2023 Mazda CX-50 Yearlong Review: How Upscale Is a Loaded $44,000 CX-50, Really?

The CX-50 offers amber LED daytime running lights, like the hot-selling Kia Telluride three-row SUV used to. We lamented the loss of that design detail when the Telluride got a design update for 2023, but amber lights are still going strong on the CX-50 (and CX-30). Why focus so much on the color orange? Because even when it's applied in a boring straight line—as it is on the front of the CX-50—the change from standard white accent lights or old-car-yellow is refreshing. You could even consider the trendy detail a tiny elevation of automotive status. At night, it really does make it easy to spot a Mazda versus other vehicles on the road.

But wait, we're not done talking about lights. If you ever see a CX-50 on the road, watch how the turn signals gradually fade away instead of just turning off. These design details aren't going to send throngs of buyers Mazda's way, but it's a good start.

Another appreciable design flourish on every 2023 Mazda CX-50 is the clean dashboard layout. Focus on the center, where the infotainment screen sits at the top and work your way down. What you'll see—just as you will in other Mazdas—is restraint. There's a fair amount of space free of controls or screens of any kind. Although I don't love the dark plastic trim piece that fills a portion of this free space, overall, it's a premium look. There is one functional disadvantage, however: As a tall driver, I can't see whether the heated steering wheel button lower on the center stack of controls is illuminated.

Quilted leather defines the interiors of high-end Kia Sportage and Nissan Rogue SUVs, but you won't find that in the CX-50. Even on the top Premium Plus trim, what you find instead is some interesting, contrasting X-shaped stitching on the dash, and front doors, as well as the seats front and rear. The X-patterned leatherlike padding on the dash feels great to the touch, but this Terracotta interior color continues to feel more orange than the brown-like picture you see on Mazda's configurator (a more subtle interior option is available on this trim).

We're more partial to the more relaxed saddle color on the rival Subaru Forester Touring. Even if you aren't, consider whether you'd prefer the more traditional and nicely executed quilting on the similarly expensive Nissan Rogue Platinum.

Maybe you've explored the CX-50's accessories page and stopped at what Mazda calls Premium Carpet floormats. As of this writing, they're $150, and we recommend them for any buyer of a higher-priced CX-50 seeking to lean into this premium feel. They'll never give a Bentley a run for its carpet-thickness money, but they are thicker than the normal ones. Plus, the contrast stitching on the edges brings the entire interior look together.

Overall, materials quality inside is above average. Mazda does a good job of making almost every common touchpoint soft. Where the CX-50 could improve—and this criticism mostly applies to the higher-trim models above $40,000—is the trim around the center console. We've mentioned this shiny piano black trim a number of times and see different trim options on the CX-90. Of course, that three-row SUV retails at a higher price on average, but we have hope Mazda can get creative at the CX-50's price range, too. While Mazda's at it, maybe it can add some soft trim to line the edge of the center console.

Another could-improve item is with the CX-50's screens. Sure the 10.3-inch infotainment display could become a 12.3-inch unit, but we already appreciate that screen not just for its existing size and Apple CarPlay functionality, but also for the way it tilts toward the driver. This is a big deal; step into another car with a 12.3-inch screen, and if it's right in your face and angled toward the center rear passenger, it sometimes makes you wonder.

The real opportunity here is the 7.0-inch instrument cluster screen, which is surrounded by analog gauges. Many higher-trim competitors have already made this move, and it's one I appreciate for its future-tech appeal (consider someone coming out of a seven-year-old Toyota, and you'll get it). Hopefully, a 2025 or 2026 CX-50 can add this feature.

As for whether the driving experience measures up, it depends on what you want from an SUV, luxury or otherwise. The CX-50 follows the Mazda ethos of making fun-to-drive cars, no matter the segment. In this case, the fact that some luxury-branded SUVs would smoke the CX-50 Turbo to 60 mph isn't a good look, and the cabin could be quieter if you're the rare buyer actually comparing a loaded CX-50 to a genuine luxury SUV. However, the CX-50 inspires confidence on a canyon road, which is great; we just wish that at the same time, its ride were a bit softer and the steering weight lighter.

The 2023 Mazda CX-50 gets more right than it doesn't. With regard to $44,000 CX-50 Turbo Premium Plus models at the top of the lineup, the details and feature content justify the price, but you'll never mistake the overall package as originating from a luxury badge.

For More On Our Long-Term 2023 Mazda CX-50 Turbo: