The third-generation CX-5 will arrive in Australia mid-year with a sub-$40K entry price, a larger body, new tech and standard AWD – but no hybrid or turbo options.
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Australian details for the next-generation 2026 Mazda CX-5 – replacing the current nine-year-old model – have been confirmed ahead of local showroom arrivals mid-year.
Priced from $39,990 before on-road costs, the CX-5 is now limited to an all-wheel-drive 2.5-litre non-turbo petrol configuration, with the front-wheel-drive 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre discontinued, along with the all-wheel-drive 2.5-litre turbo.
A RAV4-rivalling petrol-electric hybrid CX-5 is set to follow in Australia in 2027 or 2028 with Mazda's new Skyactiv-Z technology, following its US launch next year.
At launch, the new-generation CX-5 will join the Renault Koleos, Skoda Karoq and Mahindra XUV700 as the only medium SUVs not from luxury brands that are currently sold without a mild-hybrid, hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric option.
It will be offered in five grades: Pure (replacing Maxx), Evolve (replacing Maxx Sport), Touring, GT SP and Akera.
Mazda says the third-generation CX-5's design is completely new inside and out, while it has made changes to "more than" 50 per cent of its longer, wider chassis compared with the outgoing model.
Measuring 4690mm long, 1860mm wide and 1695mm tall, with a 2815mm wheelbase, the new CX-5 has increased 115mm in length and wheelbase, and 15mm in width and height.
This has resulted in increased luggage space, more rear leg, knee and head room, larger door openings, and a wider rear door sill plate.
The CX-5 G25 Pure is $2750 dearer than the outgoing G20 Maxx but adds all-wheel drive and the larger 2.5-litre engine, previously requiring a step up to the $45,600 2025 G25 Touring AWD.
Newly standard features include a larger 12.9-inch infotainment touchscreen running new, touch-optimised software, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, eight speakers, dual-zone climate control, front parking sensors, and daytime running lights.
Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support has been removed from the entry-level CX-5 grade, with Pure buyers required to use a USB-C cable connection to use smartphone mirroring.
Due to Australia's newly-adopted Euro 6d emissions standard, the CX-5's familiar 'G25' 2.5-litre petrol engine – fitted to around 375,000 Mazda vehicles sold in Australia since 2012 – now develops 132kW and 242Nm, down from 140kW and 252Nm.
Combined fuel consumption is rated at 7.4 litres per 100 kilometres, while CO2 emissions have increased by one gram per kilometre to 173g/km.
The $42,990 G25 Evolve AWD – $2030 more than the outgoing FWD – adds heated front seats, a wireless smartphone charger, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, rear air vents, advanced keyless entry, auto-folding heated side mirrors, and a frameless auto-dimming rear-view mirror.
Native satellite navigation is not offered across the new CX-5 range, along with more advanced Google Assistant voice controls, due to its lack of Google built-in technology in Australia.
At $47,490, the G25 Touring is $1890 dearer than its 2025 all-wheel-drive counterpart, but gains new features, including a heated steering wheel, a windscreen de-icer, roof rails, and an electric tailgate.
A head-up display is now limited to the Touring grade and above, rather than standard across the CX-5 range, while steering wheel paddle shifters are now restricted to the range-topping Akera.
The GT SP has also lost its glass sunroof and hands-free function for its electric tailgate, while rear USB charging ports are not fitted to the Evolve and Touring – but were fitted in their 2025 equivalents – and the Touring also no longer includes signature headlight illumination.
New features for the $51,990 GT SP – up $1030 – include heated outboard rear seats, a surround-view camera and ambient interior lighting, but it loses the old model's black headlining and large-diameter exhaust tips.
Up $1840 over the 2025 model, the Akera adds a larger 15.6-inch touchscreen, ventilated front seats, a panoramic sunroof, a hands-free electric tailgate, paddle shifters, and a driver personalisation system.
However, the Akera now looks visually similar to the GT SP, going without the outgoing model's colour-matched exterior body cladding, bright alloy wheels and nappa leather upholstery.
For an extra $1000, Touring buyers can opt for white-and-black synthetic leather upholstery, while tan genuine leather upholstery is available for the GT SP and Akera, replacing their standard black finishes.
More than 320,000 CX-5s have been sold in Australia since it launched in 2012, while the brand recently celebrated the SUV's five millionth sale worldwide.
Mazda Australia said it expects to sell 25,000 CX-5s this year, with 4388 examples of the outgoing model reported as sold to the end of February, up 15.4 per cent amid run-out deals.
The 2026 Mazda CX-5 is now available to order, ahead of Australian showroom arrivals in the middle of the year.
2026 Mazda CX-5 price in Australia
Note: All prices above exclude on-road costs.
2026 Mazda CX-5 G25 Pure standard features:
2026 Mazda CX-5 G25 Evolve adds (over Pure):
2026 Mazda CX-5 G25 Touring adds (over Evolve):
2026 Mazda CX-5 G25 GT SP adds (over Touring):
2026 Mazda CX-5 G25 Akera adds (over GT SP):
2026 Mazda CX-5 available colours:
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Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
