Today's offroad trims must have: 1. Stickers! 2. Badges! 3. Hood graphics! 4. Off road branded floor mats! 6. More plastic! where? I don't know, somewhere! Anywhere! 7. Increased price! Where? I don't know, everywhere!

Never even batted my eye at Mazda before, but this CX-50 checks all the boxes for me. This meridian edition looks incredible in person, really cool color

Flatout Suspension has a lift kit for the CX-50, and a suspension kit that will provide a 2" lift. I'm planning on lifting my Preferred Plus, and I replaced the original tires with Falken Wildpeaks at 245/65/17 with no rubbing. The potential is there... just not out of the box. EDIT: Forgot to mention that Corksport is making skid plates for the CX-50.

I had the CX5 and now the CX50 and have done some pretty dumb courses in both with the Wildpeak Trails and I’ve never gotten stuck 😂 turning TCS is like cheat mode honestly.

I opted for the Turbo Premium, one trim level higher than the Meridian edition, because of the Bose speakers, and I actually didn’t want all terrain tires. After researching the different features of each trim level, the Meridian only looks cool but doesn’t have certain luxury features you would expect as mentioned in the video.

As a Mazda fan, I’d love this body with their new inline 6 motors. Update: IT’S WISHFUL THINKING, FOLKS!

Bottom line: the other CX-50 trims are at least, if not more, off-road worthy when equipped with similar tires. Save your money.

I bought my CX-50 Last November and I totally love it.

I don’t have the meridian edition, I have the turbo premium plus. I like that it’s a fun car to drive on my long daily commutes, and I like that it has decent off-road capability that I sometimes need. It’s a sporty crossover with some off-road chops, even on the OEM 20” all-season tires. Instead of making it more of an off-road type vehicle, I want to take my car in the other direction and make it even better for the street where the car spends 99% of its time.

I have the turbo premium plus and I had my Mazda service center put the Meridian tires on it and took off the 20s. Way much better.

Great as usual! I'd like to see a video with your recommendation for vehicles that meet the 5 off road criteria you mentioned at different price points. Under $40K, $40 - $50K and $50 - $60K. $60 on up...

Car companies that manufactures offlroad veshicles should seriously consider doing a collaboration with Driving Sports Tv for offroad capabilities certifications

It is weird they offer the surround camera in another trim but not their off-road version. I wonder if getting that trim and changing tires is a better way to go? I have been waiting for this video so thanks for posting it!

AWD system performed much better than I would have thought. It's a shame this trim level doesn't do more. I don't really see this as being worth 40k, I think one of the more basic models closer to 30k might be the way to go with one of these, then put on the AT tires of your choice. The big problem with this compared to the RAV4 or the Subaru is that you're never going to be able to address the lack of clearance or skid plates on your own, because there's not going to be any aftermarket support for this in the way that you would get with a Toyota or Subaru.

Yes, I’ve test driven CX-50 a couple times (before Meridian trim was available). Really handsome looking vehicle but it’s just for looks - it’s an urban car. I’d choose CX-5 over CX-50 though…or Subaru Outback Wilderness trim 😊

I mean the need for the TCS off makes sense, in a press release of the CX-30 on the straight pipes channel they interviewed a Mazda engineer that basically explained how their TCS system works, with it on it primarily functions using engine torque reduction, and to mitigate excessive wheel slip it very lightly nips the brakes, however when you turn off TCS it operates with full engine power BUT the system doesn't turn all the way off, it then primarily operates using selective braking on each individual wheel, if this sounds familiar Fords AdvanceTrac W/ RSC in many 2000's fords operated the same way and afaik Subarus X mode does the same thing (im not sure if its stage 1 or 2 X mode.) why they didn't bundle this mode into the Off-Road mode already there makes no sense to me but maybe a future software update will change that.

So glad I got the Forester Wilderness vs this. and I WAS a Mazda fan boy.

That car in person looks absolutely phenomenal

I think I have it narrowed down to the CX50 and the Outback. It seems the CX50 is probably more fun to drive and the Outback may be more comfortable. I guess I need to go test drive them.

For a lot of people, it is more about snow than off road, per se.

This is a handsome package but it's mostly looks.

