2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus: First Spin | The Each day Drive

November 18, 2024

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Within the automobile enterprise, it pays to have pals. Mazda, for instance, is nice pals with Toyota, and that relationship is paying off in spades. Seems, Toyota is pals with quite a lot of automobile corporations. Japan’s greatest carmaker owns mini-car maker Daihatsu outright, has a 20-percent stake in Subaru, and holds 5 p.c of Mazda. And whilst you could not hear an excessive amount of about all of the handshakes, there’s truly loads occurring there.

2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus

background

For instance: Accomplished in 2021, Mazda Toyota Manufacturing in Huntsville, Alabama, produces autos for—predictably—Mazda and Toyota. And whereas Toyota has a variety of different North American meeting services, that is Mazda’s solely manufacturing facility within the Americas.

The ability churns out the well-reviewed Mazda CX-50 small crossover, and the Toyota Corolla Cross, additionally a small crossover. As a result of Mazda isn’t a big firm by absolute automotive requirements, sharing a manufacturing facility with buddy Toyota allowed the carmaker to attain the dimensions essential to function a viable abroad automobile manufacturing facility. It pays to have pals.

However the Mazda/Toyota relationship goes deeper. Like a variety of different carmakers, Mazda lately realized that the highway to full electrification isn’t as clean as initially thought. Many U.S.-market automobile manufacturers had deliberate to easily swap to producing electrical autos in some unspecified time in the future within the subsequent 5 to 10 years. The issue is, customers aren’t embracing EVs on the hoped-for fee, however do appear to need to spend much less on gasoline.

Hybrids

Now, that is nice information for Toyota, the globe’s most prolific and proficient hybrid maker, however fairly dangerous information for many different carbuilders. Normal Motors, for instance, has no hybrid fashions obtainable on the market within the U.S. Likewise, Nissan’s standard Rogue compact crossover has seen a big gross sales decline of late, a lot of which has been attributed to the lineup’s lack of a hybrid mannequin.

Mazda, too, has been working and not using a hybrid mannequin, till reasonably lately. Plug-in-hybrid variants of the maker’s standard CX-70 and CX-90 are simply now coming on-line. However, maybe extra importantly, because of Toyota—once more, it pays to have pals—the model’s CX-50 is now supplied with a hybrid drivetrain.

Engines

Right here’s the factor, Toyota already builds a hybrid model of the Corolla Cross proper alongside the CX-50 meeting line, so…a deal was struck to provide Mazda with an engine much like the one Toyota was already putting in within the Corolla Cross. Enter the CX-50 Hybrid.

New for 2025, the CX-50 Hybrid contains a 2.5-liter engine and three electrical motors good for a mixed 219 horsepower. The CX-50 Hybrid comes solely with a CVT automated transmission and AWD. The hybrid Mazda is EPA rated at a mixed 37 mpg, properly above the usual CX-50’s 28 mpg score, and the turbo’s 25.

Costs and Trim Ranges

The CX-50 Hybrid slots in worth between the usual CX-50s (beginning at $31,720), and the turbocharged fashions, which cap out at $44,720.

For 2025, the CX-50 Hybrid is obtainable in Most well-liked ($35,390), Premium ($38,820), and Premium Plus ($41,470) trim ranges.

Client Information lately spent per week behind the wheel of a Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus in Machine Grey Metallic. Our early-production mannequin didn’t include a Monroney label; nonetheless, we estimate that our take a look at automobile got here in near the $41,470 base worth.

Except for the drivetrain, the CX-50 Hybrid seems to be and feels very very like every other CX-50, and that’s an excellent factor. The cabin is stylish and properly screwed collectively, and exudes a usually upscale vibe. The infotainment display screen is mounted dashtop, pill fashion. The display screen isn’t big, however is evident and straightforward to learn. The CX-50, like most Mazda’s makes use of the model’s rotary-knob-style controller, which is a love-it or hate-it proposition for the Client Information employees. This editor is a fan, as, as soon as acclimated, a person can execute most straightforward duties with out trying down. The system is definitely fairly easy to make use of as soon as the driving force is accustomed to it.

There’s loads of room up entrance, even for giant folks, and the rear seat is almost as accommodating. Coming into and exiting the ’50 is simple sufficient, thanks for a low step-in top and huge door openings.

On the highway, Mazda turbo followers are prone to be a bit of dissatisfied. The hybrid drivetrain doesn’t supply the top-end merging and passing energy that the CX-50 Turbo does, nonetheless, the hybrid powertrain does produce a helpful quantity of low-end torque, which serves properly in stop-and-go driving. Total, the hybrid drivetrain comfy out performs base CX-50 fashions, however doesn’t match turbocharged variations in general efficiency.

All that stated, the Toyota-supplied hybrid drivetrain is as clean and quiet as any Mazda setup. We particularly admire the slick engine cease/begin system, powertrain quietness, and clean energy supply. If Mazda was going to borrow a drivetrain from one other carmaker, this was an excellent one to choose.

The Mazda does, nonetheless, share the model’s usually sporty dealing with traits, and is enjoyable to hustle round corners or round freeway onramps. For no matter cause, the CX-50 Hybrid did appear to journey extra firmly than different CX-50 fashions we’ve pushed. We discovered general journey high quality to be superb, however would-be consumers are cautioned to be aware of the journey throughout a take a look at drive. We like issues a bit of on the sporty aspect, it’s possible you’ll not. For what it’s value, cabin quietness is nice for the category, and the Premium Plus’s commonplace audio system is superb.

In Client Information testing, our take a look at CX-50 returned a powerful 39 mpg, bettering the EPA estimate in comparatively routine suburban driving.

In case you wanted to pair one maker’s automobile with one other’s drivetrain, the CX-50 packed stuffed with Toyota hybrid goodness is a fairly good approach to go. We’re glad to see certainly one of Mazda’s finest crossovers benefit from the effectivity advantages of a confirmed hybrid system, whereas remaining the stylish and sharp-handling crossover we admire a lot. And none of this might have occurred if Mazda and Toyota weren’t so tight. It’s good to have pals.