Mazda cx-5 vs cx-50

We’ve been doing a long-term test of the new-to-the-North-American-market 2023 Mazda CX-50. I gave you my first impressions of this five-seater SUV and then an update that included some impressions from my Millennial mom friends. Now, it’s time to compare it to something a little closer to home. I took a short break from the CX-50 to get a bit more acquainted with the CX-50’s sibling, the 2022 Mazda CX-5 — an incredibly popular SUV in Canada. 

Driving a Mazda makes me super aware of all the Mazdas around me (even my six-year-old son has been pointing them out) but I see CX-5s drive pass me extremely often. Makes sense; in the first-quarter of 2022, the CX-5 placed fourth among Canada’s 10 best-selling SUVs and crossovers, trailing behind the Jeep Wrangler, Honda CR-V, and Toyota RAV4.

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Knowing how popular the CX-5 is, it makes me wonder if any CX-5 drivers have noticed the new CX-50. I also wonder how new their vehicle may be, and which of the two they’d pick if given the option today. The added ‘0’ that’s tacked on to the end of the familiar CX-5 brings about quite a few differences. 

There are rumours of the CX-50 replacing the CX-5 — though they’re both still currently on sale simultaneously — but “replacing” doesn’t seem quite right, not when there are such big differences. There’s room for each SUV in this lineup and each has the potential to attract a slightly different audience. 

Compare Mazda’s CX-5 and CX-50 specs to the CR-V and RAV4

Before I get into details, if you’re in the market for one of these two five-seaters, I’d suggest test driving each and getting the feel for typical daily routines, car seats included. It’s necessary. They may seem similar, and don’t get me wrong, there are quite a few similarities between these two (see below), but they’ve got some noticeable differences that can definitely sway your decision. Note that both tested models are the top Turbo trims, and for the most part, that’s what we’ll compare, unless otherwise stated. 

Similarities between the Mazda CX-50 and CX-5

1. They house the same engine, a 2.5L inline-four. In Turbo trim on 87-octane, both produce 227 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque.
   
2. They both have a six-speed automatic transmission. 
3. They both have standard all-wheel-drive. 
4. They both have a 7.0-inch touchscreen that can be used with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but you’ll also see infotainment come up below when we get to the differences. 
5. They have similar fuel consumption ratings, though the CX-5’s is slightly higher, with a combined rating of 9.9 L/100 km; while the CX-50’s combined fuel consumption is 9.4 L/100 km. Note: maybe it’s because I generally do more local driving, but in both vehicles I was averaging observed numbers closer to 12 L/100 km. 
6. They have similar safety features that include blind-spot monitoring and lane-departure warnings, as well as a great rear camera that can also be enabled with a button to the left of the steering wheel. 
7. In these top trims, they both have an awesome Bose surround sound system, wireless charging pad, and head-up display.
8. They both have five seats, but the comfort and space provided in those five seats are vastly different. 

All 12 Photos for Gallery

Differences between the Mazda CX-50 and CX-5

It seems that there are many give-and-take types of situations when it comes to these two Mazdas. They really are each tailored to specific wants and needs.

While some families will have absolutely no problem with the space in the CX-5, larger families will benefit from the slightly wider CX-50 — it’s 75 mm wider. I have three kids, so I’m generally on the hunt for an SUV that can comfortably fit three car seats, of varying sizes, side by side. The easiest way for me to judge that comfort is by answering a simple question: Can my eldest daughter buckle herself?

In the CX-50, the answer is yes. She has enough space to fit her hand in between her booster seat and her sister’s forward-facing car seat to buckle herself in. In the CX-5, it’s a no, meaning I have to go back there and do some magic that either involves a bruised wrist or my daughter doing some weird acrobatics to enter the already-strapped belt.

Here’s the interesting part: Though the CX-50 is 75 mm wider than the CX-5, according to the specs, the CX-5 actually has quite a bit more hiproom in the rear, 1,405 mm versus 1,223 mm in the CX-50, a supposed difference of 182 mm. I guess hiproom requires a very different calculation than car-seat-room, or my math isn’t adding up.