First 6 minutes told me what I needed to know. Looks good but lacking features.

What makes this worth $41k that they claim for it? At least they got one thing right, they didn't "upgrade" the infotainment screen to take over the whole panel and become a required touch screen in places of the interior buttons and knobs. Kudos to them for that...still could use an update for better packages included with the navigation and satellite radio content.

good video, however the meridian trim is equipped with wireless carplay, which can be controlled by the infotainment dial or by the touchscreen, even though mazda infotainment doesn’t respond to touch input.

Before the 'off road mode' was available in Mazda suvs, turning off tcs was the off road mode. Says so in the manual. It's not just tcs/power, it changes algorithm somehow in the AWD system.

Please review Outlander PHEV 2023. I would like to see how it performs in your offroad tests😊.

I LOVE the interior color. I’ve got the Saddle Brown in my Forester

I saw on some other channel where they showed how pencil-thin the rear axle shafts were on this car. One of the thinnest he's ever seen and doesn't look that durable.

I bought a CX 50 Premium Plus Turbo for my wife. I think Mazda has mis marketed this car as being off road! Compared to my CX 5, the 50 is more of a sports car, as opposed to an off roader!

As a Subaru Outback Wilderness owner, the only thing I envy is that color... I wish Subaru offered it on the Wilderness trim

99% of CX50 buyers won't off-road. lmao

That did better than I thought it would. Good testing grounds.

That’s all I needed to hear Ryan! F O R E S T E R !!!! 😍

I don't get it... at 8.7 of clearance, the Meridian is close to an Outback and about 1" more than a Venza, but it looks like it really struggles with large obstacles compared to both. Is that 8.7" number bogus somehow? I was really hoping this would be an alternatie to an Outback but it appears it isn't. My question is - how much better is an OB offroad? Sounds like a perfect comparison episode...!

Your problem is that you live in the U.S. In Canada we get four trim levels, GS, GT, GT Turbo and Meridian - the Meridian in Canada comes fully loaded with XM, the Falken tires, 12 speaker Bose, induction phone charger, moonroof, power lift gate, heated/ventilated seats, 360° surround view system, etc. In the U.S., Mazda has split hairs to achieved some eight or nine trim levels. I just bought a Meridian (without the decals - too boy racer for me) in Polymetal. "She who must be obeyed" (my wife) loves both the colour and the interior.

Ryan, what did I miss? I don’t see these recent videos being at your hilltop off-road trail. Instead, we remain at the chicken coop compound.

Ryan, Where is the hybrid CX-50 we were promised 2 years ago? 🤔

I would love to see you go through the trail with out stopping as most people DONT stop in difficult terrain. then later for more advance testing you can stop through the test

Pretty much between this and the Forester Wilderness, but the Meridian Edition is so not worth the additional cost when the only real benefit is the A/T tires. Much cheaper to just put those on a base trim. The thing with this comparison is, I think the CX-50 is closer to a base Forester, but the Forester is still more capable. So I think I'm pretty settled on getting a Forester Wilderness. I'm waiting to see what happens with the 24 model, whether it's a complete redesign, or perhaps just a cosmetic design to make it look better, because I actually think it's a pretty ugly vehicle, lol.

When you want to look the part, and not much else. (Honestly smart on Mazdas part, as most cars like this, even the off-road versions, usually don’t do anything worse than brave Starbucks parking lots)

All of the Mazda CX 50s have XM radio the first three months free plus the wireless Apple CarPlay!

The infotainment is meant for Carplay and Android Auto. That's where you get your navigation and it is wireless. Mazda is offering 0% for 63 months on the Meridian Turbo for anyone interested. Best deal in this market.

Would be awesome if Mazda added a slight lift of even 1/2” and then some skid plates

I always thought TCS should always be off for off-road or when you get stuck in snow. Its only good for highway driving to help with skidding, but it is not for increasing traction when you need it to get out of a jam.

I agree, an 1.5 HRG lift kit and the cx 50 will be much more capable

You can actually get wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay and the new 360-degree camera on this Meridinan trim. I don't know why you didn't get it for this review. I'd argue that this is also better city commuter somewhere like Michigan AND better for mild offroading than most cars because 1) the meaty sidewall means you're less likely to cut a tire if you hit a pothole and 2) the plastic cladding is great for snow and ice removal on the low end of the body where all the salt and spray hits the hardest.

