Compare the2023 Nissan RogueVS 2023 Mazda CX-50

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Rogue have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Mazda CX-50 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Rogue are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The CX-50 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Rogue Platinum has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The CX-50 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Rogue and the CX-50 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Nissan Rogue is safer than the CX-50:

There are almost 2 times as many Nissan dealers as there are Mazda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Rogue’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is rated lower.

The Rogue’s 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder produces 14 more horsepower (201 vs. 187) and 39 lbs.-ft. more torque (225 vs. 186) than the CX-50’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Nissan Rogue is faster than the Mazda CX-50 4 cyl.:

On the EPA test cycle the Rogue gets better mileage than the CX-50:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Nissan Rogue uses regular unleaded gasoline. The CX-50 with the 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Rogue has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The CX-50 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Rogue has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The CX-50 doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Rogue’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the CX-50 are solid, not vented.

The Rogue stops shorter than the CX-50:

For better traction, the Rogue has larger tires than the CX-50 (235/65R17 vs. 225/65R17).

The Rogue has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The CX-50 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For superior ride and handling, the Nissan Rogue has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Mazda CX-50 has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Rogue has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Rogue flat and controlled during cornering. The CX-50’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Rogue Platinum AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the CX-50 2.5 S pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Rogue’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the CX-50’s (35.4 feet vs. 36 feet).

The Nissan Rogue may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 250 pounds less than the Mazda CX-50.

The Rogue has 5.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CX-50 (105.4 vs. 100.3).

The Rogue has 2 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front hip room, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 1.3 inches more rear hip room and 2.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the CX-50.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Rogue’s rear seats recline. The CX-50’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Rogue has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the CX-50 with its rear seat folded (74.1 vs. 56.3 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Rogue SL/Platinum’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The CX-50 doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Rogue SV/SL/Platinum has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The CX-50 doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Rogue SL/Platinum’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The CX-50 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The power windows standard on both the Rogue and the CX-50 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Rogue is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The CX-50 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Rogue to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The CX-50 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Both the Rogue and the CX-50 offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Rogue has available rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The CX-50 doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The Rogue is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The CX-50 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

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

The Nissan Rogue outsold the Mazda CX-50 by almost 9 to one during 2022.