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The new Mazda CX-50.

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The new Mazda CX-50.

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Inside the new Mazda CX-50.

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Inside the new Mazda CX-50.

Photo supplied

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Back in early 2018, Mazda and Toyota announced a joint venture in the Tennessee Valley in Huntsville, Alabama, that would cost upwards of $1.6 billion (eventually landing at $2.3 billion). Construction began on a facility that would build up to 300,000 vehicles a year. The new plant is named Mazda Toyota Manufacturing.

Now completed, it will employ upwards of 4,000 folks when fully functional. The first vehicle came off the line last year in September when the all-new Toyota Corolla Cross was started. Mazda is following that up in January as it starts making the all-new CX-50. Both are new models for their manufacturers and will be made completely in the all-new manufacturing plant.

The CX-50 is an SUV targeted mostly toward North America and our active lifestyles.

“This new Mazda vehicle has been developed for North America, particularly to support the active and outdoor lifestyles of customers in this region,” said Jeff Guyton, president and CEO of Mazda North American Operations. “The CX-50 encourages people to immerse themselves in nature without compromising on the premium design and outstanding on-road performance Mazda is known for.”

After a week in the new CX-50, we had fallen for this roomier and more off-road enhanced SUV. Being in the age-advanced category that we are, it seemed to work better for us. It was raised slightly higher off the ground, and it was easier to get things in and out of the rear compartment; it made for a nice week.

These are the kinds of things we are glad designers have thought through when we get a new vehicle to test. It is fun to be in the coupes and sportier versions of sedans, but for an everyday driver, we would definitely look more toward the CX-50.

With the CX-5 being by far the best-selling SUV in the Mazda wheelhouse, it was easy to understand where they are headed with the similar CX-50. The CX-30 slots right between the CX-3 and the CX-5, and it makes a lot of sense to have something to slot between the CX-5 and CX-9.

The CX-9 is a great vehicle and we love it; however, it may be just a little large for the average family or mom who just needs a great SUV to transport kids and stuff around during the normal hustle and bustle of life. We found ourselves wanting to keep the CX-50 as our everyday driver.

The CX-50 comes with a very nice 2.5-liter turbocharged engine that produces an awesome 256 horsepower when using premium fuel or even 227 ponies on 87 octane fuel. Couple that with 220 foot-pounds or 210 foot-pounds of torque, respectively, and the midsize SUV was able to get around quite well. It was extremely well-mannered, yet energetic enough to get up and go when we needed the extra power.

After a good mix of city and highway milage, we also got a very respectable 29.1 miles per gallon, which was way above what the EPA said we would get. We figure that most of the over 5,000 miles that were previously put on our CX-50 were achieved using premium fuel, which would help attain better mileage numbers.

This power is all fed through a six-speed automatic transmission into a standard all-wheel drive system, again making this a perfect choice for the Intermountain West where all-wheel drive is certain to come in handy at some point in time.

Inside, the CX-50 would make anyone happy, especially in the Premium plus edition, as it includes leather-trimmed seating surfaces (that were both heated and cooled) and a heated steering wheel. These are the kind of touches that we have come to expect from the Mazda line over the years; even the rear seats were heated.

These small editions of luxury continued throughout the cabin as we got to know the vehicle better and better throughout the week. Standard wireless Apple CarPlay combined with the uniquely located wireless charger in the front of the center console storage made for a great place to get our phone out of the way and keep it charged when driving.

Over the past few years, Mazda has also put a heads-up display in the forefront in their vehicles, starting with a plexiglass piece that popped up from the steering column and transitioning to a full-on heads-up display that was a standard part of the package in our test ride.

Couple that with the 10.25-inch touch screen infotainment display and center driving display that could be configured to show different things like speed, mileage and infotainment, and the CX-50 had all the great things we really enjoy and want as part of any package when choosing an everyday driver.

Safety was also a huge part of the deal as all the bells and whistles were included in the CX-50 Premium, including adaptive cruise control, rear cross path detection, front and rear parking assist, and blind spot monitoring with a warning chime if there was someone in our blind spot when we tried to change lanes.

The new CX-50 can also be had with a first for Mazda: a full panoramic moon roof that really let the outdoors in when we opened it and enjoyed the cooler weather during the second week in September.

The CX-50 would make for a perfect everyday driver for not only empty nesters like ourselves but also for the busy moms of today. There’s lots of space and more than enough amenities to keep a smile on everyone’s face.

Base price: $41,550

Destination charge: $1,225

Price as driven: $43,170