2025 Mazda’s CX-5 Lives On After CX-50 Arrives - Still Brand’s Top Seller

About 31 months ago, the very first Mazda CX-50 crossover wagon rolled off the production floor and headed toward its new owner’s home. The CX-50 is nearly identical in interior space and cargo volume to the CX-5, which has long been the Brand’s top-selling vehicle in America. When the CX-50 debuted, many fans, noting the new model code, assumed that this was the end of the much-loved CX-5. Mazda said the CX-5 would live on, but one can never really be certain. Now we know that the CX-50 was not a planned replacement for the CX-5.

Mazda announced the prices of the CX-5 and CX-50 for model year 2025 this week. The CX-5 continues forward in its eighth model year since a major refresh. That’s old in this industry. Most models enter a new generation about every five years or so, though not always. Specialty cars like Miatas go quite a bit longer. And models that are pointed towards being sunsetted often run long in their last generation. Hmm.

If the CX-5 is here for the indefinite future, it may be due to Mazda's false marketing of the CX-50. The CX-5 was never intended to be an off-pavement SUV, and it was never marketed as such, at least as far as this Mazda reporter is aware. By contrast, Mazda has marketed the CX-50 as an off-pavement vehicle, even giving it a special trim, the Meridian, with all-terrain(ish) tires. The thing is, there is not a single feature, aside from those tires on one trim, that makes the CX-50 better off-pavement than a CX-5. Even the ground clearance is within a fraction of an inch from one model to the other. While the comparison to the Subaru Outback is certainly valid, Mazda has nothing like Subaru’s Wilderness trim in its CX-50 trimline.

Sales is a funny word. One never really knows if the “sales” of a vehicle are reflective of buyer preference or simply what dealers are given to sell. What we do know is that after 31 months of availability, the CX-5 “outsells” the CX-50 in America by literally two to one. Or Mazda delivers twice as many CX-5s as it does CX-50s. Take your pick.

The great news is that Mazda continues to offer both. The Mazda shopper now has a choice of three, two-row crossovers with virtually identical powertrain offerings in the CX-30, CX-50, and CX-5. Each has its own design style, while maintaining the general look of a Mazda.

Will the CX-5 remain into 2026 and at some point enter a new generation? It’s never a sure thing, but it would be very hard to envision Mazda killing off its top seller to "replace it" with a model generating literally half the delivery volume. 
 

If you'd like to add a comment under this story, please note that our comments section has returned and is in bold red at the bottom of the page.

John Goreham is an experienced New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on Linkedin and follow his work at our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ Grammarly grammar and punctuation software when proofreading. 

Image Mazda CX-5 and CX-50 by John Goreham