Mazda's big price promise: Why the all-new 2026 Mazda CX-5 hybrid will be worth waiting for over rivals like the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Nissan X-Trail e-Power and Haval H6

The next-generation, hybrid-powered Mazda CX-5 won't be joining the Mazda Premium push.

Mazda has vowed its most popular SUV will remain accessible to the masses and not follow the CX-60, CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90 upmarket.

That's the word from Australia CEO Vinesh Bhindi, who says the CX-5 would have to slot below the new CX-60 Pure, which would likely mean a price in the $40-$50k bracket.

Having already confirmed the CX-5 will feature a game-changing in-house hybrid powertrain that will push the model closer to the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid than ever before, the brand has also confirmed that its most popular SUV will remain within reach of mainstream buyers.

Asked whether the brand is committed to the new CX-5 remaining an accessible product that will sit below the CX-5, Mr Bhindi replied: "Absolutely".

As to where it will be priced, we look to the incoming CX-60 Pure for guidance. A reminder that the CX-80 (near-enough a three-row version of the 60) starts at $54,950, before on-road costs.

Mazda says the CX-60 Pure, a five-seat offering, will be below that.

"You've got to look at the 80 offering, and 60 will be in line with that, given it's a smaller product with two rows. So 60 will fit in under the 80 pricing and you can only speculate what that may be in terms of pricing," Mr Bhindi says.

So if we posit that the CX-60 Pure would need to start close to $50k, then that would suggest the CX-5 will at least drop into the $40k range.

The downside? Don't expect it to be the same price as the current-gen vehicle. Not only has the CX-5 been in market for some time, but the addition of a high-tech hybrid powertrain, combined with what the brand calls a "step up" in materials and tech, will surely lift the sticker prices range-wide.

"The next CX5, whatever it may be called, it'll be a step up," Mr Bhindi says.

Current drive-away offers on the current CX-5 see the model span $37,990 for the entry-level Maxx to $52,265 for the range-topping Akera.

The new follows confirmation of Mazda's hybrid plan for its CX-5, with the company not borrowing from Toyota and instead developing its own solution in house.

"That segment is massive for Australians, and you can see the demand in that segment. We have a next generation CX-5 already underway," Mr Bhindi says.

In fact, Mazda's global CEO Mazda Masahiro Moro promises the CX-5's hybrid will focus on driving dynamics to give it a point of difference to the current hybrid rivals, such as the Toyota RAV4, Nissan X-Trail and Haval H6.

“We have been using Toyota’s hybrid system, and that’s an excellent system,” Moro said in an earnings call. “So to have a unique difference is the basic concept that we have. In our case, in the engine and the electric motor balance, we will mainly focus on a high-efficiency engine.”

“Customers can can enjoy excellent driving dynamic performance and also at the same time good environmental performance. This hybrid system pursues the joy of driving.”