Compare the2023 Mazda CX-50VS 2023 Volkswagen Taos

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
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 Taos doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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

The CX-50’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Taos.

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 Taos 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-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 Taos doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the CX-50 and the Taos 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, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates the general design of front seat head restraints for their ability to protect front seat occupants from whiplash injuries. The IIHS also performs a dynamic test on those seats with “good” or “acceptable” geometry. In these ratings, the CX-50 with leather seats is safer than the Taos:

	CX-50	Taos
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Restraint Design	GOOD	GOOD
Distance from Back of Head	30 mm	38 mm
Dynamic Test Rating	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Seat Design	Pass	Fail
Torso Acceleration	13.3 g’s	13.3 g’s
Neck Force Rating	Low	Low
Max Neck Shearing Force	0	0

(Lower numerical results are better in all tests.)

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 Taos is not a “Top Safety Pick.”

Warranty

Mazda’s powertrain warranty covers the CX-50 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Taos. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Taos ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The CX-50’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Taos’ (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

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 Taos’ camshafts. If the Taos’ 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 69 points higher than the Taos.

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 Volkswagen vehicles. With 50 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mazda higher than Volkswagen.

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 Volkswagen 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, Volkswagen is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda fourth in overall reliability. Volkswagen is ranked 23rd.

Engine

The CX-50’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 29 more horsepower (187 vs. 158) and 2 lbs.-ft. more torque (186 vs. 184) than the Taos’ 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The CX-50’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 98 more horsepower (256 vs. 158) and 136 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 184) than the Taos’ 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Mazda CX-50 4 cyl. is faster than the Volkswagen Taos:

	CX-50	Taos
Zero to 30 MPH	3.4 sec	3.7 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	9.3 sec	9.4 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	5.7 sec	5.9 sec
Quarter Mile	17.2 sec	17.3 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

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

The CX-50 has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Taos FWD’s standard fuel tank (15.8 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The CX-50 has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Taos AWD’s standard fuel tank (15.8 vs. 14.5 gallons).

Brakes and Stopping

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

	CX-50	Taos
Front Rotors	12.8 inches	12.3 inches
Rear Rotors	12.8 inches	10.7 inches

The CX-50 stops much shorter than the Taos:

	CX-50	Taos
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	185 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	118 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the CX-50 has larger standard tires than the Taos (225/65R17 vs. 215/50R18). The CX-50 Premium Plus/Turbo’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Taos (245/45R20 vs. 225/45R19).

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

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CX-50’s wheelbase is 5.3 inches longer than on the Taos (110.8 inches vs. 105.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CX-50 is 3.3 inches wider in the front and 4.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Taos.

The CX-50 2.5 Turbo handles at .87 G’s, while the Taos SEL pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the CX-50’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the Taos’ (36 feet vs. 37.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the CX-50 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Taos (8.3 vs. 7.6 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 1 inch higher than on the Taos (8.6 vs. 7.6 inches).

Passenger Space

The CX-50 has 1.6 inches more front legroom and 1.9 inches more rear legroom than the Taos.

Cargo Capacity

The CX-50 has a much larger cargo volume than the Taos with its rear seat up (31.4 vs. 27.9 cubic feet).

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

	CX-50	Taos
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	42.6”/75.4”	34.3”/65.2”
Max Width	55.6”	48.5”
Min Width	40.2”	40”
Height	30.2”	37”

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

Towing

The CX-50 has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The Taos has no towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The CX-50 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Taos 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.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the CX-50 Premium/Turbo, the memory seats make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position. The Taos doesn’t offer memory seats.

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 Taos 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 Taos’ standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the CX-50 has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Taos only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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

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

Both the CX-50 and the Taos 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 Taos.

Recommendations

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

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