The removal of the base engine will increase the new-generation 2026 CX-5’s price, but customers are still expected to gravitate towards the larger, now-standard 2.5-litre engine.
Family Cars
Mazda Australia believes the removal of the price-leading 2.0-litre engine in its CX-5 family SUV will not limit appeal or hurt its overall tally despite accounting for nearly one in every five sales.
While the current CX-5 line-up has three petrol engine options available – a base 2.0-litre, a 2.5-litre, and a 2.5-litre with a turbo – only one powertrain will be available when Mazda’s crucial SUV is refreshed with a new-generation model from the second half of next year.
The 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder engine, which produces 115kW/200Nm, opens the CX-5 range at $36,740 before on-road costs, and with its discontinuation, prices will likely rise for the next model.
However, even without the price-leading powertrain, Mazda Australia boss Vinesh Bhindi told Drive he still expects high interest in the brand’s new family SUV.
“When you look at our sales majority, the customers are saying 2.5-litre [CX-5] is what they prefer over the 2.0-litre,” Bhindi said.
“Now, saying that, there are some customers [that] would be happy with the 2.0-litre, but will it stop them considering a 2.5-litre? Probably not.”
So far this year, the 2.0-litre engine has accounted for the smallest share of CX-5 sales, 18.3 per cent, which is only slightly behind the 2.5-litre turbo-petrol (20.1 per cent).
The overwhelming majority of CX-5 sales in 2025 have been with the 2.5-litre petrol, at 61.6 per cent.
While the 2.0-litre engine is being axed in the CX-5 range, Bhindi said the same engine will soldier on in smaller models like the Mazda CX-30, CX-3, and Mazda3.
“This is purely on a CX-5 because the engineering and the homologation work they have to do with different powertrains, you've got to start from scratch [for a new-generation car],” Bhindi said.
“Our Mazda Australia strategy is whatever is available, we would in most cases like to offer that as an option.
“So, the 2.0-litre [in the new CX-5] is not an option on the table manufactured by Japan.”
The base engine is not the only powertrain being discontinued with the new-generation CX-5, as the 170kW/420Nm 2.5-litre turbo-petrol has also been shelved due to tightening emissions regulations.
This leaves only the 2.5-litre naturally aspirated engine for the 2026 CX-5 at launch, which has been detuned to 132kW/242Nm (down 8kW/10Nm from the current car), also due to emissions control.
Joining the 2.5-litre engine will be an all-new Mazda-developed petrol-electric hybrid system, but that powertrain is not expected to arrive in Australian showrooms until 2027.
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Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
