The 2025 Mazda CX-5 and the 2025 GMC Terrain have been unveiled, with the former essentially keeping on trucking mostly as is, while the latter sports a brand-new look, both inside and out, yet everything under the hood is essentially unchanged.
Mazda’s “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” philosophy on the 2025 CX-5 has its own tried-and-tested appeal, but the GMC Terrain’s updated body design and interior may ultimately prove more attractive to some buyers. Here’s what you need to know if you’re choosing between a 2025 Mazda CX-5 and a 2025 GMC Terrain.
Fuel economy data for this piece has been taken from FuelEconomy.gov.
A Rugged Redesign And A Dated Family Car
Right off the bat, the GMC Terrain scores a point over the Mazda CX-5 in the looks department. The second generation Mazda CX-5 has been around since the 2017 model year, and it hasn’t had a significant revision since the 2022 model year facelift. It’s not an ugly car, but it looks a bit dated with its inoffensive profile and smoothed out lines. There’s not much in the CX-5’s body design to complain about, but sometimes you want to drive a vehicle that’s “not for everybody.”
The GMC Terrain is all new for 2025, and the designers have done a fine job of advertising this SUV’s rugged intentions in its new look, leaning into a more muscular build overall and a front-end that calls to mind full-size pickups like the Silverado, and gas-guzzling adventure vehicles. It’s a handsome, bold-looking SUV next to the relatively tame Mazda CX-5.
Add CarBuzz to your Google News feed.
Powertrain Showdown: Both Of These SUVs Have Room For Improvement
Model
2025 GMC Terrain Elevation
2025 Mazda CX-5 2.5 S
Engine
1.5-Liter Turbo 4-Cylinder
2.5-Liter 4-Cylinder
Drivetrain
AWD
AWD
Transmission
8-Speed Automatic
6-Speed Automatic
Horsepower
175 hp
187 hp
Torque
203 lb-ft
186 lb-ft
Towing Capacity
1,500 lbs
2,000 lbs
Fuel Economy (AWD)
23/28/25 MPG (est.)
26/31/28 MPG
The Terrain’s turbocharged four-cylinder is unremarkable given its meager power output and nine-second 0-60 sprint. The Mazda CX-5 remains largely unchanged from 2024, and while it may not be the most thrilling SUV on the road, the relaxed performance and 8.7-second 0-60 acceleration time make for a satisfying experience behind the wheel.
Related Midsize Hybrid SUV Shootout: Mazda CX-50 Vs. Honda CR-V Vs. Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
Let’s break it down category by category and figure out which of these hybrid SUVs belongs in your driveway.
We wanted the 2025 GMC Terrain to come out ahead on this one, given that the CX-5 hasn’t had a meaningful performance update in a while. But the bottom line is that the third-gen Terrain feels more behind the times than the CX-5 does. You would expect at this point that they would be upgrading the powertrain with an electric motor or an extra turbocharger, but no dice. Making the GMC Terrain available as a hybrid SUV would help improve the fuel economy a bit, too. Point for the CX-5.
Fuel Economy: A Three-MPG Margin
The EPA has not yet released official numbers for the new GMC Terrain, but it is expected to fall roughly in line with the same numbers as the 2024 edition, which also packed a 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-four. This would put the 2025 GMC Terrain at an average fuel economy of 25 MPG to the Mazda CX-5’s 28 MPG. Both of these averages are for combined city/highway fuel economy, and both numbers assume you’re driving an AWD model, as both of these SUVS pack all-wheel drive as a standard feature.
No need to explain this one: the Mazda CX-5’s fuel economy numbers are simply bigger than the GMC Terrain’s, so Mazda wins this round.
How Do They Handle Off-Road?
The AT4 isn’t available yet, but we know it’ll be getting an extra inch or two of ground clearance on the Elevation’s 6.9-inches, plus some grippy all-terrain tires. The Mazda CX-5 has never really been designed for anything but the lightest off-road conditions, but it actually stands more than a half-inch higher than the Terrain Elevation, at a decent 7.5 inches.
Both vehicles are only available in all-wheel drive for the time being, with an FWD Terrain Elevation model set to hit the market sometime in 2025. The CX-5’s AWD is suited to highway conditions and rough weather, where the Terrain has always been positioned as a versatile SUV that can handle its share of dirt. The AT4 will eventually be hitting the market with hill descent control, underbody protection, and a set of recovery hooks. Point to the Terrain if you’re after an SUV for off-roading.
Interior and Tech: Same Old, Same Old Vs. Most Improved
The 2025 GMC Terrain and the 2025 Mazda CX-5 both start out fairly basic in terms of interior features. These are affordable compact SUVs, not luxury models, so heated leather seats cost extra, and the base models don’t come with a panoramic sunroof. Details are still forthcoming on some Terrain features, but GMC advertises their surround-view camera as “available” technology, while the CX-5 packs the 360-cam into the base 2.5 S model, so the CX-5 gets a point on this one.
2025 GMC Terrain
2025 Mazda CX-5
Leather Upholstery
O
O
Heated Front Seats
O
O
Ventilated Front Seats
O
O
Panoramic Moonroof
O
O
Surround-View Camera
O
S
Wireless Smartphone Connectivity
S
S
* S = Standard, O = Optional, N/A = Not Available
The GMC Terrain features a revised cabin with a larger touchscreen and some tasteful chrome trim here and there. The Mazda CX-5 has always had a well-furnished interior with quality fabrics and plastics throughout, but the 2025 edition comes along with nothing new to really get excited about, so we’re giving the Terrain a point for “most improved” in this category. That’s one point for each SUV, so both models are tied to interior and tech.
Tried-And-True Vs. Not-New-Enough
To recap, we like the GMC Terrain for its handsome new look, its improved interior, and its off-road abilities. The Mazda CX-5 gets a point as a more capable pavement performer, it’s more fuel-efficient and the onboard tech in the base model is a little more generous. That leaves it to the MSRP to break the tie, which means the win goes to… the 2025 Mazda CX-5, at $28,570.
The official MSRP for the base 2025 GMC Terrain has not yet been revealed, but an entry-level AWD model started at $31,695 in 2024. The AWD Elevation is the only model available for 2024, and we’ll eat our hats if it hits the market at anything less than $30,000. Note that all prices cited here, for both vehicles, are for the base cost only. No delivery or destination fees, no taxes, no options. Just the base number the “build & price” pages will give you before you ask for your total.
Related Best SUVs Of 2024 Under 20k
In this category, pricing is more important than any other factor.
Ultimately, we just wanted more from the 2025 GMC Terrain. If this is supposed to be the launch of the third-generation, then why doesn’t it come with a significant performance boost over the previous model year? Call it a facelift, and we’ll admit it’s one of the best facelifts we’ve seen this year. Call it the launch of a new generation for the SUV, and we’re going to double-check the press release to make sure we read that right.
Sources:
FuelEconomy.gov