Next month will bring us the real deal.
Rumours about a Mazda CX-50 surfaced in July 2020. However, the gossip was only partial. Although a CX-50 was confirmed earlier in the month, it wasn’t as a replacement for the CX-5. It will instead be an addition to the range, a larger and more spacious option to the CX-5, just like the CX-30.
Partially-revealing patent images of the CX-50 were made public last week. Someone with Photoshop skills was able to quickly turn them into renderings. The digital drawings from Kolesa provide a good idea of what to expect when the real thing arrives, which will be made public next month.
We are not sure that Mazda will make any big changes to its exterior design, but we have the impression that it will look more like a CX-5 variant. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as we still find the Kodo design language quite attractive. However, we prefer it in an SUV over a sedan. But that’s just our personal taste.
Mazda is currently working on a range of rear-wheel-drive SUVs that will be powered by inline-six gasoline or diesel engines, as well as plugs-in hybrid powertrains. However, the CX-50 isn’t on this list. The CX-60 to CX-90 are part of what Zoom-Zoom calls the “Large Product Group”, while the CX-50 belongs to the “Small Product Group”.
It will be mechanically related to the Mazda3 and CX-30, meaning it will utilize the same front-wheel-drive-based platform with available AWD. Given the larger vehicle’s weight and increased footprint, it is likely that the turbocharged 2.5-liter gasoline motor will be used. The engine could produce the same 250 horsepower and 320 pound feet (434 Newton-meters), if it is running on 93-octane gasoline.
The US-exclusive CX-50 will go into production at the new factory Mazda, Toyota in Huntsville, Alabama, after its November debut. It is not clear what the price will be, but the base engine, 186-hp, with FWD, is $25,370. The CX-30 is $1,260 less expensive than the CX-3, just to give you an idea of the price difference.