2026 Mazda CX-5 Makes Infotainment as Easy as Your Smartphone
The 2026 Mazda CX-5 crossover is all-new with sharper exterior styling, a noticeably larger and more spacious interior, and a new infotainment system. The infotainment upgrade is significant and includes new functionality along with a standard 12.9-inch touchscreen.
Matthew Valbuena, project manager for Mazda’s in-vehicle technologies and human machine interfaces, spoke about the infotainment overhaul during the drive of the new CX-5 in California. He explained why Mazda dropped the rotary controller on the center console in favor of a touchscreen paired with native Google services. The change wasn’t just for the sake of it but to make using the system as simple and intuitive as using your smartphone.
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Google Built-In Brings Smartphone Style to Your Car
“The 2026 CX-5 features Google built-in,” said Valbuena. “Google built-in means that for Mazda, Google Maps is the native mapping solution, and Google Assistant is the native voice assistant.” This also includes access to the Google Play Store so you can download your favorite apps like Spotify, Waze, and YouTube directly to the vehicle.
“They can still use CarPlay. They still use Android Auto. But if they forget their phone and leave it at home, they’re not left out in the dark,” said Valbuena. You might panic when you realize you’ve left your phone sitting on the kitchen table, but you will still be able to navigate, access your apps, and listen to your favorite streaming music service.
“The goal is to deliver that easy-to-use intuitive user experience.” – Matthew Valbuena
How we interact with our smartphones was a key consideration. “A lot of customer expectations of what they can do in the vehicle is based on what they can do outside of the vehicle,” said Valbuena. Using a smartphone is a part of your life whether you’re at home or work or on vacation. You don’t even think about how to use it, you just do. The Mazda team wanted that same experience in their cars.
“Eighty-three percent of the adult population in North America has a smartphone,” said Valbuena. Simple taps and swipes make the system approachable, even for drivers moving from older vehicles without screens to one with a screen and an abundance of features.
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Ditching the Rotary Controller
The rotary controller on the center console, officially called the Commander Knob, was a key part of the infotainment system on prior Mazda vehicles, but times have changed. App-based systems are commonplace and that old controller wasn’t up to new challenges.
“We saw lots of complaints specifically with the app-based experience with CarPlay and Android Auto, that those interfaces were designed for touch input and that trying to use a Commander Knob was very difficult and frustrating for the users,” said Valbuena. “Because of the fact that we have the ability to run apps from a variety of third parties like Spotify or Chrome for example, trying to be able to map the variety of user interfaces and capabilities to a Commander Knob becomes a limiting factor,” he added.
Mazda’s new system takes care of that problem. Switching to a touchscreen removes the limitations of the controller. It lets you use third-party apps the way they were intended, on a touchscreen. It also lets Mazda keep the system updated.
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Conquering the Challenge of Updates
Over-the-air updates keep the interface current. “The average consumer keeps their smartphone for 33 months,” said Valbuena. In that time, there are major updates and minor ones to improve features and fix any issues. Mazda’s current system allows for the same kind of continual updating, which is even more key considering that on average we own our cars for much longer than our phones.
“With this Google built-in system, we are able to offer over-the-air updates and keep the system fresh with major OS updates as well as incremental feature additions or bug fixes or even revamp the UI.” – Matthew Valbuena
One thing the new system doesn’t have is a lot of physical controls, including a volume knob. This aligns with trends in other vehicles. “We still have volume controls on the steering wheel,” said Valbuena. “And just like Tesla or Rivian, we do have volume controls on the screen, but it’s offset to the passenger side of the screen for the passenger interaction.”
The 2026 Mazda CX-5 combines updated styling, added interior room, and forward-looking technology that promises to keep your new car feeling new for years. The revamped infotainment system is a dramatic change and it’s one that makes the CX-5 and future Mazda vehicles far more tech-savvy options.
