Compare the2023 Toyota Rav4 HybridVS 2023 Mazda CX-5

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid 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-5 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Toyota Rav4 Hybrid has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The CX-5 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Rav4 Hybrid has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The CX-5 doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Both the Rav4 Hybrid and the CX-5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid is safer than the Mazda CX-5:

	Rav4 Hybrid	CX-5
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.5 inches
Leg Forces (l/r)	340/190 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 flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid is safer than the Mazda CX-5:

	Rav4 Hybrid	CX-5
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.5 inches
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	146	208
Spine Acceleration	49 G’s	65 G’s
Hip Force	508 lbs.	524 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	299	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 Rav4 Hybrid is 1.4% to 1.9% less likely to roll over than the CX-5.

Warranty

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Rav4 Hybrid for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mazda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the CX-5.

There are over 2 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Mazda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Rav4 Hybrid’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 8 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Mazda is rated lower.

Engine

The Rav4 Hybrid’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 32 more horsepower (219 vs. 187) than the CX-5’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid is faster than the Mazda CX-5 4 cyl.:

	Rav4 Hybrid	CX-5
Zero to 60 MPH	7.1 sec	8.7 sec
Quarter Mile	15.4 sec	16.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.1 MPH	78.3 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Rav4 Hybrid gets better mileage than the CX-5:

			MPG
Rav4 Hybrid
	AWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	41 city/38 hwy
		Woodland 2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	38 city/35 hwy
CX-5
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy

The Rav4 Hybrid can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 1.6 miles. The CX-5 can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Rav4 Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The CX-5 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Rav4 Hybrid’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 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid 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

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the Mazda CX-5 (5 to 7). This means the Rav4 Hybrid produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the CX-5 every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Rav4 Hybrid 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.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Rav4 Hybrid’s standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the CX-5:

	Rav4 Hybrid	CX-5
Front Rotors	12 inches	11.7 inches

The Rav4 Hybrid stops much shorter than the CX-5:

	Rav4 Hybrid	CX-5
60 to 0 MPH	120 feet	136 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Rav4 Hybrid XSE handles at .80 G’s, while the CX-5 pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Rav4 Hybrid XSE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the CX-5 (27.6 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.5 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Rav4 Hybrid has a greater minimum ground clearance than the CX-5 (8.1 vs. 7.6 inches), allowing the Rav4 Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Rav4 Hybrid’s minimum ground clearance is .2 inch higher than on the CX-5 Carbon/Premium/Turbo (8.1 vs. 7.9 inches).

Chassis

The front grille of the Rav4 Hybrid uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The CX-5 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Rav4 Hybrid has .7 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom and 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the CX-5.

Cargo Capacity

The Rav4 Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the CX-5 with its rear seat up (37.6 vs. 30.8 cubic feet). The Rav4 Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the CX-5 with its rear seat folded (69.8 vs. 59.3 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Rav4 Hybrid easier. The Rav4 Hybrid’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 27.8 inches, while the CX-5’s liftover is 29.4 inches.

The Rav4 Hybrid’s cargo area is larger than the CX-5’s in almost every dimension:

	Rav4 Hybrid	CX-5
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	40”/73.4”	38”
Max Width	59”	57”
Min Width	39.4”	41.3”
Height	36.6”	32.4”

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Rav4 Hybrid. The CX-5 doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Rav4 Hybrid Limited’s available liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The CX-5 doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Towing

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Rav4 Hybrid uses the Vehicle Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The CX-5 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Rav4 Hybrid and the CX-5 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Rav4 Hybrid 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.

If the windows are left open on the Rav4 Hybrid the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the CX-5 can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Rav4 Hybrid has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the CX-5 Select/Preferred/Carbon Edition/Premium/Turbo.

Both the Rav4 Hybrid and the CX-5 offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Rav4 Hybrid has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The CX-5 doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Recommendations

The Toyota Rav4 outsold the Mazda CX-5 by almost three to one during the 2022 model year.

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