Zoomy handling and premium details are the hallmarks of modern Mazdas, but they’ve also become known for their infotainment systems, and not in a good way. The issue? While nearly all vehicles today showcase touchscreen-based infotainment systems, Mazda drivers have been limited to the automaker’s Mazda Connect setup, which uses a rotary controller and a few buttons located on the center console. Adjusting the dial highlights different functionalities on the screen, and pressing down on the controller and/or buttons makes your selection.
Debuting on the 2014 Mazda3, Mazda Connect made it so drivers wouldn’t have to lunge over to reach the infotainment screen with their fingertips, then hope the touch was properly recognized. Instead, according to the automaker (click on the press release’s PDF press kit), the technology “aims to help drivers maintain proper posture, concentrate on the road and drive more safely, even while handling larger amounts of data. … MAZDA CONNECT was developed to be a less distracting and more intuitive in-vehicle operating system.”
But we found out that the Mazda3’s infotainment dial is distracting, no matter what Mazda says. Nor were we alone, and the complaints clearly reached a tipping point: The new Mazda CX-5 welcomes an all-new infotainment screen with an optional 15.6-inch touchscreen taking pride of place on the dash.
(Disclaimer time! The Mazda Eunos Cosmo actually had an early touchscreen nav system as far back as 1990, while more recent models allow for touch-based use only with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto through “touchscreen in motion.”
Has Mazda missed the touchscreen boat?
Mazda showed off the 2026 CX-5 in July, when we said the updated model looks worse but is probably amazing. Press drives haven’t begun for the new CX-5, so we haven’t had a chance to put the setup to the test. However, the automaker reports the new infotainment technology leverages Google built-in for simple access to navigation, other apps, and even Google’s AI virtual assistant. Also, to be clear, the system will be compatible with wireless Apple CarPlay in addition to Android Auto.
The screen is intended to handle climate and audio controls as well, and Mazda told Car and Driver there’s a “strategic reduction of buttons.” It was a cause of concern for that publication and may be a major red flag for shoppers. Remember, research proves people demand real buttons and knobs, so some brands are rethinking touchscreens and bringing back those physical controls.
Mazda, for its part, believes it can satisfy that demand with its steering wheel. In an interview with TheDrive, Stefan Meisterfeld, U.S. vice president of operations for Mazda, said the CX-5’s redesigned steering wheel would incorporate actual buttons for “most of the [vehicle’s] critical functions.” Taken together, he said, the steering-wheel buttons and the voice-recognition capability of the Google Assistant would sort of counterbalance any screen issues. That way, he said, “we don’t have the situation where people want to control parts of the vehicle and are not focused on the road.”
Other new technologies for the Mazda CX-5
While the upsized 15.6-inch touchscreen — the biggest one yet from Mazda — isn’t standard, even going with the standard setup gains you an advantage, since the starter screen grows from 10.3 inches in the 2025 models to 12.9 for 2026. Mazda also promises new advanced driver-assistance systems for the CX-5, although those under wraps for now. (The 2026 Mazda CX-5 is due in dealerships before the end of the year.)
Details are scarce for the CX-5’s upcoming power train, too, but we can expect a hybrid edition in 2027 models with Mazda-made technology for enhanced performance and efficiency — not the warmed-over Toyota setup borrowed for the Mazda CX-50 hybrid. Perhaps more importantly, the hybrid system will be paired with one of Mazda’s new Skyactiv-Z engines.
The mill is a further evolution of the automaker’s efforts to squeeze more performance and efficiency from its internal-combustion engines without the need for electrification. That said, the motor was designed right from the start for hybrid compatibility. It’s just that it’s seen continued improvements to the seven factors Mazda had previously identified to pursue ideal combustion in its Skyactiv engines — including a brand-new approach to heat insulation that Mazda says “converts heat that would normally escape from the engine into power, further improving thermal efficiency.”
