Compare the2023 Mazda CX-5VS 2023 Jeep Cherokee

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The CX-5 Turbo Signature has a standard 360° Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Cherokee 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-5 Turbo Signature’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 Cherokee doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the CX-5 and the Cherokee 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.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Mazda CX-5 is safer than the Jeep Cherokee:

	CX-5	Cherokee
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	82	204
Neck Injury Risk	23%	38.2%
Neck Stress	274 lbs.	408 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	41 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	160/307 lbs.	368/516 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	156	166
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.5 inches
Neck Injury Risk	37%	37%
Neck Stress	205 lbs.	218 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Mazda CX-5 is safer than the Jeep Cherokee:

	CX-5	Cherokee
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	126 lbs.	133 lbs.
Hip Force	189 lbs.	363 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	208	264
Hip Force	524 lbs.	938 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	43 G’s
Hip Force	435 lbs.	490 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

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-5 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cherokee has not been tested, yet.

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-5’s reliability 18 points higher than the Cherokee.

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 Jeep vehicles. With 19 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mazda higher than Jeep.

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 Jeep 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, Jeep is rated below average.

Engine

The CX-5’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 7 more horsepower (187 vs. 180) and 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (186 vs. 171) than the Cherokee’s standard 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder. The CX-5’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 25 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 295) than the Cherokee Trailhawk’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Mazda CX-5 4 cyl. is faster than the Jeep Cherokee 4 cyl.:

	CX-5	Cherokee
Zero to 30 MPH	3.1 sec	3.9 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	8.6 sec	10.9 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	5.4 sec	7 sec
Quarter Mile	16.6 sec	18.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	85 MPH	78.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the CX-5 gets better mileage than the Cherokee:

			MPG
CX-5
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy
Cherokee
	AWD	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	21 city/29 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the CX-5 (except Turbo)’s fuel efficiency. The Cherokee doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Brakes and Stopping

The CX-5 stops shorter than the Cherokee:

	CX-5	Cherokee
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	131 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	144 feet	153 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The CX-5 Carbon Edition/Premium/Turbo’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Cherokee Altitude LUX’s optional 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the CX-5 Carbon Edition/Premium/Turbo has standard 19-inch wheels. The Cherokee’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

Suspension and Handling

The CX-5 handles at .81 G’s, while the Cherokee pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The CX-5 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Cherokee (27.8 seconds @ .59 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CX-5’s turning circle is 1.7 feet tighter than the Cherokee’s (36 feet vs. 37.7 feet). The CX-5’s turning circle is 2.1 feet tighter than the Cherokee Trailhawk’s (36 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

Passenger Space

The CX-5 has .3 inches more front headroom, 1.4 inches more front hip room, .5 inches more rear headroom and 5.4 inches more rear hip room than the Cherokee.

Cargo Capacity

The CX-5 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Cherokee with its rear seat up (30.8 vs. 27.6 cubic feet). The CX-5 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Cherokee with its rear seat folded (59.3 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the CX-5 easier. The CX-5’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 29.4 inches, while the Cherokee’s liftover is 30.9 inches.

The CX-5’s cargo area is larger than the Cherokee’s in every dimension:

	CX-5	Cherokee
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	38”	33.9”/67.6”
Max Width	57”	49.2”
Min Width	41.3”	39.4”
Height	32.4”	28.8”

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the CX-5’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Cherokee doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Ergonomics

The CX-5 Premium Plus/Turbo 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 Cherokee doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The CX-5 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 Cherokee doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

Consumer Reports rated the CX-5’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Cherokee’s headlights, which were rated “Fair” to “Good” (depending on model and options).

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the CX-5 Premium/Turbo has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Cherokee doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Both the CX-5 and the Cherokee offer available heated front seats. The CX-5 Premium Plus/Turbo also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Cherokee.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mazda CX-5 Turbo has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) for the front seat. The Cherokee doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the CX-5 owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the CX-5 with a number “1” insurance rate while the Cherokee is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the CX-5 is less expensive to operate than the Cherokee because typical repairs cost much less on the CX-5 than the Cherokee, including $187 less for a water pump, $445 less for a muffler, $68 less for front brake pads, $141 less for a starter, $356 less for a fuel pump, $81 less for front struts and $578 less for a timing belt/chain.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Mazda CX-5, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Jeep Cherokee isn't recommended.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its April 2019 issue and they ranked the Mazda CX-5 five places higher than the Jeep Cherokee Altitude LUX.

The Mazda CX-5 outsold the Jeep Cherokee by almost four to one during 2022.