Compare the2023 Mazda CX-50VS 2023 Honda Passport

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 Passport doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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 Passport 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 Passport only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the CX-50 and Passport 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.

The CX-50’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Passport doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the CX-50 and the Passport 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

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-50 is safer than the Passport:

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 Passport last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

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 Passport’s camshafts. If the Passport’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

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 Honda vehicles. With 3 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mazda higher than Honda.

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 Honda 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, Honda is rated below average.

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

The CX-50’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 58 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 262) than the Passport’s 3.5 SOHC V6.

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

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

The CX-50 stops much shorter than the Passport:

The CX-50 2.5 Turbo handles at .87 G’s, while the Passport Elite pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the CX-50’s turning circle is 3.3 feet tighter than the Passport AWD’s (36 feet vs. 39.3 feet).

For greater off-road capability the CX-50 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Passport (8.3 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the CX-50 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The CX-50 Premium/Turbo’s minimum ground clearance is .5 inch higher than on the Passport (8.6 vs. 8.1 inches).

The Mazda CX-50 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 500 pounds less than the Honda Passport.

The CX-50 is 3.3 inches shorter than the Passport, making the CX-50 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The CX-50 is 5.7 inches narrower than the Passport, making the CX-50 easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The CX-50 is 8.7 inches shorter in height than the Passport, making the CX-50 much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the CX-50 2.5 Turbo is quieter than the Passport Elite (37 vs. 39 dB).

The CX-50 has .8 inches more front legroom and .2 inches more rear legroom than the Passport.

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the CX-50 easier. The CX-50’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28.4 inches, while the Passport’s liftover is 32 inches.

The CX-50’s cargo area is larger than the Passport’s in almost every dimension:

The CX-50 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Passport uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

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 Passport doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The CX-50’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Passport’s parking brake has to be released manually.

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 Passport’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

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

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the CX-50 Turbo has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Passport doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The CX-50’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Passport’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

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