The All-New 2023 Mazda CX-50 Revealed

• The CX-50 will offer a hybrid powertrain in the near future.

• It was designed specifically for North American drivers.

• It will be built at a new factory in Alabama and be available next spring.

Mazda is a small-volume mass-market automaker. Its recent focus however has been on increasing sales, especially in North America. Of all the roughly 410,000 Mazda vehicles sold globally last year, nearly 300,000 were delivered here. And guess what, nearly all of them were SUVs. This explains why Mazda is heavily focused on SUVs and the all-new CX-50 will be the first of a new generation of SUVs to come.

The outdoor crossover

The new 2023 CX-50 is what happens when Mazda combines all of its abilities into one vehicle. It was designed to engage the outdoors without focusing specifically on off-roading or urban settings. It has a long and sleek profile, with an undeniable rugged outlook. This iteration of Mazda’s Kodo design language will go down as the most appreciated, at least in Canada and the US.

The CX-50’s haunches are flared, the SUV is broad, powerful, and full of intent. Its track is extremely wide delivering both a sense of stability and strength. The bumpers feature large openings which further increase the CX-50’s on-road presence. Part and parcel to all this could be explained by the fact that every image of the CX-50 during the presentation has it wearing a roof rack. Was this done to increase the vehicle’s height?

Even so, this multi-purpose outdoor adventure car was conceived to do it all. In fact, the rear doors open wide and simplify access to the roof rack. Mazda stated that they will offer a range of accessories for the CX-50 in the near future. One could be all-terrain tires as, at one point, the CX-50 is seen rolling on some.

A very Mazda interior

All modern Mazda vehicles have a clean and spartan cabin. This will be the case with the new 2023 CX-50. The driver-focused cockpit is a proper representation of Mazda’s jinba ittai driving philosophy. All controls are on a horizontal line and well within the driver’s reach. The look is clean, unobstructed, and truly premium.

New for the CX-50 is a Terra Cotta interior colour and, for the first time, a panoramic moonroof will be available.

SkyActiv-G power to start

Powering the 2023 Mazda CX-50 will be a well-known pair of petrol 2.5-litre engines. While output numbers were not shared, one will be naturally aspirated while the other will be turbocharged. We can safely assume that it will share the CX-5’s powertrains. Both engines are fitted to a 6-speed automatic transmission. There will be a selection of electrified powertrains including a hybrid option in the near future.

Mazda took more time to describe their drive modes or their Mazda Intelligent Drive Modes. There are four modes including Sport, Normal, Off-Road, and Towing. The latter compensates for the tongue weight by reprogramming the G-vectoring system to maintain dynamics.

The Off-Road mode manages everything via ABS brakes, AWD system, and transmission intelligently. The mode intelligently figures out how much traction each wheel has and sorts out the best strategy to move forward.

The all-new Mazda CX-50 will begin production in January.  It will take place at the jointly-operated-with-Toyota new assembly plant in Huntsville, Alabama. This plant began assembling the Toyota Corolla Cross back in August. Toyota holds a 5.1% stake in Mazda.