2026 Mazda CX-5 2.5 S Premium Plus: Stamford Buyers Guide

2026 Mazda CX-5 2.5 S Premium Plus at Riley Mazda in Stamford, CT

Quick Answer: 2026 CX-5 2.5 S Premium Plus

The Premium Plus crowns the redesigned CX-5 range at $38,990 MSRP plus $1,495 destination. Its $2,090 over the Premium buys the three features that exist nowhere else in the lineup: the 15.6-inch center touchscreen (the largest display ever fitted to a Mazda), a hands-free power rear liftgate, and Cruising & Traffic Support with Lane Change Assist, the driver-assistance layer built for exactly the kind of stop-and-go I-95 serves up between Stamford and the city. Everything below it — Bose sound, panoramic moonroof, leather, memory seat, standard AWD — is included. Riley Mazda on Myrtle Avenue is the Fairfield County place to see the flagship in person.

The commuter's flagship

Most range-toppers sell chrome. The Premium Plus sells three hours of your week back. Cruising & Traffic Support with Lane Change Assist handles the accelerator, brakes, and steering assistance in dense traffic and helps with signaled lane changes, which reframes the daily crawl past Exit 9 as something the car shares with you instead of something it does to you. Paired with the standard radar cruise, Traffic Sign Recognition, and Emergency Lane Keeping that every 2026 CX-5 carries, it's the most complete assistance package Mazda has put in this model.

The 15.6-inch screen is the cabin's showpiece, running the same Google built-in software as the rest of the range on the biggest canvas Mazda has ever installed, with Google Maps as the native navigator and Gemini coming by future update. And the hands-free liftgate is the feature you appreciate at the exact moment both hands are holding the week's groceries in a February parking lot.

Flagship spec, not flagship hardware

Worth stating plainly, because the price gap invites the wrong assumption: the Premium Plus uses the same 187-hp Skyactiv-G 2.5-liter engine, six-speed automatic, and i-Activ AWD as the $29,990 base car, with the same 24/30 EPA numbers on regular fuel. There is no turbo at the top of the 2026 range and no hybrid until 2027. What you're buying above the Premium is interface and assistance, not acceleration. If the big screen and traffic assist don't move you, the Premium keeps the leather, Bose, and moonroof for $2,090 less; the full walk starts back at the 2.5 S.

Buying the top trim from the family store

Flagship shoppers at Riley Mazda get the same no-theater process the store's 4.8-star, 2,000-plus-review Google reputation is built on. One recent CX-5 buyer who negotiated most of her deal remotely: "Miguel Barraza was an exceptional salesman from the very beginning—warm, professional, and completely straightforward." She adds: "When I arrived, my CX-5 was beautifully detailed and exactly as promised." — Jacqueline J. Third-generation family ownership since 1959, a Stamford-native general manager, and the Omotenashi philosophy are the standing explanation for reviews like that. The store at 75 Myrtle Avenue serves the entire Greenwich-to-Norwalk corridor and is a short walk from the Stamford Transportation Center.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the 2026 CX-5 Premium Plus?

$38,990 MSRP plus $1,495 destination — mazdausa.com's "as shown" price of $39,585 reflects a loaded configuration. Connecticut adds 6.35% sales tax; even fully optioned, the CX-5 stays under the state's $50,000 higher-rate threshold. Current programs live on Riley Mazda's specials page.

What's exclusive to the Premium Plus?

Three features: the 15.6-inch center touchscreen, the hands-free power rear liftgate, and Cruising & Traffic Support with Lane Change Assist. Everything else in the trim, from Bose audio to leather, also appears on the Premium.

Is the Premium Plus faster than the other trims?

No — every 2026 CX-5 shares the 187-hp naturally aspirated 2.5-liter and six-speed automatic. The flagship's money goes to the screen and assistance tech, not the drivetrain.

Is Cruising & Traffic Support worth it for a Connecticut commute?

It's built for precisely this geography: low-speed assistance in congestion plus lane-change support at highway pace. If your week includes regular I-95 or Merritt Parkway miles, it's the single most commute-relevant option in the range; if you mostly drive around town, the Premium covers you.

Can I test drive a Premium Plus in Stamford?

Yes — check live inventory at Riley Mazda and ask for a route that includes the highway, because the traffic-assist features are the whole point of this trim and a parking-lot loop won't show them.

The bottom line

At $38,990 the Premium Plus is the redesigned CX-5 with every card Mazda currently holds: the biggest screen the brand has ever shipped, its most complete driver assistance, and the premium cabin from the trim below. For the Fairfield County commuter it's the version that works hardest between home and the office — which is where a CX-5 around here spends most of its life anyway.

More 2026 Mazda CX-5 guides

MSRP excludes the $1,495 destination charge ($1,540 in Alaska) plus taxes, title, registration, and dealer-installed options; the dealer sets the actual selling price. Fuel-economy figures are EPA estimates. Driver-assistance features do not replace attentive driving. Equipment and availability can shift with configuration and production timing; confirm current specs with Riley Mazda. Customer quotes are excerpts from public Google reviews of Riley Mazda.