Compare the2023 Mazda CX-50VS 2023 Ford Bronco Sport

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Mazda CX-50 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Bronco Sport doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The CX-50 Turbo Premium Plus has standard Smart Brake Support-Reverse that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Bronco Sport doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The CX-50 Turbo Premium Plus has a standard 360° Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Bronco Sport 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.

Both the CX-50 and Bronco Sport have rear cross-traffic warning, but the CX-50Turbo Premium Plus has Rear Cross Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic.

Both the CX-50 and the Bronco Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert 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 Bronco Sport has not been fully tested, yet.

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the CX-50’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Bronco Sport’s camshafts. If the Bronco Sport’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

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-50’s reliability 41 points higher than the Bronco Sport.

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 Ford 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, Ford is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda fourth in overall reliability. Ford is ranked 18th.

Engine

The CX-50’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 6 more horsepower (187 vs. 181) than the Bronco Sport’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder. The CX-50’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 6 more horsepower (256 vs. 250) and 43 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 277) than the Bronco Sport Badlands’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mazda CX-50 4 cyl. is faster than the Ford Bronco Sport turbo 3 cyl.:

	CX-50	Bronco Sport
Zero to 60 MPH	8.5 sec	9.2 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	16.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	84.1 MPH	80.8 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
CX-50
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
Bronco Sport
	AWD	1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	25 city/28 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy

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 Bronco Sport doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	CX-50	Bronco Sport
Front Rotors	12.8 inches	12.1 inches
Rear Rotors	12.8 inches	11.9 inches

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

	CX-50	Bronco Sport
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	172 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	118 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the CX-50 Premium Plus/Turbo’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Bronco Sport (245/45R20 vs. 235/65R17).

The CX-50 Premium Plus/Turbo’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Bronco Sport’s optional 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the CX-50 Premium Plus/Turbo has standard 20-inch wheels. The Bronco Sport’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CX-50’s wheelbase is 5.7 inches longer than on the Bronco Sport (110.8 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CX-50 is 1.7 inches wider in the front and 2.5 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Bronco Sport.

The CX-50 2.5 Turbo handles at .87 G’s, while the Bronco Sport Outer Banks pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The CX-50 2.5 S executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Bronco Sport Outer Banks (28 seconds @ .58 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CX-50’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the Bronco Sport’s (36 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the CX-50 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Bronco Sport Base/Big Bend (8.3 vs. 7.8 inches), allowing the CX-50 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

For excellent aerodynamics, the CX-50 has standard flush composite headlights. The Bronco Sport has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the CX-50 2.5 Turbo is quieter than the Bronco Sport Badlands (37 vs. 38 dB).

Cargo Capacity

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

Towing

The CX-50’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Bronco Sport’s (2000 vs. 0 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Ford Bronco Sport is only 2200 pounds. The CX-50 offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

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 Bronco Sport doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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 Bronco Sport’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

The CX-50 has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Bronco Sport doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

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 Bronco Sport’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

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

The Bronco Sport’s optional cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The CX-50 Turbo’s standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

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 Bronco 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 Bronco Sport offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the CX-50 and the Bronco 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 Bronco 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 Bronco Sport doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Mazda CX-50, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Ford Bronco Sport isn't recommended.

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