A Mazda executive has confirmed the Toyota RAV4-rivalling CX-5 Hybrid, due in 2027, will offer performance "comparable to or exceeding" the current 2.5-litre turbo-petrol, a buyer favourite since its 2018 launch.
Family Cars
A turbocharged petrol engine might be missing from the new-generation 2026 Mazda CX-5 – but an executive has reportedly confirmed the full-hybrid model, due in 2027, will offer "comparable" power.
Mazda has confirmed the CX-5 will launch globally with a 2.5-litre non-turbo petrol – with or without 24-volt mild-hybrid technology, depending on the market – while its current 2.0-litre non-turbo, 2.5-litre turbo, and 2.2-litre twin-turbocharged diesel options will not be available.
It will be joined by a Toyota RAV4-rivalling CX-5 Hybrid in 2027, based around Mazda's new 'lean combustion' SkyActiv-Z engine family, with a similar level of performance to the current 2.5-litre turbo's 170kW and 420Nm – 38kW and 178Nm more than the non-turbo 2.5-litre in the new CX-5.
"The hybrid system will have performance that is comparable to or exceeding the turbo powertrain," Mazda North America vice president for strategic planning Stefan Meisterfeld said in an interview with CarBuzz.
The 'G35' 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine – matched to a six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission – debuted in the second-generation CX-9 a decade ago, before expanding to the CX-5 and Mazda 6 from 2018, along with the Mazda 3, CX-30, CX-50 and CX-8 overseas.
The current CX-5 is the last turbo-petrol four-cylinder Mazda vehicle available to order in Australia following the discontinuation of the Mazda 6 sedan and wagon earlier this year.
However, the executive said the 2.5-litre turbo will still be offered in North America in the Mazda 3 hatch and sedan, CX-30 small SUV and CX-50 mid-size SUV – all off-limits for local showrooms due to left-hand-drive-only production.
"We will continue to offer the turbo engine in models such as the CX-50 and CX-30," Meisterfeld added. "We will see what our customers want, and provide them the right vehicles."
The SkyActiv-Z engine set to debut in the CX-5 Hybrid – and likely to filter into other models, such as the Mazda 3, CX-30, and CX-3 successors – will use the lambda one combustion method, relating to an ideal air-fuel ratio of 1.0 in the combustion chamber.
In late 2024, Mazda said its new family of SkyActiv-Z engines – which will eventually replace its current 'SkyActiv-G' and 'SkyActiv-X' offerings – will offer "super lean burn combustion over a wide range from low to high rpm" and meet the latest emissions standards, including Euro 7 in Europe.
While the CX-5 Hybrid could offer a similar level of performance to the current turbo-petrol, it is likely to be far more fuel efficient, as the turbo is rated at 8.2 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle – compared to 4.8L/100km for a current Toyota RAV4 Hybrid or 5.3L/100km for a Hyundai Tucson Hybrid.
As it will be introduced in Australia after December 2025, the new CX-5 will need to meet the more stringent Euro 6 emissions standard – compared to today's Euro 5 requirement – while the brand also needs to take into account the Federal Government's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) enforced from July 1, 2025.
Until the CX-5 Hybrid arrives, Mazda Australia is likely to point family SUV shoppers looking for a more powerful model towards the rear-wheel-drive-biased CX-60 'G40e', which has a 209kW/450Nm 3.3-litre turbocharged 48-volt mild-hybrid inline-six petrol engine.
Officially, the six-cylinder CX-60 petrol is more efficient than the CX-5 turbo, at 7.4L/100km and 174g/km compared to 8.2L/100km and 191g/km.
The CX-60 is also offered with a 187kW/550Nm inline-six 'D50e' diesel or a 241kW/500Nm 2.5-litre petrol 'P50e' plug-in hybrid, while a base four-cylinder non-turbo petrol – similar to the CX-5 – is due later this year.
An application of Mazda's in-house full-hybrid system is under consideration for its 'Large Platform' vehicles, including the CX-60, CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90, but it is unclear if they would be based around a four-cylinder or six-cylinder engine.
The Mazda CX-5 Hybrid will launch globally in 2027 – at least 12 months after the standard petrol model – with Australian sales confirmed to battle the RAV4 and other electrified models, such as the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage.
Family Cars Guide
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.
