2024 Mazda CX-50 Review: The Mazda CX-5 Grows Up

Mazda is responsible for some of the most beloved sports cars, race cars, and powertrains to ever hit the pavement. While enthusiast cars have helped put Mazda on the map, and in the hearts of sports car fans around the world, crossovers sell. It only makes sense for Mazda to take its popular CX-5 and give it a slightly larger alternative. That’s exactly what the CX-50 brings to the table. The bones of the CX-5 stick around, but the larger shell comes with a longer wheelbase and slightly heavier curb weight. Powering this CX-50 is the same powerplant you’ll find under the CX-5’s hood. All CX-50s pack 2.5-liter I4s under the hood. Base powerplants breathe naturally and send 187 hp and 186 lb-ft of torque. Mazda also offers a turbocharged version of this 2.5-liter I4, which cranks the power to 227 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque with 87 octane fuel, or 256 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque with 93 octane gasoline.
On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the ’24 Mazda CX-50 and puts it through its paces. Wren walks you around the CX-50 and highlights some of his favorite features. Later in the show, Wren takes you along for a live drive review of this CX-50. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek’s executive editor Tom Murphy about the CX-50, where it sits in the pantheon of crossovers, and how it stacks up to the competition. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2024 Mazda CX-50 special.