2022 Mazda CX-5 vs 2022 Honda CR-V
When you’re looking for the safest vehicles on the road, the two brands that come to mind are Mazda and Honda. And when you’re shopping for vehicles in those brands, two of their most popular choices are the CX-5 and the CR-V.
But which vehicle has the edge, and which one do you want to drive home? We decided to compare each vehicle to each other in a head-to-head comparison to help you decide!
Performance Specs
Who doesn’t love a car that can move? While you’re not winning any races with either the CX-5 or the CR-V, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth checking out what they can do. From their engines to their towing capacity, we’ll break it all down for you.
Mazda CX-5
The Mazda CX-5 has two different engine options to choose from, a four-cylinder Skyactiv-G 2.5 Liter option and the same engine but with a turbocharger. The difference between the two engines is noticeable, to say the least.
The non-turbocharged engine puts out 187 horsepower and 186 lb-ft of torque, while the turbocharged engine puts out 250 horsepower and an impressive 310 lb-ft of torque. The difference in performance translates to a CX-5 with far faster acceleration, which is a pretty big deal.
Meanwhile, the CX-5 can tow 2,000 pounds if you get all the proper equipment. While this certainly isn’t all that impressive, it’s enough to move smaller equipment from place to place.
Honda CR-V
While the Mazda CX-5 has two different engine options to choose from, the Honda CR-V only has one. It’s a turbocharged 2.4L i-VTEC four-cylinder engine that produces 185 horsepower and 163 lb-ft of torque.
While this is more than enough to get the job done, it’s definitely a touch behind the Mazda CX-5 engine – even if you opt for the non-turbocharged version.
Finally, the CR-V can tow 1,500 pounds if you get the right equipment, which once again puts it just a smidge behind the CX-5. But because you’re likely not getting a compact SUV for towing, that’s not a major concern.
Cargo Space
One of the perks of going with an SUV, even if it’s a crossover style, is the extra cargo space. But how much cargo space does either the CX-5 or the CR-V give you, and how do they stack up against each other? We’ll break it down for you here.
Mazda CX-5
When it comes to cargo space, the CX-5 has more space than most cars but less space than most compact SUVs. With all the seats up it provides 30.9 cubic feet of cargo space, but if you put the rear seats down that area expands to 59.6 cubic feet.
While it’s not exactly an expansive area, it’s still more than enough for sports equipment, camping gear, or just about anything else you want to stack in the back for your next trip!
Honda CR-V
While the CX-5 has a slight edge in performance, when it comes to the amount of space in the cargo area, the CR-V is the clear winner. With the rear seats up, the CR-V has 39.2 cubic feet of cargo space, but when you put those seats down, that area balloons to 75.8 cubic feet!
It’s a massive difference from the CX-5, so if you need a little extra space to move stuff around, the CR-V might be the better option. Just keep in mind that you still can’t exceed the towing capacity, so be mindful of what you’re loading up!
Standard Safety Features
Both Honda and Mazda pride themselves in creating extremely reliable and insanely safe vehicles. But how do they do it, and which one does it better? To really help you figure it out we decided to highlight some of the key features for you here.
Mazda CX-5
Mazda uses their i-Activesense safety features throughout every model of every vehicle in their lineup, but what exactly does that mean, and what features does that include? Well, while there are tons of different features that go into it, the four most notable standard safety features in the suite are:
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Cruise control with stop & go
- Advanced smart city brake support
While blind-spot monitoring is becoming far more common, the fact that they include it as a standard feature for all of their trim levels is a pretty nice perk.
But Mazda offers more than just blind-spot monitoring, the rear cross-traffic alert will let you know if a car behind you is attempting to merge into the same lane as you, and the cruise control with stop & go helps your vehicle match the speed to the vehicle in front of you.
Finally, the advanced smart city brake support system will actively warn you if you’re getting too close to another object, and it’ll even hit the brakes for you to help prevent a collision!
Honda CR-V
Instead of i-Activesense, Honda uses their own system called Honda Sensing Safety Systems in all of their vehicles. A few of its key features include:
- Collision mitigation braking system
- Road departure mitigation system
- Adaptive cruise control
- Lane keep assist
- Blind-spot monitoring
It’s almost identical to the CX-5 standard safety features, but the CR-V includes a road departure mitigation system to help ensure you stay on the road and in your lane. It might seem like a small thing, but it might be just what you need to avoid an accident.
The Verdict
While we’re certainly not going to advocate for one car or the other here, what we can say is that there are pros and cons to both. The CX-5 has a more powerful engine and a higher towing capacity, but the CR-V has more cargo space and nominally more safety features.
There’s no wrong choice here, and we recommend heading down to Seacoast Mazda to test drive a new CX-5 and see for yourself if one’s right for you and your family!