Compare the2023 Mazda CX-50VS 2023 Toyota Rav4

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 Rav4 doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the CX-50. But it costs extra on the Rav4.

The CX-50 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 Rav4’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the CX-50 has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Braking on the Turbo Premium Plus automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Toyota charges extra for rear cross-path warning on the Rav4.

Both the CX-50 and the Rav4 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, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The CX-50’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 53 more horsepower (256 vs. 203) and 136 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 184) than the Rav4’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mazda CX-50 4 cyl. is faster than the Toyota Rav4:

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 Rav4 doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The CX-50 has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Rav4 (15.8 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the CX-50’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Rav4:

The CX-50 stops much shorter than the Rav4:

For better traction, the CX-50 Premium Plus/Turbo’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Rav4 (245/45R20 vs. 235/55R19).

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 Rav4 XLE Premium/Adventure/Limited’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the CX-50 Premium Plus/Turbo has standard 20-inch wheels. The Rav4’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

The CX-50 has 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 Rav4 doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CX-50’s wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the Rav4 (110.8 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CX-50 is 2.4 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Rav4.

The CX-50 2.5 Turbo handles at .87 G’s, while the Rav4 Limited 4WD pulls only .81 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 Rav4 Limited (28 seconds @ .58 average G’s vs. 28.9 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CX-50’s turning circle is .1 feet tighter than the Rav4 LE/XLE’s (36 feet vs. 36.1 feet). The CX-50’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the Rav4 XLE Premium/Adventure/Limited/TRD Off-Road’s (36 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the CX-50 2.5 Turbo is quieter than the Rav4 Limited 4WD (37 vs. 38 dB).

The CX-50 has .7 inches more front legroom, 2 inches more rear legroom and 4.4 inches more rear hip room than the Rav4.

The CX-50’s cargo area is larger than the Rav4’s in almost every dimension:

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the CX-50 Select/Preferred/Premium/Turbo’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Rav4 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The CX-50’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Rav4’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds).

The CX-50 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Rav4 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 Rav4 doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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 Rav4 LE’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

Consumer Reports rated the CX-50’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Rav4’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

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 Rav4 doesn’t offer cornering lights.

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 Rav4’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 Rav4 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Mazda CX-50 and the Toyota Rav4, based on reliability, safety and performance.