One of the more unique lineups in the SUV market comes from Mazda, which offers a pair of compact SUVs — the CX-5 and CX-50. For the past 15 years, the CX-5 has been a huge seller for Mazda, and the CX-50 is a newer addition to the lineup starting in 2023.

Differences between the two vehicles include design elements, size, tech setup, engine offerings, and level of off-road capability.

I recently spent some time behind the wheel of a 2026 Mazda CX-50 (a 2.5 Turbo Meridian Edition), which mostly carries over from the 2025 model year. 

Read on to find out how it stacks up against the busy competition in the compact SUV market (Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Tucson, Ford Escape and many more), as well as its in-house Mazda competition.