Regardless, the give and take is that CX-50 may be wider, but the CX-5 is taller. Personally, that doesn’t bother me much because I’m short. However, since the CX-50 also has a higher ground clearance, it condenses the inside height of the SUV even further. My husband wasn’t a fan of the minimal headroom in the driver’s seat (it also felt a bit squishier in the CX-5’s driver’s seat than the CX-50). By the numbers, it’s not a huge difference — 999 mm in the CX-5 and 981 mm in the CX-50 — but comfort-wise, it’s an entirely different story, and also why I’d urge you to test each vehicle thoroughly. The CX-50 was also easier to park, despite being wider.

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The CX-50 has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the CX-5 does not. It’s a minor thing that I’m sure will eventually be updated. However, the CX-5’s infotainment screen is placed remotely closer and therefore easier to access than the one in the CX-50 that also has that odd dip that houses the screen, making it somewhat difficult to get to the bottom of it.

I do like the simplicity of a bench seat, such as the one in the CX-50, but even more, I love the 40/20/40 split in the CX-5. The practicality of being able to use it in so many different ways is appealing to families of all sizes. With all three sections folded flat, the CX-5 can get up to 1,680L of space; the CX-50 gets 1,595L with the bench seat folded down. With all three kids in the car, I’d rarely have any of the seats down — never during this tested period — but I still had more than enough space in both cargo areas to fit my stroller along with grocery runs for the week. The CX-50 has a bit more space with the seats up, 18L more than the CX-5, but it’s really hard to tell the difference going off of actual cargo that I managed to fit into both.

Finally, both SUVs have heated rear seats (in addition to heated and ventilated front seats). This seems like something minuscule to compare, but if heated back seats are important to you, then it’s probably important to note the placement of the buttons in each vehicle. The CX-50 is intuitive — the buttons are right below the rear vents. In the CX-5, the buttons are placed in the pull-down armrest in the middle of the outward seats. Basically, if you have someone sitting in the middle seat, the buttons are inaccessible. If you want it on, you’ll have to turn it on before someone sits, and even then, you won’t be able to change the intensity or take it off. That said, it doesn’t really matter if you’ve got little kids back there (like myself) because they can’t feel the heated seats through their car seats.

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Is the Turbo trim worth it?

No.

Canadian pricing for the 2022 Mazda CX-5 starts at $30,500 and runs all the way up to $43,650 for the top Signature trim, with seven trims in total. (Check out Canadian pricing for the 2023 Mazda CX-5.) The 2023 Mazda CX-50 starts a bit higher at $37,900, but there are currently only three trims, with the top GT Turbo trim starting at $45,350 (and an even higher trim, the Meridian Edition, coming later this year).

Adding the turbo provides mainly a little extra zoom zoom, but for the CX-5, I’d prefer to save the $3,200 and bump down two trims to the Sport Design that may not have a 360-degree-view camera, but does have better fuel consumption. And in the CX-50, save the $2,500 and take the GT trim, unless you really need that 360º-view camera and extra towing capacity from the Turbo trim — 2,000 pounds vs 3,501 pounds, respectively.

Is the CX-50 better than the CX-5?

As I’ve mentioned a few times, it’s really going to be a personal choice that’s based on specific lifestyle needs from an SUV. I don’t think one CX is truly better than the other, especially considering the contrasting features. Personally, I’d pick the CX-50 over the CX-5, but that’s largely because the CX-50 easily fits my three car seats and therefore cuts my frustration in half by allowing me to leave the house faster. That said, I can understand why the CX-5 has become so popular in Canada; it’s simple and it’s a great fit for families with one or two kids (or a couple pets).

Stay tuned for more CX-50 content — Driving’s Elle Alder and I compared it to the Toyota Venza. Take a wild guess, who do you think won that battle? 

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