Newer CX-5 Infotainment by Market
The CX-5 did not change infotainment systems worldwide in one model year. The newer 8.8- or 10.25-inch system began on these schedules:
| Market | Newer-system boundary |
|---|---|
| United States | Every 2021 trim |
| Canada | 2021.5 midyear update |
| UK | Every 2021 trim |
| Japan | Updated cars sold from December 3, 2020 |
| Mexico | 2024 |
| Australia | Selected 2021–2022 trims; every 2023 trim |
| New Zealand | Mixed by March 2022; every trim by September 2024 |
| Continental Europe | Trim-dependent; 8-inch MZD Connect remained on selected trims through January 2025 |
The CX-5 compatibility matrix links the official source for each boundary. The remainder of this page uses United States model years when comparing features.
The newer unit is a different computer from the original 7- or 8-inch Mazda Connect system: different SoC, OS, and firmware format. Nothing crosses over in either direction.
If your CX-5 has a 7- or 8-inch touchscreen, start at original-system CX-5 infotainment. Confirm unusual trims on the About screen.
What changed with the newer system
Section titled “What changed with the newer system”- Screen grew to 10.25 inches on all trims, mounted higher on the dash in a wide letterbox aspect, with crisper text and wider viewing angles than the Gen 6 panels.
- Touch input was dropped. The display is non-touch; you drive the whole UI from the Commander rotary knob on the console. Mazda’s stated reason was reducing eyes-off-road glance time. The 2016–2020 cars were touch-while-parked plus Commander.
- CarPlay and Android Auto became standard on every trim, wired over USB, with no firmware floor to hit, no hub kit, no dealer visit. On the 2016–2018 cars the same feature was a retrofit.
- The UI flattened: rounded cards and shallower menus instead of Gen 6’s grid of square tiles.
- Firmware became model-specific. Gen 6 families share a software line with region-specific packages and resources. The newer platform uses
.kwipackages keyed per model (NA03covers the North American CX-5/CX-9 family). A build for one model will not load on another.
If you’re cross-shopping a 2020 against a 2021, the touch-to-knob change is the one owners notice first. The full generational side-by-side is Gen 6 vs Gen 7.
United States features by model year
Section titled “United States features by model year”| 2016–2020 CX-5 | 2021–2023 CX-5 | 2024–2025 CX-5 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 7-inch touch (8-inch on 2020 GTR/Signature) | 10.25-inch, non-touch | 10.25-inch, touch in CarPlay/Android Auto only |
| Input | Touch (parked) + Commander | Commander knob only | Commander; touch inside phone projection |
| CarPlay / Android Auto | Factory on 2019+ Touring and up; retrofit earlier | Standard, wired | Standard; wireless available |
| USB | USB-A | USB-A | USB-C |
| Platform | Gen 6 (this site’s focus) | Newer Mazda Connect | Newer Mazda Connect |
The decisive check is Settings > System > About: the original unit reports a 55, 56, 59, 70, or 74 family version; the newer unit uses a different format. See Mazda Connect generations for the identification steps.
The 2024 update added wireless CarPlay, USB-C, and partial touch
Section titled “The 2024 update added wireless CarPlay, USB-C, and partial touch”The 2021–2023 cars are wired-only with USB-A ports (two in the armrest console, rear ports on higher trims). The 2024 model year brought three changes: wireless Apple CarPlay, USB-C ports in place of USB-A, and touchscreen input, but only inside CarPlay and Android Auto. The native Mazda Connect menus stay knob-driven even on 2024+ cars. Wireless availability varies by trim and market, so confirm against the specific car’s window sticker rather than the model year alone.
The 2026 CX-5 is a clean break again: an all-new generation revealed July 2025 with a 12.9-inch touchscreen (15.6-inch available) running Mazda Connect with Google built-in, on Android Automotive. That makes three unrelated infotainment computers across three consecutive CX-5 generations.
Navigation still lives on an SD card
Section titled “Navigation still lives on an SD card”The 2021+ system keeps SD-card navigation. Some trims ship with the card; on others it’s a dealer or parts-counter purchase that activates the built-in nav. The card mechanics (slot in the console, map updates via Mazda’s toolbox software) follow the same general approach as the rest of the lineup; see Mazda Connect navigation SD cards. Most owners on this platform skip it entirely and run Google Maps or Apple Maps through the standard CarPlay/Android Auto instead.
Why Gen 6 software doesn’t apply here
Section titled “Why Gen 6 software doesn’t apply here”Every tweak documented on this site depends on Gen 6 internals the 2021+ unit doesn’t have. Gen 6 is a Linux 3.0.35 box whose UI is HTML rendered by Opera Presto, rootable over documented USB exploits, with firmware in readable .up packages. The 2021+ platform replaced all of it: a different SoC, a proprietary OS, a different UI framework, .kwi firmware, and no published root exploit.
Concretely, on a newer-system CX-5:
- USB tweak installers (MZD-AIO and similar) do not run, and there is no boot-time problem for them to fix; the newer unit doesn’t share Gen 6’s 55–65 second startup.
- ScreenTune does not support this newer platform; support is defined by the Gen 6 CMU on the v74.00.324 build, including equivalent regional display labels, not the badge.
- There is no firmware path between platforms. You cannot “update” a 2020 car into the 10.25-inch system or load Gen 6 firmware onto a 2021.
What still works: FORScan. Body-module changes (i-Stop default, auto lock/unlock, mirror fold, lighting behavior) live in modules independent of the infotainment unit, so the FORScan catalog applies to 2021+ cars the same way it does to Gen 6 cars.
Further reading
Section titled “Further reading”- Gen 6 vs Gen 7 differences: the detailed side-by-side
- Mazda Connect generations: identification steps, all three platforms
- 2016–2020 CX-5 infotainment: the supported system
- CX-5 overview