My family have a cx5 and a Toyota rav4 TRD off road. The rav4 have everything you mentioned on that list. However, the radar cruise control on the rav4 is not as smooth at the cx5. I mean the rav4 brakes abruptly the it senses a car in front of it and when it senses it is gone it speeds up abruptly. The cx5 didn’t do that. Acceleration and braking was smooth and progressive. I also agree about the Mazdas infotainment. It is smaller than rav4 and it is missing the tracking line and wide angle view.

I think if Mazda had wanted to make a off roader they should have done it in the standard NA 2.5 and matched the Forester Wilderness features and price. I'd be a lot more compelled for a CX-50 off roader like that than the largely cosmetic and expensive Meridian trim. Justifying the Meridian for off road gets hard when you realize it starts competing price wise with pickups that have more ground clearance, auto locking diffs, skid plates, and better tire selections. The Frontier Pro4X comes to mind as there are a plethora in my area that are available for very similar money to the Meridians that are available. Now if the worst you plan is some well kept fire roads, I think daily this is a great vehicle. Turbo charged, no CVT, Mazda's engaging driving standards with good looks inside and out makes this a hard SUV to compete with if your not about the trail life and don't just want an appliance.

Thanks for the review. I was initially excited to see this offering from Mazda and want to see if was going to a competition to the Subaru Outback Wilderness. Sounds like it not quite there yet but is decent. Thanks again for the excellent review and data without telling us what we should be thinking. Looks like I found my new favorite automotive channel!

Well it does have wireless car play and you can purchase the navigation chip and wireless charger from your mazda parts department

With the 18" wheels, does the Meridian have a better highway ride than the standard CX-50 with 20s?

I cant wait to get one of these!!

Almost a perfect SUV. Just add skid plates, raise the suspension to 8.8, replace or majorly overhaul the infotainment system, add sand/mud mode. Then Mazda hits a home run. It is a highly rated vehicle for safety and it looks good. 300 horsepower would be absolutely perfect.

It does look great, the cream color is nice.

Considering how polarizing the CVT is in Subaru offerings, Mazda should just copy feature for feature every trim level of the Outback/Forester. Create the automatic equipped Outback clone and profit.

I find it so weird that this American version of the Meridian excludes so many features that the Canadian version has. But in saying that, in Canada the Meridian edition is the top trim model. I can only guess Mazda is trying to place this trim in a price point that competes with other sporty off road city models in its class.

Trail boss, I’d take this vehicle over the ‘0-60 in 9.5 long seconds Crosstreck with CVT’ you tested any day.

I've had the turbo premium plus trim for a little over a year, which comes with 20s... I kinda want to put some 18s on it with those tires. It has some more bells and whistles than the meridian trim level.

My friend imported that car from the US to Azerbaijan. She's happy. She'll get CX90 as well.

Dang chickens want more feed to help spot you. Lol

This or Rav 4 hybrid, with a lift kit and more trail rated tires/wheel combo? That or lift a woodland rav4 and upgrade those fake trail tires they use?

if Mazda makes a Cx-60 or 70 that is 2 row with some better off road capabilities and looks just like this one, i`d buy it %100

Nice CX50 Meridian…. Cool video…

It's a pity that the CX-50 is not offered in Europe.

CX-50 Meridian vs Outback Wilderness!!

This vehicle desperately needs more clearance. I don't believe it has the 8.7 clearance it claims. This car would struggle with speed humps in a mall parking lot. One of the laziest "off road" variants from any Manufacturer. Tells me what kind of company that Mazda really is with editions like this. I like the car, but this is lazy, expensive, and you're better off just getting a lower end trim model CX50 and putting the money into a lift kit and better wheels/tires. That alone would outperform THIS. This at Honda's old Passport trail, this is just lazy. At least the Pilot Trail had tweaks. But this and the Passport trail are sad.

All i want is a good soild well build car maybe mazda will be that they seem to care what people in a car😊

Funny thing is that you placed Subaru forester on to the same issues but raining 😂

charging pad? under the radio is a shelf for the phone, isn't it an induction pad?

