Join John and Richard Rush as they dive into the features and dynamics of the 2026 Mazda CX-50. Discover what sets this compact SUV apart with its unique combination of luxury aesthetics and budget-friendly pricing. Learn about the latest updates for the 2026 model year including the advanced safety aids, the new trim structure, and the exciting new interior options.
And it’s that time of the week where we do our car reviews. We replay these on Saturdays for Drive Radio as well. So it’s our combination Rush to Reason slash Drive Radio segment. Richard, what have you driven lately?
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, Dad. So drove, actually driving it right now. And it’s a nice little, I guess, kind of, I’m going to call it a compact SUV. It might be slightly above that. So forgive me if I’m wrong here. 2026 Mazda CX-50. This is the Turbo S. Or the Turbo Premium Plus model, which is kind of the top-level trim that you can get. It’s got advanced safety aids, you know, 360-degree camera system. It’s got some different interior options if you want it. However you want to do this, you know, however you kind of want to make this vehicle out, you have the ability to do so. What’s new for 2026? is a new trim structure, which includes a base 2.5 turbo trim. You have a Meridian Edition, which kind of gives you some different options, as we always talk about. You’ve got some gloss black Mazda emblems and badges, and a new white interior option on this Turbo Premium Plus that I have. Unfortunately, we don’t have that. We just have kind of your, I guess, prototypical black, but it still looks great. And, Dad, as you and I have talked about multiple times on the Mazda side of things, these vehicles really are phenomenal right they look and feel like a luxury suv without the associated price tag which speaking of price let’s kind of get to it dad this actually has a very rare at least from the information i can gather price decreased from 2025 to 2026. okay now that may be depending on a lot of different factors so don’t hold that hold me true to that in every case But I think it’s down about $600, at least from my research, that’s kind of what it indicates. And so, again, and some people are going to say, all I say is this, folks, very rarely are you seeing prices staying the same or decreasing. And so if that happens, we’re going to kind of make note of it. As far as vehicles, Dad, again, we’ve kind of talked about this with a lot of other models, but the CX-50 ranges anywhere from just under $30,000, Dad, to this Turbo Premium Plus, right? which is about $42,900. And with some of the options on this, this is about $45,000. Fuel economy, $23,000 and $29,000 for an average of $25,000. And like I said, this has got the 2.5-liter twin-scroll turbocharger, 227 horsepower. 310 pound feet of torque in it’s got 20 inch wheels i could kind of sit here and talk about it all day it does have an all-wheel drive system on it which does matter here in colorado dad with it being kind of this mid i guess this compact suv midsize suv depending on where you want to kind of put it in that scale i think that matters because honestly dad you can pretty much go anywhere with this vehicle um it’s it’s not overly large that you have a trouble you’re kind of you know Parking it or fitting it into a garage space or whatever it might be. But I do like its size in that it’s not, I guess, kind of a mini SUV, if that makes sense, right? It’s not the super small SUVs out there where it feels like you’re kind of driving just a taller sedan. This one actually has a little bit of muscle, a little bit of oomph behind it. It does lack a little bit of cargo space just in terms of metrics, right, kind of a specification and that side of things. It does lack that a little bit. But for the most part, it’s a really, really, I think, kind of spacious interior, at least on the second row and the first row. I was able to fit two booster seats in this, able to get three kids depending on how you kind of apportion it. It’s not going to get three seats. in the second row, right? It’s going to have a little bit of, I guess, more flexibility or not as much flexibility in that as some larger SUVs. But again, it’s kind of in that segment. That’s that mid-sized.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, I think they call it a crossover. And really quick, I want to add for folks listening and for you listening to a review on down the road, this is, of course, we’re doing this review in the early part of January. Right now, they have got 0.9 financing for 72 months on that car, which makes it a really good deal.
SPEAKER 02 :
a fantastic do that. And that’s a great point. And again, folks, we kind of talked about this at the end of reviews, but I’m going to note it really quick, kind of in the middle of this, which is, If you have not been in a Mazda in a while, I would highly encourage you to do so just because of the buttons, the apportionments, that how they lay out their infotainment screen, how they lay out their steering wheel control. There’s subtle things. We actually kind of talked about, you know, subtle things in the last segment, but in terms of a car, dad, there’s some subtle things that you probably don’t even think of in a car. But if I were to take away the badging of this, which you inside of it, I don’t know how many of, anyone, Dad, would be able to say, hey, well, this is a Mazda for sure, right? Unless your car guys, like us, drive lots of cars. It just has a lot of great features for the money, in our opinion, and I think it looks great. And like you said, Dad, mazda has some great financing i think i’m trying to pull up here as far as their warranty and stuff goes i actually think they have some really great warranties on their vehicle right now which again is kind of something that you need to do in today’s day and age is trust people so outside of that though i will say driving and that’s what in our altitude dad we’ve talked about it before that turbo is a really nice feature right it helps you get up into traffic without you know feeling like you’re lagging you’re not having to put the the pedal to the floor all the time. And folks, you understand what I’m talking about, especially if you’ve got maybe a vehicle that’s heavy or whatever it might be. Maybe you kind of get in traffic at times. Man, I just need to get up and go. Otherwise, I feel like I’m going to get run over. This does not have that. Drives well. Again, all of those advanced safety features, the 360-degree camera system, that especially, again, with kids, being able to see those bikes that are in front of you to the side of you that maybe your kid dropped on the way in, whatever it is. a great vehicle, great value. And honestly, I would say, as we just talked about, encourage people to get out and test drive these vehicles. Like you said, early January of 2026 right now, encourage you to get to the lot, test drive this, because this may be a vehicle that you say, wow, I can see myself in this. Maybe not now, but maybe even a few years from now, as we always say. And when you do that, when you head to your local Mazda dealer, let them know that John and Richard Rush from Drive Radio and Rush to Reason sent you.
SPEAKER 01 :
This is John Rush from Rush to Reason and Drive Radio. Thank you so much for listening. Check out more of our podcasts at RushToReason.com or Drive-Radio.com.
