Mazda CX-50 for a carefree spin on a windy mountain road is lovely. 

Putting it through the moves in congested big city driving helps show off more of its chops.

But spending a week at home with it doing everyday tasks like Costco runs is probably a more honest way to see how it stacks up to the competition. 

During my first drive of the vehicle in April 2022, Mazda was playing up that the crossover SUV, while still sporty, is now rugged enough to handle adventures -- including some mild off-roading. 

My recent week in Detroit didn’t include any driving in the woods, but it did feature some serious potholes and numerous speed bumps, which the vehicle handled with grace. 

Honestly, a speed bump is better representation of a vehicle’s performance than those rare moments of hitting whoops during an off-roading experience. I have one on my street that is ripe for testing. I take it numerous times with every vehicle I drive, and it’s interesting to see how one compares to the other. 

The Mazda CX-50 ($43,000 base price plus $1,375 designation charges) handled them just fine, and my back and kidneys agree with me.

One thing I still struggle with on Mazda models is the control knob in the center console, versus having a touchscreen like everyone else. I suspect Mazda designers may eventually yield to peer pressure, but for now, you have to learn to toggle the wheel back and forth and push it in order to interact with the center screen. Its current placement is just out of driver reach, so making it a touchscreen without changing its position could be awkward/dangerous. 

The cargo space is admirable on the mid-size SUV, but I was disappointed by the incline when the rear seats are folded down. I transport rescue dogs in my daily driver (not in loaner vehicles) so this is something I notice. Dogs in crates don’t like to be on an incline. I can’t say I blame them. 

The vehicle’s 2.5L engine with twin scroll turbocharger has more than adequate power (227 hp and 310 lb.-ft.) and handled freeway merging like a champ. It should be noted that the vehicle I test drove right before the CX-50 was a Lamborghini Urus S. So the fact that I wasn’t missing that explosive engine is a testament to Mazda’s capabilities. 

Fuel economy was adequate at 29/highway and 23/city for 25 mpg combined. 

I love that the shifter looks like a manual shift, even thought it’s an automatic. Little touches like that help preserve Mazda’s zoom-zoom heritage, and for that I sincerely applaud them.