Compare the2023 Mazda CX-50VS 2022 Nissan Rogue Sport

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the CX-50. But it costs extra on the Rogue Sport.

Both the CX-50 and the Rogue Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the CX-50 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Rogue Sport has not been fully tested, yet.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda above average in long-term dependability. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Nissan is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda fourth in overall reliability. Nissan is ranked 15th.

Engine

The CX-50’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 46 more horsepower (187 vs. 141) and 39 lbs.-ft. more torque (186 vs. 147) than the Rogue Sport’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The CX-50’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 115 more horsepower (256 vs. 141) and 173 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 147) than the Rogue Sport’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mazda CX-50 4 cyl. is faster than the Nissan Rogue Sport:

	CX-50	Rogue Sport
Zero to 60 MPH	8.5 sec	9.8 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	17.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	84.1 MPH	80.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the CX-50 (except Turbo)’s fuel efficiency. The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the CX-50 Turbo’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The CX-50 has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Rogue Sport (15.8 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the CX-50’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Rogue Sport:

	CX-50	Rogue Sport
Front Rotors	12.8 inches	11.65 inches
Rear Rotors	12.8 inches	11.5 inches

The CX-50 stops much shorter than the Rogue Sport:

	CX-50	Rogue Sport
60 to 0 MPH	118 feet	137 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the CX-50 has larger standard tires than the Rogue Sport (225/65R17 vs. 215/60R17). The CX-50 Premium Plus/Turbo’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Rogue Sport (245/45R20 vs. 225/45R19).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the CX-50 Premium Plus/Turbo has standard 20-inch wheels. The Rogue Sport’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CX-50’s wheelbase is 6.6 inches longer than on the Rogue Sport (110.8 inches vs. 104.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CX-50 is 2.7 inches wider in the front and 3.1 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Rogue Sport.

The CX-50 2.5 S handles at .81 G’s, while the Rogue Sport SL 4x4 pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The CX-50 2.5 S executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Rogue Sport SL 4x4 (28 seconds @ .58 average G’s vs. 29.6 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CX-50’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the Rogue Sport’s (36 feet vs. 36.9 feet).

For greater off-road capability the CX-50 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Rogue Sport (8.3 vs. 7.4 inches), allowing the CX-50 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The CX-50 Premium/Turbo’s minimum ground clearance is 1.2 inches higher than on the Rogue Sport (8.6 vs. 7.4 inches).

Passenger Space

The CX-50 has 4.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Rogue Sport (100.3 vs. 96).

The CX-50 has .2 inches more front hip room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 6.4 inches more rear legroom and 5.2 inches more rear hip room than the Rogue Sport.

Cargo Capacity

The CX-50 has a much larger cargo volume than the Rogue Sport with its rear seat up (31.4 vs. 22.9 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the CX-50 easier. The CX-50’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28.4 inches, while the Rogue Sport’s liftover is 30.2 inches.

The CX-50’s cargo area is larger than the Rogue Sport’s in almost every dimension:

	CX-50	Rogue Sport
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	42.6”/75.4”	33.3”/62.3”
Max Width	55.6”	54.2”
Min Width	40.2”	43.5”
Height	30.2”	33.3”

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the CX-50 Select/Preferred/Premium/Turbo’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the CX-50 Preferred/Premium/Turbo has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

Towing

The CX-50 has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The Rogue Sport has no towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The CX-50 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Rogue Sport uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The CX-50 Premium Plus/Turbo Premium has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The CX-50’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Rogue Sport’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The CX-50’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Rogue Sport’s passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

On a hot day the CX-50’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Rogue Sport can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The CX-50’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Rogue Sport’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

The CX-50’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Rogue Sport’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

Consumer Reports rated the CX-50’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Rogue Sport’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the CX-50 Turbo has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer cornering lights.

When the CX-50 Premium/Turbo is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Rogue Sport’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The CX-50’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Rogue Sport offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the CX-50 and the Rogue Sport offer available heated front seats. The CX-50 Turbo Premium Plus also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Rogue Sport.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the CX-50 Premium Plus/Turbo Premium keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mazda CX-50 offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Mazda CX-50 and the Nissan Rogue Sport, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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