2023 Mazda CX-50 Turbo Premium Plus – A Fresh Face From Mazda

The 2023 Mazda CX-50 Turbo Premium Plus is the latest vehicle to join Mazda’s lineup for 2023. The SUV is a well-equipped and, dare we say, swanky take on the compact crossover design, thus taking on rivals like the RAV4, Hyundai Tucson and Nissan Rogue. 

Though Mazda has introduced a fresh face in the form of the CX-50, it still shares the platform with its subcompact brethren, the CX-30 crossover, and also the Mazda 3, which is why it handles just as nimbly despite being larger. However, this time around, the styling is more rugged, and thus a departure from the other upscale design we’re used to seeing from the auto manufacturer. 

Driving Experience 

The 2023 Mazda CX-50 Turbo Premium Plus boasts some impressive stats on paper. The 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine comes packed with an impressive 256 HP. This is mated with an all-wheel drive, six-speed automatic transmission delivering crisp handling, which we’ve come to expect from the automaker in recent years. 

Our initial driving tests impressed us, mainly because of how well the steering was tuned to accuracy while still delivering the joy of driving, something that not many modern SUVs and crossovers can claim to do. In fact, we’d go so far as to say that the CX-50 Turbo Premium Plus will give the RAV4 a run for its money in every way imaginable. 

Interior Comfort 

While the CX-50 may not feel as spacious as the RAV4, the front row is much more generous, with plenty of leg and headroom. In addition, the seats are well padded, premium feeling pieces of engineering that caught us off guard. 

Scoot on over to the second row, and these seats are roomy too. This means you can easily seat two 6-footers without worrying about them needing to stretch their legs every 15 minutes. 

The premium feeling of the CX-50 carries over to the large 20-inch wheels, which add a touch of aggressiveness to an already rugged design. However, they also serve the purpose of absorbing minor road imperfections, which we felt when driving the rival RAV4. 

Our only gripe is that the CX-50 lets in some road noise. However, that’s easily remedied by the excellent infotainment system with its 10.3-inch display, controlled with old-fashioned buttons and knobs to turn up the volume of your favorite tracks. As expected, there is support for Apple CarPlay, which in our experience, is easily connected. 

Final Word 

The 2023 Mazda CX-50 Turbo Premium Plus offers solid value for anyone shopping for an excellent compact crossover that boasts all the modern features they ever wanted but didn’t cost them a pretty penny. The CX-50 we tested drove like a charm, is packed with premium materials and gives pricier vehicles like the Honda CR-V, RAV4, and Tucson a run for their money, all of which are less powerful vehicles and lack in interior quality. Thus, the CX-50 is the subcompact crossover to beat in 2023.