2025 Mazda CX-5 restores base S trim to start the lineup under $30,000

The 2025 Mazda CX-5 is one model to reverse the trend of disappearing base models. We’d guess Mazda wants to keep the entry-level point below a shopper’s psychological $30,000 bright line, so product planners restored the S trim that they took away only a year ago for the 2024 model year. Last August, the S Select set the floor at $30,675; increases in the MSRP and destination charge since then have driven the S Select up to $31,320 for 2025. Every CX-5 packs a respectable amount of standard equipment, so buyers who hop back on the restored S train won’t be confronted by the savings everywhere they look. In the entry-level, LED headlights and rain-sensing wipers are included, as well as a leather-wrapped steering wheel, reclining rear seats, a 10.25-inch infotainment display, dual front USB-C ports, wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, the i-Activsense driver assistance suite with high points like radar-based cruise control and rear cross traffic alert, and all-wheel drive. The S also sits on 17-inch alloy wheels.

The restored S variant means a base price $685 lower in 2025 than in 2024. And Mazda doesn’t offer substantive technology or performance options on any trim, preferring to bake everything into the MSRP. Shoppers who want more equipment need to move up a trim. To get additional tech features like traffic sign recognition, owners must sign up for the subscription-based Mazda Connected Services.  

Further up the trim chain, product planners eliminated the $35,275 S Premium trim that sat between the $33,325 S Carbon Edition and $37,875 S Premium Plus. In order to patch the $4,550 MSRP gap, Mazda lowered the price of the S Premium Plus by $1,225. Also, starting with the Carbon Edition, cabin upgrades count wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and wireless smartphone charging. Despite the lower price on the S Premium Plus, it adds a surround-view camera system and rear parking sensors. 

Prices for the range after the $1,420 destination charge — up from $1,375 — and differences from 2024 shown in parentheses, are:

S: $29,990 (New trim)
S Select: $31,320 ($645)
S Preferred: $32,670 ($645)
S Carbon Edition: $34,020 ($695)
S Premium Plus: $36,620 ($1,255 less)
Carbon Turbo: $38,420 ($45)
Turbo Premium: $39,220 ($45)
Turbo Signature: $42,020 ($45)

The non-Turbo trims are powered by a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine making 187 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque. The Turbo versions put out 256 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque.

The exterior color palette contains four no-cost colors and four premium colors that run either $450 or $595.