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2019 Honda CR-V vs. 2019 Mazda CX-5: Which Is Best?
2018 Honda CR-V ・ Photo by Honda
New car buyers looking for a family-friendly and fun-to-drive compact SUV have many vehicles to choose from. The segment is one of the hottest in the industry with recent record sales, and every major automaker is fighting for your SUV dollars.
Two of our favorites in this class are the 2019 Honda CR-V and the 2019 Mazda CX-5. Both are extremely popular. The Honda CR-V, which is built in Indiana, is one of America’s best-selling SUVs, and the Mazda CX-5, which is assembled in Japan, is that brand’s best-selling vehicle. Both offer family-friendly interiors, fuel-efficient engines, optional all-wheel drive, and the latest safety and in-cabin technology. To help you choose between the two, let's take a deeper dive into their specs and attributes.
Price
Prices for the 2019 Honda CR-V start right around $25,500 including a $995 destination fee. For that amount, you get a CR-V LX with front-wheel drive. All-wheel drive is available for an additional $1,400. Four other trim levels are offered, with prices topping out around $35,500 for a CR-V Touring with all-wheel drive.
The 2019 Mazda CX-5 is a little less expensive than the Honda. It’s offered in three trim levels: Sport, Touring, and Grand Touring. Pricing for the CX-5 Sport starts right around $25,500 with front-wheel drive, but the price of the top Grand Touring model is around $31,000. All-wheel drive costs an extra $1,300 on all trim levels.
Mazda CX-5
Photo by Mazda
Powertrain
Honda offers two engines in the CR-V. Under the hood of the base LX model is 2.4-liter four-cylinder rated at 184 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque. In the other trim levels, Honda installs a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder rated 190 hp and 179 lb-ft of torque. Mazda offers comparable power. Every 2019 CX-5 is powered by a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 187 hp and 186 lb-ft of torque.
The two SUVs use very different transmissions, however. Every Honda CR-V gets a continuously variable automatic transmission, or CVT, which helps fuel efficiency but can dull response. The Mazda is equipped with a six-speed automatic, which isn’t exactly state of the art, but it's responsive and well geared. Both SUVs come with paddle shifters so their transmissions can be shifted manually if the driver is feeling sporty.
Photo by Mazda
Acceleration
Despite that CVT, the Honda CR-V is quick off the line. With the turbocharged engine and all-wheel drive, it can accelerate to 60 mph from a dead stop in about 7.5 seconds, and it covers the quarter mile in about 16 seconds flat. Once again, the Mazda’s performance is comparable, hitting 60 mph in about 7.8 seconds with front-wheel drive and 8.1 seconds with all-wheel drive. Quarter mile runs are just over 16 seconds.
The Honda’s slightly quicker acceleration is mostly due to the fact that it weighs about 200 lbs less than the Mazda. Either way, these two are among the quickest SUVs in the compact class, and both SUVs offer a sport mode to quicken response.
Honda CR-V
Photo by Honda
Miles Per Gallon
With the base engine and front wheel drive, the CR-V is rated at 26 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway, or 1 mpg less with all-wheel drive. With the smaller but more powerful turbocharged engine, the Honda is actually more fuel efficient. That combination is rated 28 mpg city and 34 mpg highway with front-wheel drive, and again 1 mpg less with all-wheel drive.
The Mazda's fuel economy numbers are close to the Honda's, but they’re not quite as good. The CX-5 is rated at 25 mpg city and 31 mpg highway with front-wheel drive, and 1 mpg less with all-wheel drive. Both of these vehicles, including all versions of the CR-V, are engineered to run on less-expensive regular grade gasoline to keep operating costs down. Also, every CR-V comes with a capless fuel filler, which adds convenience.
Photo by Honda
Cargo Space
Although the Honda CR-V is only about an inch longer than the Mazda CX-5, it offers significantly more cargo volume. The Honda offers 39 cubic feet of space behind its rear seat and 76 cubic feet with its rear seat folded down.
The Mazda offers 34 cubic feet behind its rear seat and only 65 cubic feet with its rear seat folded flat. The CR-V's rear seat folds in a 60-40 split, while the CX-5's is divided in a 40-20-40 configuration.
Honda CR-V
Photo by Honda
High-Tech Safety Features
Three of the four trim levels offered on the Honda CR-V come with a long list of high-tech driver aids and safety features. They include a forward-collision warning, a lane-departure warning, collision-mitigation braking, road-departure mitigation, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and blind-spot monitoring with a cross-traffic monitor. It also features a driver attention monitor, which can chime and vibrate if it senses a lack of focus and the driver doesn't stop for a break.
On the Mazda, the base CX-5 Sport gets blind-spot monitoring with a rear cross-traffic alert and low-speed automatic emergency braking as standard. A lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, radar cruise control with stop and go, and full-speed automatic emergency braking are optional on the Sport and standard on the Touring and Grand Touring. This is a close one. Although the Honda’s list of available systems is more comprehensive, the advantage goes to the Mazda CX-5 for including two systems on its base model.
Mazda CX-5
Photo by Mazda
Overall Safety Ratings
Both of these SUVs have been given a five-star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That’s the highest score possible.
The Mazda CX-5 has also been given the highest rating of Top Safety Pick+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Honda CR-V is rated a Top Safety Pick by IIHS, one step below, due to less impressive headlights.
: Mazda CX-5
Photo by Mazda
Infotainment
Bluetooth is standard on both the Honda and the Mazda, and their infotainment systems are both Apple CarPlay or Android Auto compatible. Neither SUV offers onboard Wi-Fi, which is disappointing. Both the CR-V and the CX-5 have 7-inch touchscreens, though the Mazda’s is only a touchscreen when the SUV is stationary. When the SUV is moving, its infotainment system is controlled with a large knob on the console behind the shifter. It’s an interface much like you’ll find in a BMW or Mercedes-Benz, but its operation is clumsy in the Mazda, and its menus and selections can be cumbersome.
The Honda’s touchscreen’s prompts could also be more intuitive. Just changing the radio station can be more complicated than it should be. And the navigation system’s graphics seem dated in both vehicles.
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Photo by Mazda
Exterior Design
More aggressively styled than the smaller HR-V and the larger seven-passenger Pilot, the CR-V is Honda’s best-looking SUV. It has bulging fenders and sporty proportions that give it a youthful appearance. It also includes LED headlamps, a unique grille design, an integrated rear spoiler, and two round chrome exhaust tips. Overall, it’s one of the most attractive vehicles in the compact SUV class.
The Mazda CX-5 is also a looker, distinctively styled with voluptuous curves, athletic proportions, and a wide stance. Its large upright grille and squinted headlamps resemble Mazda’s handsome CX-9, but the CX-5’s aggressive roofline and smaller dimensions give it a bit more style. Like the Honda, the Mazda also has LED headlights, an integrated rear spoiler, and dual chrome exhaust tips.
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Photo by Honda
Verdict
Add up the score and the Mazda wins a very tight battle, but buyers in this class would be smart to cross shop both the CR-V and CX-5. Both Honda and Mazda have well-earned reputations for creating reliable and durable vehicles with excellent driving dynamics, and the CR-V and CX-5 are among their best.
These are two exceptional compact SUVs that offer buyers high-quality, style, safety, and performance. Each is also comfortable, fun to drive and delivers strong fuel economy for this class.
Mazda CX-5
Photo by Mazda