Mazda CX-50 is a new SUV with a rough edge

The Mazda CX-50 is an SUV that is not very easy to place. The name of the car suggests that it is the successor to the CX-5, but that is not the case. The CX-50 is an extension of Mazda’s SUV range that uses the technology of the CX-5.

Mazda CX-50

Mazda’s new SUV is immediately recognizable as Mazda, although the model seems less round than you are used to from cars of the brand due to various design elements, including the relatively angular wheel arches and the lighting all around. The interior follows that line. Although it has a fairly minimalist design, like the cars like the Mazda 3, things like the vertically oriented ventilation grilles at the corners make for a less ‘classic’ look.

Under the hood of the CX-50 is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder turbo engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, though that’s all Mazda says about that machine. The CX-5 is available in the United States with a 2.5 turbo that produces about 255 hp and 434 Nm. The standard four-wheel drive CX-50 will eventually also be available with electrified powertrains. There is, for example, a hybrid variant in the barrel.

Mazda CX-50

Unfortunately, there is also less good news. The rugged cousin of the CX-50 is not on the market in Europe, Mazda says it has developed the model for the American market. Still, you can set your sights on a new Mazda SUV. Next year, the brand will launch two new SUVs in Europe: the CX-60 and the CX-80. The first will be a five-seater, the CX-80 will also be available as a seven-seater. These SUVs will be placed on a new and basically rear-wheel drive platform and will be available with a plug-in hybrid powertrain and with six-cylinder (!) petrol engines. Don’t be surprised if certain design elements of this CX-50 will find their way to the CX-60 and CX-80 next year in some form.