2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid vs. Subaru Forester Hybrid: Which one stands out for efficiency?

2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus vs. 2025 Subaru Forester Touring Hybrid: Two crossovers that definitely needed an economy option.

This week: Mazda CX-50 Hybrid

Price: $41,470 as tested. No options on test vehicle.

Conventional wisdom: Car and Driver liked the “significant fuel-economy bump” that “doesn’t sacrifice much acceleration,” with the “same nice interior as the nonhybrid CX-50.” But they complained the “continuously variable automatic transmission saps fun, added weight hurts handling, tow rating suffers.”

Marketer’s pitch: “Refined performance to go farther and experience more.”

Reality: Only one of these hybrids really gets to be called “economical.”

What’s new: The whole thing, as far as the hybrid version is concerned. This is Mazda’s small SUV entrant, new for the 2023 model year, which sits perplexingly yet refreshingly in sort of the same spot as the more seasoned CX-5.

The CX-50 Turbo traveled with us to elk country in northwest Pennsylvania and made a delightful companion. So I’ve been curious how well the hybrid would do. Sadly, no similar cross-state journey was in the offing.

Competition: Honda CR-V Hybrid, Kia Sportage Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Toyota Crown Signia.

Up to speed: The CX-50 Hybrid is designed for efficiency, not for speed.

The vehicle is the only pure hybrid offered by Mazda and borrows Toyota’s hybrid system. Might as well borrow from the best.

The system creates 219 horsepower, which is more than the standard 2.5-liter engine. It adds a second to the turbo’s 0-60 times, though, taking 7.6 seconds, so it’s no rocket, according to Car and Driver. The vehicle felt spry in everyday ups and downs and zigs and zags, but pulling into heavy traffic required some thoughtful decision making.

Still, it outperforms the CX-70 PHEV, which offered a rough ride.

Shifty: The continuously variable transmission certainly seems to sap a lot of the oomph out of the powertrain, Car and Driver said. (I finished my experience before being led to the magazine’s conclusion, honest.) There are no gears, but you can shift the lever to your heart’s content — if your heart is contented to feel somewhat detached from the shifting process.

On the road: All CX-50s come with all-wheel drive, which helps the handling. The vehicle handles curves and country roads nicely enough, and highways are smooth as well. It’s not as sporty as some Mazda models, but it was a pleasant ride.

The drive modes are Power, Normal, and Trail. I found Trail offered the best feel for curves, but subtle were the differences.

Driver’s Seat: Part of that good feeling from the ride stems from the size and seating position. It all just feels easy to handle and see out of, and I was just marveling at the CX-50 the whole time I had it. Each version.

Gauges and dashboard information are easy to follow, and everything you need is right there in the main screen without fishing around. Steering wheel controls mimic the HVAC controls and make for easy setting.

Friends and stuff: The rear seat provides good comfort. Sturgis Kid 4.0 had the chance to ride there and found legroom, headroom, and foot room to be quite nice. The seat back offers one setting, so fortunately it’s in a nice position.

The console is intrusive, so middle passengers might not love it.

Cargo space is 29.2 cubic feet behind the rear seat and 56.3 when it’s folded.

In and out: The CX-50 sits at the ideal crossover height. Getting in and out poses no challenge at all, and this has been one reason the category has become so popular.

Play some tunes: The Bose 12-speaker audio system enhances the package, providing top-notch playback and clear audio, definitely a rare A+ rating. So many times I listened to my music and wondered where the previously unheard sections had been hidden.

Mazda’s BMW-esque knob and buttons remain, even though the short, wide 10.25-inch touchscreen offers another way to control and even as the premium brand loses its mind by phasing these controls out. The console buttons work so well that I hope Mazda never leaves this behind.

Keeping warm and cool: Mazda keeps the faith with its HVAC controls as well, with silver buttons that control all the fan’s speed and source functions and two knobs for temperature control. It’s simple and easy to pluck without looking.

Fuel economy: This was the final piece of the package, averaging 36 mpg through lots of different drivers. And this model requires 87 octane, unlike a lot of Mazdas that don’t provide their best until you buy them the high-octane nutrition.

Where it’s built: Huntsville Ala.

How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts the CX-50 Hybrid reliability to land in the middle of the pack.

Next week: How does the Subaru Forester Hybrid compare?