This Is Why Mazda Won’t Bring Back The CX-5 Turbo

The 2026 Mazda CX-5 has just been revealed, ushering Mazda’s best-selling crossover into its third generation. Buyers who were craving more space and improved technology will be thrilled by this new model, but current owners who wanted a power increase may feel left in the cold. At launch, the CX-5 will be powered exclusively by a carryover 2.5-liter SkyActiv-G four-cylinder, outputting the same 187 horsepower and 185 pound-feet of torque as the outgoing model, still through a six-speed automatic transmission. A CX-5 Hybrid will join the lineup in 2027, but few details are currently known about this powertrain.

Mazda currently offers a SkyActiv-G Turbo engine in the CX-5, producing 256 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque on premium fuel (227 hp and 310 lb-ft on regular), but there are no plans to bring it back for the third generation. CarBuzz asked why the turbo would be discontinued, and Mazda’s answer makes a lot of sense.

A Totally New Hybrid System

Unlike the CX-50, which borrows a hybrid system from Toyota, the CX-5’s powertrain is built fully in-house by Mazda. It will be called the Mazda Hybrid System, and will come mated to a new 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine called SkyActiv-Z, which is said to be “the ideal internal combustion engine.” SkyActiv-Z will meet North American LEV IV and Tier 4 as well as European Euro 7 emissions regulations, delivering higher thermal efficiency than the existing SkyActiv-G engine.

Related

Next-Gen CX-5 Will Have Mazda’s Best Combustion Engine Yet

It had better be good, because Mazda is out of letters.

It’s unclear how Mazda plans to pair the hybrid system to the engine, as the company currently has two very different configurations in its lineup. The aforementioned CX-50 borrows from Toyota, meaning it sends power to a planetary gearset (eCVT). Mazda’s in-house plug-in hybrid system, found in the CX-70 and CX-90, mounts the electric motor between the engine and the transmission. The CX-50 only produces 219 hp from its hybrid system, so we wouldn’t call it a true alternative to Mazda’s turbocharged engine. Based on what Meisterfeld said, you can expect a significantly higher output from the CX-5 Turbo, though we imagine it won’t be as efficient as the CX-50.

The Turbo Isn’t Fully Dead Yet

Mazda’s best-selling model may no longer offer a turbocharged engine, but the company is not done offering it across the lineup. “We will continue to offer the turbo engine in models such as the CX-50 and CX-30,” Meisterfeld confirmed. “We will see what our customers want, and provide them the right vehicles.”

The SkyActiv-G Turbo should stick around for a bit longer, though we imagine it will eventually be phased out and replaced by the Mazda Hybrid System and the SkyActiv-Z engine. This latest SkyActiv engine will reportedly spawn four-cylinder and inline-six versions, the latter of which could serve as a replacement for the SkyActiv-G Turbo. The CX-5 Hybrid won’t go on sale until calendar year 2027, so it may be a while before we hear more details about the MHS.