By NITISH S. RELE – motoringflorida@gmail.com

Purpose-built for the active and outdoor lifestyle, the Mazda CX-50 can tackle the rigors of an off-road track of steep slopes and sharp downhills with ease. Turn on the sport mode (part of Mi-Drive), punch on the gas and the compact SUV will take you places. Or use it for towing up to 3,500 pounds.

Our 2026 CX-50 Meridian edition featured 18-inch-alloy all-terrain wheels and gloss-black Mazda emblems/badges. The Meridian/CX-50 hood graphics are a nice touch. Otherwise, the SUV borrows the reliable 2.5-liter twin-scroll turbocharger that develops 227 horsepower @ 5000 rpm and 310 pounds-feet of torque @ 2000 rpm. It is coupled to a responsive 6-speed auto gearbox. The ride is equipped with the direct-injection Skyactiv, which uses a torque boost via a high compression ratio to raise fuel economy. A MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension insulates occupants from road noise and bumps. The power rack-and-pinion steering is spot-on, with outstanding on-center feel and decent feedback when the surefooted SUV is hustled along.

Up front, eagle-eyed adaptive LED headlights flank a black-finish grille with the centered Mazda emblem. Get behind the wheel and your eyes fall upon the 7-inch TFT instrument cluster of analog speedometer, tachometer, fuel/temp and driver information center. The 10.25-inch infotainment display screen for navigation, phone and audio controls is straightforward to operate via a commander control knob. The Meridian trim comes with heated/cooled eight-way power driver and six-way front-passenger seat, dual auto a/co, power panoramic moonroof/rear lift gate, metallic-finish trim, 12-speaker Bose sound system, 60/40 rear seat, wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and phone charger, etc. Go for the $1,235 Apex package, which gets you a roof platform for a tent or bike/kayak carrier, crossbars and front/rear splash guards.

Dual front and side airbags, side curtain airbag, front knee airbags, dynamic stability and traction controls, four-wheel antilock brakes, hill launch assist, blind spot monitor, lane-keep assist and departure warning, rear-cross traffic alert, front/rear parking sensors/crumple zones and stabilizer bars, rearview camera, three-point safety belts for all, tire pressure monitoring system and daytime running lights are standard. The G-Vectoring Control Plus (enables driver to handle emergency situations or untoward road conditions with more accurate steering inputs) comes at no extra cost. And the i-ACTIV AWD works along with G-Vectoring to control torque distribution between front/rear wheels.

Offering up a degree of style and lively performance, this fairly new entrant into the outdoors segment shows plenty of promise. If you frequently venture on to twisty and curvy tracks, then the CX-50 with its outstanding roadworthiness, substantial cargo capacity and inexpensive tag is the right choice.

CX-50 (MERIDIAN, AWD)

Tires: 225/60R18

Wheelbase: 110.8 inches

Length: 185.8 inches

Width: 75.6 inches

Height: 63.9 inches

Fuel capacity: 15.8 gallons

City/hwy/comb: 23/29/25 mpg

Weight: 3,915 pounds

Base price: $40,400

Price as tested: $44,675

Web site: www.mazdausa.co