It wasn’t long ago when we finally got our hands on Mazda’s all-new 2023 CX-50-- an adventure-ready crossover built specifically for the North American consumer. Now Mazda aims to further its off-road capabilities with new Meridian Edition offerings.

The CX-50 2.5 Turbo Meridian Edition is packed with all the regular 2.5 Turbo’s features. Performance wise, the only major shakeup is a set of bespoke 18-inch black alloy wheels, wrapped in Falken all-terrain tires-- 225/60/18’s, to be exact. Those wheels are held in place by matching locks and lugs. The rest of this model’s accouterments are aesthetic: new headlight garnishes, side rockers, and a unique “Meridian Edition-branded” matte black hood graphic, contrasting the two available paint options: Polymetal Gray and Zircon Sand.

Meridian Edition customers can also spring for the Apex Package. It upgrades the roof racks with black crossbars and a roof platform, allocating space for outdoor equipment and even a rooftop tent-- like the one available through Mazda’s accessories catalog. Apex also adds front and rear splash guards.

For those looking for something a little extra without having to step up to the Meridian Edition proper, there’s the Meridian Choice Package. This can be served up on either the aforementioned 2.5 Turbo or the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter model. Meridian Choice is dealer-installed, including those roof-mounted black crossbars and platform, the splash guards, side rocker and headlight garnishes, and black wheels (locks and lugs, too). It also gets a matte black hood stripe, but it’s designed differently from the 2.5 Turbo Meridian’s.

The 2023 Mazda CX-50 2.5 Turbo Meridian Edition starts at $41,225, which includes Mazda’s $1,275 destination charge ($1,320 for those residing in Alaska). The Apex Edition, which is only available on the Meridian Edition, goes for $1,235, and the Meridian Choice Package can be added to applicable models for $1,899. 

In total, the 2023 Mazda CX-50 is now available in 10 trims. All CX-50’s are built at the joint Mazda Toyota Manufacturing plant in Huntsville, Alabama. We recently put the all-new CX-50 through our Road Test checklist, which you can see the results of for yourself.