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The 2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus.

Courtesy photo

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Inside the 2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus.

Courtesy photo

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The 2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus.

Courtesy photo

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The 2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus.

Courtesy photo

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The 2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus.

Courtesy photo

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The 2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus.

Courtesy photo

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The 2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus.

Courtesy photo

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As spring turns into summer, we had the pleasure of getting behind the wheel of the updated 2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus — Mazda’s first hybrid offering in its adventure-focused CX-50 lineup — and what a week it turned out to be. With its sleek exterior, fuel-sipping performance and luxurious interior appointments, the CX-50 Hybrid proved to be a near-perfect companion for both daily errands and any weekend escape.

Mazda is known for building vehicles that are as fun to drive as they are nice to look at, and the CX-50 continued with that legacy — this time with the added benefit of a highly efficient hybrid powertrain. Over our week with the vehicle, we averaged an impressive 39.9 miles per gallon, which made everywhere we went feel even better.

A classy daily driver

The bulk of our time with the CX-50 Hybrid was spent navigating our usual routine around Utah Valley. From Springville to Orem and everywhere in between, the Mazda handled commutes, errands and dinner outings with the kind of comfort and sophistication you might expect in a much more expensive SUV.

Craig used the CX-50 to commute to work several days during the week, and he found it to be smooth, quiet and surprisingly refined for an SUV aimed at adventure seekers. The hybrid system paired with the 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine made acceleration seamless with power delivery being quite spritely, especially around town. What impressed us most was how natural the transition between gas and electric power felt — Mazda’s tuning on this hybrid was top-notch.

The Premium Plus trim came loaded with high-end features like ventilated front seats, a panoramic moonroof, a 12-speaker Bose audio system and a full suite of driver-assistance technologies. It felt more like we were driving a luxury vehicle than a midsize crossover.

Dinner and plants, please

One evening, we decided to take the CX-50 out for a date night dinner in downtown Provo. We always appreciate a vehicle that can clean up nicely for a night out, and the Mazda’s Ingot Blue Metallic paint, sleek LED lighting and black 20-inch wheels made it look like it belonged in a valet line.

Inside, the rich Terracotta leather upholstery and contrast stitching set a warm, upscale tone. The seats were extremely comfortable, and we quickly synced our phones via wireless Apple CarPlay for some soft jazz on the way to the restaurant. Parking was a breeze with the 360-degree camera system and front and rear parking sensors — always a plus in the downtown Provo area.

The next morning, it was off to Home Depot to pick up a fresh haul of plants for our flowerbeds and garden boxes. With the rear seats folded down, the CX-50 Hybrid offered plenty of space to load up everything we needed — bags of soil, flats of petunias and marigolds and a few tomato plants for good measure. The hands-free power liftgate came in very handy as we juggled carts and garden gloves.

A comfortable commute companion

Throughout the week, both of us took turns using the CX-50 for work commutes and quick trips around town. It’s the kind of SUV that fades into your lifestyle effortlessly — never feeling cumbersome in parking lots or too small for cargo.

One thing that stood out is just how quiet the interior was, especially at highway speeds. We’ve driven plenty of hybrids that have a noticeable hum or whine from the powertrain, but Mazda has tuned the CX-50 Hybrid beautifully to keep the cabin serene. The adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist also came in handy during stretches of Interstate 15 traffic.

We appreciated the intuitive layout of the controls and the crisp display of the 10.25-inch infotainment screen. Mazda continues to favor a rotary controller for its interface, and while it takes a minute to get used to, after a couple of days it was became second nature.

A Sunday drive worth remembering

To cap off our time with the Mazda CX-50 Hybrid, we did what we love most — hit the open road for a Sunday drive. We made our way up Spanish Fork Canyon and turned off toward the Sanpete Valley. With the sun peeking through the trees and the river running full, it was the perfect setting to test the CX-50’s adventurous side.

Though we stayed on pavement this time, the CX-50 Hybrid is more than ready for light off-roading. With its standard all-wheel drive and a drive mode selector that included a dedicated off-road setting, it’s built to handle gravel roads, trailheads and weekend camping trips with ease. Ground clearance is generous, and the ride remained composed over rougher terrain.

As we pulled over at a quiet picnic area near the river to stretch our legs, we both commented on how ideal this SUV would be not just for us as empty nesters, but for young families starting out. There’s a practicality to it that doesn’t sacrifice fun, and a touch of class that makes even mundane errands feel just a bit more special.

At the end of the week

Mazda seems to have found the sweet spot with the CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus. It’s an SUV that effortlessly straddles the line between luxury and adventure, comfort and capability, efficiency and engagement.

For growing families, it offers safety, space and strong fuel economy. For couples like us who are enjoying a quieter home life but still love to explore, it provides plenty of room, premium features and the kind of fuel savings that help stretch weekend budgets even further.

We returned the keys reluctantly, already missing the distinctive styling, fuel-sipping hybrid powertrain and that warm Terracotta leather interior. At an EPA-estimated 38 mpg combined (and our real-world 39.9 mpg), this hybrid makes a strong case for skipping the gas pump — and doing it in style.

Base price: $40,050

Destination charge: $1,420

Price as driven: $41,470