Compare the2023 Mazda CX-5VS 2023 Subaru Outback

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The CX-5 Turbo Signature has a standard 360° Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Outback only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

The CX-5 has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Outback’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the CX-5 has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Subaru charges extra for rear cross-path warning on the Outback and its not available on the Base.

Both the CX-5 and the Outback 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, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available driver alert monitors.

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

	CX-5	Outback
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	82	158
Neck Injury Risk	23%	26%
Neck Stress	274 lbs.	281 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	57 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	160/307 lbs.	230/249 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	156	241
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	37%	43%

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 flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Mazda CX-5 is safer than the Subaru Outback:

	CX-5	Outback
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.5 inches
Hip Force	189 lbs.	247 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	524 lbs.	635 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	43 G’s
Hip Force	435 lbs.	674 lbs.

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

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 Mazda CX-5 is safer than the Outback:

	CX-5	Outback
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.51 in	.94 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.34 in	1.54 in
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	9 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	848 lbs.	1026 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	307	387
Neck Tension	22 lbs.	67 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.42 in	1.81 in
Shoulder Force	424 lbs.	469 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.26 in	1.42 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	602 lbs.	848 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the CX-5 is 1.1% to 1.6% less likely to roll over than the Outback.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the CX-5’s reliability 20 points higher than the Outback.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. With 11 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mazda higher than Subaru.

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 Subaru 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, Subaru is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda fourth in overall reliability. Subaru is ranked 7th.

Engine

The CX-5’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (187 vs. 182) and 10 lbs.-ft. more torque (186 vs. 176) than the Outback 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The CX-5’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 43 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 277) than the Outback XT/Wilderness’ standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mazda CX-5 4 cyl. is faster than the Outback 2.5i 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder:

	CX-5	Outback
Zero to 60 MPH	8.3 sec	8.7 sec
Quarter Mile	16.3 sec	16.6 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
CX-5
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy
Outback
	AWD	XT 2.4 turbo flat-4	22 city/29 hwy
		Wilderness 2.4 turbo flat-4	21 city/26 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the CX-5 (except Turbo)’s fuel efficiency. The Outback doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the CX-5 Turbo’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Outback:

	CX-5 Turbo	Outback
Front Rotors	12.6 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	11.9 inches	11.8 inches

The CX-5 stops much shorter than the Outback:

	CX-5	Outback
70 to 0 MPH	167 feet	191 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	132 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The CX-5 Carbon Edition/Premium/Turbo’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Outback Onyx/Limited/Touring’s 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the CX-5 Carbon Edition/Premium/Turbo has standard 19-inch wheels. The Outback’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

Suspension and Handling

The CX-5 has engine speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Outback doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The CX-5 handles at .82 G’s, while the Outback Wilderness pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The CX-5 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Outback Limited (27.8 seconds @ .59 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Chassis

The CX-5 is 11.2 inches shorter than the Outback Wilderness, making the CX-5 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The CX-5 has .1 inches more rear legroom and .5 inches more rear hip room than the Outback.

The front step up height for the CX-5 is 1.4 inches lower than the Outback (17.6” vs. 19”). The CX-5’s rear step up height is .3 inches lower than the Outback’s (18.2” vs. 18.5”).

Cargo Capacity

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the CX-5’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Outback doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Ergonomics

The CX-5 offers a 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 Outback doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The CX-5 Premium Plus/Turbo 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 Outback doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The CX-5’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 Outback’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The CX-5’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 Outback’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the CX-5 owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the CX-5 with a number “1” insurance rate while the Outback is rated higher at a number “5” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the CX-5 is less expensive to operate than the Outback because it costs $482 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the CX-5 than the Outback, including $134 less for a water pump, $11 less for front brake pads, $61 less for a starter, $116 less for a fuel pump, $116 less for front struts and $222 less for a timing belt/chain.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Mazda CX-5 and the Subaru Outback, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Mazda CX-5 outsold the Subaru Outback by 4332 units during 2022.