Buy the new Mazda CX-5 if you want the extra cabin space, newer technology and a current five-star ANCAP rating; look at a late previous-generation car if you want to spend less, prefer simpler physical controls, or specifically want a turbo or front-wheel-drive model the new range no longer offers. For most families keeping a car for years, the new CX-5 is the better buy, but a well-specified, low-kilometre old example is not a bad fallback.
This is a driving and new-versus-old verdict for Australian buyers, not a grade-by-grade shopping list. Official list prices, equipment and running costs for every new grade are in our Mazda CX-5 price guide.
How the new CX-5 drives
Reviews of the new car, including old-versus-new comparisons and a mid-spec Touring test published this week, keep coming back to the same point: the chassis and suspension are still among the best in the medium SUV class, and the cabin feels solidly built. The new car is also a little more eager off the line than the numbers suggest, because Mazda has sharpened the throttle response.
The trade-off is grunt once you are already moving. Testers say the drop in official power is hard to notice around town, but the CX-5 can feel short of puff when you need a clean overtake or a quick rise in speed on a faster road. That is the main dynamic complaint, and it is why some reviews suggest waiting for the hybrid if performance is high on your list.
Space, technology and everyday use
This is where the new car pulls ahead most clearly. Official figures put it at 4,690 mm long, 1,860 mm wide and 1,695 mm tall, with a 2,815 mm wheelbase and a 466-litre boot. That is 115 mm longer and 15 mm wider than the old CX-5, with a 115 mm longer wheelbase and 28 litres more luggage space, plus a claimed 1,594 litres with the rear seats folded. In the cabin, that shows up as more knee and head room and easier door openings.
The interior is also more modern, with larger displays and more software features. The downside, and it is a real one, is that Mazda has moved more everyday functions onto the touchscreen and taken away some of the old car’s useful physical controls. Reviews also note that built-in satellite navigation has gone. If you dislike hunting through menus while you drive, that is a genuine reason to prefer a late previous-generation car.
Engine, fuel and what you no longer get
Every new Australian CX-5 uses the same 2.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, a six-speed automatic and all-wheel drive. Official outputs are 132 kW and 242 Nm on regular 91-octane fuel, or 138 kW and 257 Nm on 95-octane, with combined fuel use of 7.4 L/100 km. The old G25 made 140 kW and 252 Nm, so the new car is down on paper on regular unleaded, even if 95-octane closes most of that gap.
The new range is also narrower. There is no 2.0-litre entry engine, no front-wheel-drive grade and no 2.5-litre turbo. Braked towing falls from 2,000 kg on the old G25 and turbo to 1,800 kg, and only with a Mazda genuine towing kit. Official combined fuel use is unchanged from the old G25 all-wheel-drive figure, so you are not buying a more economical petrol engine.
A conventional hybrid is still coming, but Mazda Australia has not set a launch date. A plug-in hybrid is not planned for the CX-5 here; Mazda is pointing those buyers to the CX-60 plug-in hybrid and the electric CX-6e. We have covered both the decision to rule out a CX-5 plug-in hybrid and the lack of a local hybrid timing separately.
Price, safety and the buying call
The new CX-5 is $39,990 to $54,990 before on-road costs across Pure, Evolve, Touring, GT SP and Akera. The Touring, the grade most reviewers are driving, is $47,490, compared with $45,100 for the last previous-generation Touring all-wheel-drive list price, a rise of $2,390. Other grades are also dearer than their closest old counterparts, though every new car now includes all-wheel drive, which inflates some of those gaps against older front-wheel-drive models. Where the CX-5 sits against the rest of Mazda’s SUV line-up is covered in our Mazda SUV range guide.
Safety is a cleaner win for the new car. All grades have a five-star ANCAP rating under the 2025 testing protocol, including a 93 per cent vulnerable road user score, with the rating applying from June 2026 sales and expiring in December 2031. The previous generation no longer carries a current ANCAP rating, because its earlier five-star result has expired.
So the call is fairly simple. Choose the new CX-5 if this will be a long-term family car and you want the extra room, the newer cabin and a safety rating that is current. Choose a carefully checked, late previous-generation example if the new car’s price, softer engine or touchscreen-heavy cabin puts you off, or if you specifically want the old turbo. Drive both if you can, and do not wait for a plug-in CX-5 that is not coming.
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