Compare the2023 Mazda CX-30VS 2022 Fiat 500X

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mazda CX-30 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Fiat 500X doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Mazda CX-30 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 500X doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Smart Brake Support in the CX-30 as “Superior.” The 500X scores only 4 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The CX-30 Turbo Premium Plus has standard Rear Smart Brake Support that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The 500X doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The CX-30’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 500X and is only available on 500X Trekking/Sport/Trekking Plus.

The CX-30 Turbo Premium Plus has a standard 360° View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The 500X 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.

The CX-30’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 500X doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the CX-30 and the 500X have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the CX-30 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 101 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 500X last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

Mazda’s powertrain warranty covers the CX-30 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Fiat covers the 500X. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the 500X ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 51 percent more Mazda dealers than there are Fiat dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the CX-30’s warranty.

Reliability

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-30’s reliability 50 points higher than the 500X.

Engine

The CX-30’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 14 more horsepower (191 vs. 177) than the 500X’s 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder. The CX-30’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 73 more horsepower (250 vs. 177) and 110 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 210) than the 500X’s 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the CX-30 with its standard engine gets better fuel mileage than the 500X (26 city/33 hwy vs. 24 city/30 hwy).

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the CX-30 (except Turbo)’s fuel efficiency. The 500X doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Brakes and Stopping

The CX-30 stops shorter than the 500X:

	CX-30	500X
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	123 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CX-30’s wheelbase is 3.2 inches longer than on the 500X (104.4 inches vs. 101.2 inches).

The CX-30 Premium handles at .84 G’s, while the 500X pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The CX-30 Premium executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the 500X Trekking (27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.7 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CX-30’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the 500X’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.3 feet).

For greater off-road capability the CX-30 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the 500X (8 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the CX-30 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The CX-30 has 2.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the 500X (94.1 vs. 91.7).

The CX-30 has .3 inches more front legroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 1.5 inches more rear legroom, 1 inch more rear hip room and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the 500X.

Cargo Capacity

The CX-30 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the 500X with its rear seat up (20.2 vs. 14.1 cubic feet). The CX-30 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the 500X with its rear seat folded (45.2 vs. 39.8 cubic feet).

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the CX-30 Premium has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The 500X doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the CX-30 Preferred/Carbon/Premium, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each keyless remote activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The 500X doesn’t offer a memory system.

The CX-30 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 500X doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The CX-30’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The 500X’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

The CX-30 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 500X doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The CX-30’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 500X’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The CX-30’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the 500X’s standard projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The CX-30’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the 500X’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

The CX-30 has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. When the ignition turns off, the headlights turn off after a delay timed to allow you to securely get to your front door. The 500X only offers an automatic headlight on/off feature as an extra cost option.

The 500X’s optional cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The CX-30 Premium’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-30 Preferred/Carbon/Premium 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 500X’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The CX-30’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 500X offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

On extremely cold winter days, the CX-30 Turbo’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The 500X doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The CX-30 Select/Preferred/Carbon/Premium has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The 500X doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the CX-30 Select/Preferred/Carbon/Premium has standard rear a/c vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The 500X doesn’t offer rear vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mazda CX-30 offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The 500X doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® chose the Mazda CX-30 as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Fiat 500X isn't recommended.

The Mazda CX-30 outsold the Fiat 500X by over 52 to one during the 2022 model year.

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