Comes up short at $41k. I would go with the Honda Passport or a Subaru.

If you’re going to do any consistent trails or gravel roads or light off road driving I think I’d pick the Outback Wilderness.

Whwn will you guys take the new pilot trailsport 2023 on this course?

Upscale buyers?😂 I’m broke and I got it

I went from a 4Runner to a CX50. This is not an off-road ready vehicle. Dirt road capable, but that’s about it. It’s sporty, but people with no knowledge of off-roading could easily over-estimate its capabilities based on the way it’s marketed.

I would add that advanced off-road modes are a gimmick. These modes could easily come on every vehicle made by a manufacturer, but they will remove them from lower trims and call them advanced to push people into higher or special off mode trims. By asking to have these you are actually asking for manufacturer to remove them from lower trims.

A lot of misses on this trim but it's Mazdas first dabble in this segment. I think they're trying to see if their customers will spring for this type of vehicle before dumping money into skid plates/modes etc...but the problem is the overall market has already shown the number and interest in this type of vehicle

Agree that it’s a really nice looking crossover

With 18" wheels, I am pretty sure you can even go with 235/60 or 225/65 to get some more rubber (and a bit of ground clearance). Wheel wells look roomy enough. I would even test 235/65.

Great video - Thank you. Any chance of putting the cx-5 2022 or 2023 through this course?

Save a little bit and just get a jeep rubicon 2door if you need an off-road vehicle. Daily driver that can off-road just get a subaru crosstrek wilderness edition Cheaper and more capable all arounder

It's pure proof a good set of tires car make the difference on a CUV

I'm so glad that they didn't go with the massive screen, like on all Subarus.

After seeing this review I’m still happy with my RAV4 trail 2019

You want navigation, use waze

Honestly, I feel that xm and navigation are redundant and unnecessary nowadays. It has android auto and Apple car play are what people are gonna use anyway. And I pretty sure it does have a charging pad right up against the console. If that one doesn't I know the other high trims do.

Ok you lost me at 1:28 and am so loving the fact that we chose the ‘23 Forester Wilderness…all that and a lower price. Yeah yeah I hear ya…CVT. So what, it has more than enough punch for us.

how would you get glare off the front end anyway? the angle of the sun is impossible since the front end slopes down away from the driver, the black patch is just a gimmick, because if the angle was that low the sun would be in your eyes anyway

Does that Mazda CX-50 have the off road button that the CX-5 and CX-9 have ? Because it does make a huge difference

Nice vid! Looking forward to how the CX-90 does.

Does it have regular CarPlay? But no sirus radio, good to have options

lol. Who even uses XM or built in navigation? Car play takes care of both of those things significantly better and more accurately than built-in satellite radio (that has ads) and built in nav. I’ve seen a few that dealerships have lifted and given K02s. I wonder if corporate will catch on. I would rather have this than an Outback Wilderness, but the comparative capability is, so far, a bit of a bummer.

Not bad, hope when Ryan you test the CX90 off road, it could be better 😏

Great video But this awd system isn’t that good No roller tests show good results either On the larger models the inline 6 is a reliability nightmare with how it’s implemented Everything requires engine removal for any basic work Not an option and will be phased out quick Kind of meh in all ways Wait for revised Honda passport

Want to see it compared to Forester wildernesses off-road and even the Forester touring for spoilers. I'm a twice CX-5 owner along with mazda6 and CX-9 but I feel the new cx50 doesn't stand out enough from the cx5 with it's torsion beam rear end and same exact power train. Too price for what it is

TCS...traction control system? Is that a button pertaining to off road or is it always on and part of the car?

1:38 I like how they failed to mount the tires correctly.

This car needs inline six natural spirated engine and 8 speed transmission. Stock 2.5 engine feels weak for this car, 2.5 turbo is too hungry for daily driving...

If you need cameras and modes for driving offroad, what you really need is a drivermod

Mazda is killing it right now, forget about Subaru

Great video, thanks for reaching out to Mazda. I agree with you about everything accept towing capacity. In a SUV of this size/weight/price point, 3500 pounds is pretty standard.