2023 Mazda CX-50 Consumer Reviews
MSRP Starting at
$27,550
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1...
Nice, but with a few caveats
ScottyD, 08/10/2022
2023 Mazda CX-50 2.5 S Preferred Plus 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
182 of 188 people found this review helpful
I’ve had my 2023 CX-50 preferred plus in polymetal gray for about 3 weeks now, and have about 1k miles on it. Here are my thoughts. The good: - Comfortable, even on long drives. - Excellent handling. Classic Mazda. - Build quality is solid. Much nicer than the alternatives at this price point. - Very surefooted. Haven’t done any significant off-roading yet, but zero problems so far on dirt roads and grass parking lots. - The dial controlled infotainment system has grown on me. Seemed weird at first, but it really is less distracting than the finicky touchscreen on my last car. - Plenty of room for four people, with a decent amount of trunk space. - The panoramic sunroof is a nice touch. Will get lots of use out of it once the weather cools off some. - Power with the base engine is perfectly adequate. The turbo would have been fun, but it’s certainly not a must-have for day to day use. The bad: - Fuel mileage has been kind of disappointing. Combined average (for me, about 2/3 city and 1/3 highway) struggles to break 24 mpg. Not catastrophic, but definitely under the EPA estimate. May try to feed it premium gas next tank to see if that makes a difference. - The Mazda Connect app is kind of awful. In theory, it should be helpful…but it doesn’t work consistently, and is slow as molasses even when it does work. If it were just telematics and marketing stuff, I wouldn’t care. But it’s the only way to use the remote start. Why couldn’t they have just put that function on the key fob?? - The road noise at highway speeds on some surfaces can get a little annoying. It’s not constant, so it might just be the OEM tires on rougher surfaces. But definitely take it up to highway speeds on your test drive to make sure it’s something you can live with.
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Almost Perfect!
DLofromSB, 08/24/2023
2023 Mazda CX-50 2.5 S Premium Plus 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
24 of 24 people found this review helpful
I researched and researched SUVs, finally landed on the CX50 due to the great reviews from Car & Driver, Motortrend, Edmunds, etc. For the most part, I love it. It's gorgeous, great tech features, handles well. A couple of things prevented me from giving the SUV 5 stars, the biggest being that the heated/ventilated seats are not comfortable! There were so many things to get excited about during the short test drive that I missed the fact that the seats are hard! I bought it and was already on my drive home from the dealership before I began to notice that the seat felt like I was sitting on a board. Mazda ... you could do better than that! The other thing that I wish were different is that you can only use the remote start from the app on your phone. How hard would it have been to include that feature on the key fob as well? And there is more outside noise than I was expecting; at first I thought one of my windows must be open a bit but none were. I'm not sure if it is wind noise or road noise (I have the 20" tires and live in a rural area). These are not dealbreakers for me, I still love my CX50, like my title says ... it's Almost Perfect.
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Love the look but not the glitches!
ldh, 01/29/2024
2023 Mazda CX-50 2.5 S Premium Plus 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
19 of 19 people found this review helpful
I owned a 2023 CX-50 for 10 months. Premium plus model. Loved the way it looked....a real head turner! But I traded it in after 10 months due to all the issues. It had a sensor issue....I would get the engine malfunction message every few weeks. It would generally go off the next day, but it was annoying. Also, the sunroof and sunshade would not open or close. Lastly, about a third of the time I would try to open the back hatch, it wouldn't work....it would give a few quick beeps and not open. And yes, I know the vehicle must be unlocked for it to open. I finally gave up and traded it in on a 2024 CX-90. Fingers crossed I have better luck!
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Fast and Sporty
JohnL, 04/12/2023
updated 04/18/2024
2023 Mazda CX-50 2.5 Turbo Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
38 of 40 people found this review helpful
My wife bought a 2023 Mazda CX50 Turbo Premium. We have had it for 9 months. We live in a major city and it does mostly city driving. We do not drive off the pavement, but we wanted some ground clearance, because some streets flood here. My wife likes cars that have good acceleration and the CX50 Turbo is probably one of the fastest in this class. With the Turbo engine it does become more expensive than it's competition which are: Toyota RAV4, Honda CRV, Subaru Forrester and the Ford Bronco Sport.The Bronco Sport was the only other choice that had similar HP as the CX50, but the Ford is more utalitarian and off road while the Mazda feels more luxurious and performance oriented. Here are my likes and dislikes. Likes... 1. We love how it looks from the outside 2. We love the interior design 3. Interior materials like Nappa leather while having cooled and heated seats 4. Acceleration and handling(very torquee engine) 5. My wife likes the wireless android auto 6. Panoramic Sunroof Dislikes... 1. Steering too heavy and I have owned sports cars 2. Lack of cubbies and smaller cargo than the competition 3. Glovebox not useful as it is a slot style so when you open it the things just fall out 4. The ride is on the harder side, but it absorbs impacts much better than other cars 5. My car came with an annoying rattle while new from the passenger seatbelt pillar that the dealer has no idea how to get rid off. (This is just specific to my car) 6. The most annoying to me is that the seats bottom lack cushioning. After driving for an hour, my bottom will feel discomfort, so we will never take this car for long trips. Keep in mind that your experience might differ on this. Summary... We really like how this car drives, acceleration, handling and we can live with a stiffer ride. We love how it looks inside out too. I can accept that it is not as roomy as other cars too. But the seat bottom being too hard and that annoying rattle is not good for me. My wife drives this car and she notices the seat being hard but it is more acceptable for her. She would not have any problems buying another Mazda in the future, but their seats are not for me. I think Mazda are a little niche, so make sure that they are suitable for what you want as there are compromises to be made for the extra performance that they offer. Update: It has 22 months and everything holds still holds true. We finally were able to fix that rattle after multiple trips to the dealer and switching dealers. The dealer near me tried to fix it and after 3 tries they said that it is "COMMON OCURRANCE" for that car so they said they were NOT going to do anything about it. They said that it is not a Manufacturer's defect, but it happens a lot on that car. So I called MAZDA and they said that it should NOT rattle and then I called a different dealer 50 miles away and spoke to their Service Manager. Took it there and they FIXED it after 1 day. Excellent Service from them! Except that everything still holds true about the car. It's still an awesome car to drive, but not for long distance due to the harder seats.
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2 weeks in
Eric , 04/29/2023
2023 Mazda CX-50 2.5 S Preferred Plus 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
15 of 15 people found this review helpful
Recently purchased the CX50 PFP non-turbo. Great value for the money. My 2nd Mazda, I had a CX5 a few years ago and mistakenly sold it. The CX50 to me looks better, rides as nice, good handling and adequate power and is returning 26.5 mpg combined. My two requirements were to reduce fuel costs and overall vehicle ownership cost. No issues at this point, although it’s only been 2 weeks. The infotainment took a few days to master and I do like the screen placement as I can see it without taking my eyes off the road. The center console controls fall right at hand and with practice become second nature. It’s not an off-roader but it can travel on gravel or unimproved roads with out issue. If you want a jeep, get a jeep. This is a great package add a cargo rack and take your bikes, kayak or paddle board on your next adventure. It’s 4 passenger, not 5, plenty of cargo room comfortable ride. Great looks inside and out. And great value with the Preferred Plus package.
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