2026 Mazda CX-5

I am a married 28 yr old with a dog, no kids so this review may not be for everyone. However, I absolutely love this car and intend to fit at least 1-2 kids in it when the time comes. There are 2 exposed lower anchors on each outboard seat which is great! Moving on to why I love this car. It has every single bell and whistle you can ever need and then some. What sold me was the leather seats as I have a high energy dog that I take to the park every day so I needed something easy to clean. An added bonus that both the front and back seats are heated, front seats also have ventilation and 3 USB-C chargers throughout the car. The 2026 full redesign also sold me because the exterior is almost giving BMW on a budget. The 15.9 inch screen for the premium plus trim is also a plus with Bluetooth Apple CarPlay. I love the large screen but I know it’s not for everyone. It’s great on gas for the size of the car, has blind spot monitoring, auto lane change while using cruise control, ambient lighting when your headlamps are on and a panoramic sun roof. The trunk space is amazing and all the second row seats fold flat. Another thing to note is the doors do go to 90 degrees which I love and I know is also a game change when taking kids in and out of the car. I can’t speak from experience on this part but I think this would be a good contender if you want luxury on a budget with 1-2 kids only.

I owned this car while I had my first baby, the car never felt ‘small’ until we had our baby in his rear facing seat. It got extremely cramped, very fast. This car was very reliable though, the only issue I experienced during owning this car for 4 years was an issue with the screen technology.

Before I became a mom, I loved my Cx-5! It’s a great size, great gas mileage, and checked all my boxes. However, it is extremely cramped even with one rear-facing kid. My son rode in a Chicco Keyfit 30 for the first year, and has since swapped to a Chicco Fit 360. While I know both are on the large side, our research showed even a small car seat would struggle to make our lives more comfortable in the CX-5. It is just not big enough in the interior for rear facing kids and tall people (I’m 5’3, husband is 5’9). We make it work with just one kid but will likely end up needing to get something bigger before we have a second. If you’re one and done, or don’t have rear facing kids, the CX-5 is a fantastic choice!!! We have put 130,000 on it in the 5 years we have had it and only one major repair (timing seal leak) a few months ago. Even my 2018 is loaded with modern tech and feels sleek and luxe inside. However, we are only one year into having little kids and plan to have more, so this car likely will no longer fit our needs in the near future. I will definitely shed tears when it’s time for her to go!

We are a one and done family in NYC and the CX-5 has been great - I see us keeping it for a very long time. The smaller size makes it easier to park and I see them all around our neighborhood in Brooklyn. When it's just our family of three, there's ample room. And when I'm driving it solo, I love it! I think it's super cute, the tech is great, it's easy and fun to drive. The only time it isn't great is when we have grandparents in the car - four adults and a carseat is a TIGHT fit and not super comfortable. Plus, no ceiling vents in the back so if can get hot. If you're often just a family of three I'd absolutely recommend. If you're thinking about a larger family, it might not be right for you.

Lots of cargo room & good space in the back for 1 kid. Fuel economy and drive are just okay in my opinion.

Do not purchase this car if you need car seats, especially backwards facing! No space in the second row