The Mazda CX-50 has rapidly emerged as a key player in Mazda’s SUV strategy. While the bigger CX-90 often steals the spotlight due to its bigger size and segment-blurring luxury, the smaller CX-50 stands out for its strong value game which allows it to be a near-perfect balance of luxury, value, and capability.
Mazda is hoping the CX-50 Turbo Meridian Edition will be able to deliver some of the flagship luxury that’s missing from the model but is it still missing something that prevents it from being truly perfect? We were eager to find out.
Meridian Edition adds flash to the CX-50’s style
When viewed at face value, the Meridian Edition is a styling package with these models getting special exterior graphics that are designed to compliment the CX-50’s exterior styling. The model also gets a new roof rack and all-terrain tires to help the 50 have better grip on wet and muddy roads. Other than those minor add-ons, the rest of the CX-50 is carried over mostly unchanged which is a good thing since the CX-50 is still a stylish CUV with its athletic demeanor being a welcome contrast to some of the more mundane styling that defines rivals like the Toyota RAV4.
The interior of the CX-50 Meridian Edition also retains the bulk of the cabin’s design with our tester featuring a two-tone setup with the brightly colored seats contrasting the black trim to help give it an upscale look. The seats themselves are still very comfortable with balanced bolstering. The CX-50 can haul up to five passengers but the rear seats are still too tight for tall passengers and are a stark contrast to the room that the front passengers get in the front seats. Our tester arrived with the bigger 10.3-inch infotainment system (the smaller 8.8-inch unit was axed for 2025) but it’s still not a full touch unit with the system being controlled by a large click wheel in the center console. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard but the lack of a true touch setup is noticeable especially since more of the CX-50’s rivals are embracing these types of systems. Folding the second-row seats helps boost cargo room but the CX-50 is still behind some rivals in this particular category.
Turbo is the way to go in CX-50
The bulk of the CX-50s on sale are powered by a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder that makes a paltry 187 hp. The Meridian Edition is an exception with these models getting a turbocharged version of the 2.5-liter that makes 256 hp. Like other Mzda turbo engines, this one is picky about the type of fuel it gets with premium allowing the engine to make the full amount of power. Otherwise, regular unleaded will cause that figure to dip slightly. A six-speed automatic is standard and the combination allowed our tester to make the sprint to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds.
Handling in our tester was balanced but while the all-terrain tires on our Meridian Edition tester provided good amounts of grip in wet weather, the enhanced grip comes at the cost of some refinement with the tires allowing more noise into the cabin with the problem being very noticeable at freeway speeds. The turbocharged engine in our tester also gets less fuel economy with the EPA saying it can get 23/29 MPG in city/freeway driving. The Meridian Edition is more at home on the trail anyway with some of the dirt backroads in our area allowing the tires and the suspension to perform in their proverbial comfort zone. The CX-50 Hybrid is the thriftiest but that model borrows its hybrid components from the Toyota RAV4.
Value Quotient
Pricing for the 2024 Mazda CX-50 Turbo Meridian Edition starts at just over $42,000 with the 2025 models getting minor changes. Our tester was firmly in that figure with only a light sprinkling of options raising the price slightly alongside the associated fees. The Meridian Edition is great for buyers in certain parts of the country, but it also feels like Mazda could have done more to take full advantage of the Meridian Package’s personality to help be a more convincing soft-roading package with more comprehensive upgrades and more distinction to help separate it better from its more mainstream cousins.
Those minor quirks aside, the CX-50 Turbo Meridian Edition is still a potent purchase for savvy SUV buyers. While it’s still just short of obtaining proverbial perfection, the CX-50 still has some of the core pillars in place to make it a potent contender in the segment and as Mazda prepares to expand its reach into other niches in the segment, the CX-50 and other Mazda models will continue to play a key role in providing sales which will help boost funding for other green vehicle projects in the future.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.