If you’re looking for a “cheap” 2025 Mazda CX-5, a familiar trim returns.
New car shopping has been a fairly expensive prospect these days, especially if you’re shopping in hotly competitive segments like compact crossovers. Automakers have been removing more affordable base trims from their lineups, effectively hiking the entry-level price tag like the Mazda CX-5 did for the 2024 model year. Yet here we are several months later, and the company is doing an about-face: Reintroducing its S trim (with no special affixes like ‘Select’ or ‘Premium Plus’) for 2025.
Why? Well, when you look at the new $29,990 price tag, the reasoning becomes all too clear. Even with the company’s $1,420 destination fee — which, like the latest CX-50, is up $45 from last year — the 2025 Mazda CX-5 S now starts at $29,990. That rollback pricing lets Mazda market the CX-5 as an option that “starts under $30,000”, although it’s extremely unlikely you’ll ever see one on dealer lots.
That said, the 2025 Mazda CX-5 S does come decently well equipped for the money. You still get radar cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a 10.25-inch infotainment display, USB-C ports up front, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support (though it is wired here), LED headlights and rain-sensing wipers, all as standard equipment. As has been Mazda’s way for the past few years, as well, the base S still gets standard all-wheel drive, too.
Even though the entry price is now functionally lower, Mazda is indeed hiking prices across most of the 2025 CX-5 range, with one notable exception. The S Select and Preferred increase by $645 to $31,320 and $32,670 respectively, while the Carbon Edition goes up $695 to $34,020 (this is for the naturally aspirated version). Turbo trims, on the other hand, all go up by $45 to $38,420 for the Carbon Turbo, $39,220 for the Turbo Premium and $42,020 for the top-end Turbo Signature.
The key difference is the trim that’s right smack in the middle: the $36,620 S Premium Plus. It’s the top-end non-turbo model, and it’s actually $1,255 less than it was last year. Mazda did drop the S Premium trim that sat between the Carbon and the Premium Plus, so this price reduction reduces the shock up taking that one step up from the Carbon Edition, while also baking in more features for the money. For 2025, the S Premium Plus gets a 360-degree camera setup and rear parking sensors.
Powertrain options remain the same as ever for the 2025 Mazda CX-5. A 2.5-liter, naturally aspirated four-cylinder kicks off the lineup, putting out 187 horsepower and 186 lb-ft of torque. Stepping up to the turbocharged version bumps the power up to 256 horsepower and gives you a healthy torque boost, up to 320 lb-ft. Unlike the CX-50, though, no hybrid version is available here. While four premium colors remain available, there are no new options in the palette for 2025, sadly.
The 2025 Mazda CX-5 is available to configure on the automaker’s retail website right now. Most of our latest CX-5 review applies (you can check that out below), barring the trim changes and the fact that the model is, in fact, still here for 2025: