Compare the2023 Hyundai KonaVS 2022 Mazda CX-5

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Kona are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The CX-5 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Kona’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The CX-5 doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

Compared to metal, the Kona’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Mazda CX-5 has a metal gas tank.

Both the Kona and the CX-5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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, available all wheel drive and rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Kona is safer than the Mazda CX-5:

	Kona	CX-5
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	20%	23%
Neck Stress	207 lbs.	274 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	29/232 lbs.	160/307 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	37%	37%
Neck Stress	193 lbs.	205 lbs.
Neck Compression	70 lbs.	86 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	59/27 lbs.	449/262 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Kona is safer than the Mazda CX-5:

	Kona	CX-5
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	196	449

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Kona is 2.8% to 3.8% less likely to roll over than the CX-5.

Warranty

The Kona comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The CX-5’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Kona 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Mazda covers the CX-5. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the CX-5 ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Kona’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the CX-5’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Kona for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mazda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the CX-5.

There are over 52 percent more Hyundai dealers than there are Mazda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Kona’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Kona has a standard 150-amp alternator. The CX-5’s standard 100-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 31 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is ranked 12th.

Engine

The Kona N Line/Limited’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 8 more horsepower (195 vs. 187) and 9 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 186) than the CX-5’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Kona N Line/Limited 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Mazda CX-5 4 cyl.:

	Kona	CX-5
Zero to 60 MPH	7.3 sec	7.9 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	19.7 sec	23.6 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7.6 sec	8.4 sec
Quarter Mile	15.7 sec	16.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90 MPH	85 MPH
Top Speed	130 MPH	124 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Kona gets better mileage than the CX-5:

			MPG
Kona
	FWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/35 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/35 hwy
	AWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/33 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/32 hwy
CX-5
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Kona’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. The CX-5 doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Kona uses regular unleaded gasoline. The CX-5 with the 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies the Hyundai Kona as a “Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle” (PZEV). The Mazda CX-5 is only certified to “Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (SULEV) standards.

Transmission

A seven-speed automatic (SMG) is standard on the Hyundai Kona N Line/Limited, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the CX-5.

The Kona 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-5 doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Kona offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The CX-5 doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

The Kona stops much shorter than the CX-5:

	Kona	CX-5
70 to 0 MPH	171 feet	184 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	136 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	131 feet	144 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Kona N Line/Limited’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the CX-5 (235/45R18 vs. 225/65R17).

The Kona SE’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the CX-5’s standard 65 series tires. The Kona N Line/Limited’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the CX-5 Carbon Edition/Premium/Turbo’s 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Kona has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The CX-5’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Kona SEL AWD handles at .88 G’s, while the CX-5 Turbo Signature pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Kona executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the CX-5 (26.9 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.5 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Kona’s turning circle is 1.2 feet tighter than the CX-5’s (34.8 feet vs. 36 feet).

Chassis

The Hyundai Kona may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 550 to 800 pounds less than the Mazda CX-5.

The Kona is 1 foot, 2.5 inches shorter than the CX-5, making the Kona easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The front step up height for the Kona is 1.6 inches lower than the CX-5 (16” vs. 17.6”). The Kona’s rear step up height is 2.1 inches lower than the CX-5’s (16.1” vs. 18.2”).

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Kona easier. The Kona’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 27.5 inches, while the CX-5’s liftover is 29.4 inches.

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Kona and the CX-5 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Kona is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The CX-5 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Kona’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Mazda only offers heated mirrors on the CX-5 Premium/Turbo.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Kona (except SE) offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The CX-5 doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Model Availability

The Kona is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The CX-5 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Kona is less expensive to operate than the CX-5 because typical repairs cost much less on the Kona than the CX-5, including $35 less for front brake pads, $1 less for a starter, $212 less for fuel injection, $19 less for a fuel pump and $4 less for front struts.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Hyundai Kona will be $3846 to $5786 less than for the Mazda CX-5.

Recommendations

The Kona was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Five/10Best Trucks” in 2019. The CX-5 has never been a Car and Driver “Top Five/10Best Truck” pick.