Mazda CX-50: Petrol, hybrid RAV4 rival ruled out for Australia

Mazda’s chunky-looking mid-sized CX-50 crossover, which will soon offer a hybrid powertrain, has been ruled out for Australia.

Sized similarly to the current CX-5, which entered production back in 2016, the CX-50 started rolling off the production line in the US in 2022. It’s also now produced in China by the Changan Mazda joint venture.

Though it occupies the same segment as the CX-5, Mazda continues to sell the two vehicles in tandem in markets like North America and China.

When asked whether the CX-50 will replace the CX-5 in Australia, Mazda Australia marketing director Alastair Doak replied, “No.”

“Senior management at Mazda Corporation have confirmed there is a new generation of CX-5 in development and it will come to Australia obviously,” he said.

Mr Doak also ruled out the introduction of the CX-50 as a complementary model for our market, a strategy it has previously employed with the CX-8 and CX-9 and will soon do with the CX-60 and CX-70 two-row and CX-80 and CX-90 three-row SUVs.

“CX-50, we’ve obviously expressed interest in that but it’s not available to us. It’s built in Huntsville, Alabama and it’s only in left-hand drive,” he said.

“It’s not available to us. If it was, would we be interested? Absolutely. But we haven’t really done any formal, in-depth study of the potential for that car other than we think it would work at a high level, but it’s not available to us.”

The CX-50 measures 4719mm long, 1920mm wide and 1623mm tall on a 2814mm wheelbase.

That makes it 144mm longer, 75mm wider but 52mm lower than the CX-5, on a 114mm longer wheelbase.

In addition to its longer, lower, wider proportions, it has bulging fenders for a more muscular look than the CX-5.

Like the CX-5, it’s offered with a choice of naturally aspirated and turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder engines.

But while the CX-5 has no hybrid option to fend off electrified rivals from Toyota and Nissan, the CX-50 was recently revealed with a hybrid powertrain… from Toyota, no less.

Available with either front- or all-wheel drive, the CX-50 hybrid uses a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mated with either one or two electric drive motors and an electronic continuously variable transmission (e-CVT).

On its own the petrol motor makes the same 131kW (5700rpm) and 221Nm (3600-5200) as the engine in the RAV4 Hybrid, and its electric motor has the same 88kW/202Nm outputs.

AWD versions add a smaller 40kW/121Nm on the rear axle, which again matches the specs of the RAV4 AWD Hybrid. Claimed fuel consumption based on Chinese regulatory testing is quoted between 5.1-5.6L/100km.

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