Compare the2023 Mazda CX-5VS 2023 Subaru Forester

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
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 Forester 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-5 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 Forester’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the CX-5 has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Subaru charges extra for rear cross-path warning on the Forester and its not available on the Base.

Both the CX-5 and the Forester 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, rearview cameras and available driver alert monitors.

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 Subaru Forester:

	CX-5	Forester
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	82	186
Neck Injury Risk	23%	23%
Neck Stress	274 lbs.	326 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	160/307 lbs.	248/368 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	156	293
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.7 inches
Neck Stress	205 lbs.	213 lbs.
Neck Compression	86 lbs.	103 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 Subaru Forester:

	CX-5	Forester
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.6 inches
Hip Force	189 lbs.	389 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	208	246
Hip Force	524 lbs.	670 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	16 inches
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	40 G’s
Hip Force	435 lbs.	673 lbs.

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

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-5 is safer than the Forester:

	CX-5	Forester
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	67 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.51 in	.91 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.34 in	1.5 in
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	848 lbs.	1071 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	307	544
Head Peak Forces	no contact	81 G’s
Neck Tension	22 lbs.	45 lbs.
Neck Compression	245 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	1.42 in	2.2 in
Shoulder Force	424 lbs.	469 lbs.
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	602 lbs.	625 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL

Reliability

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 Subaru vehicles. With 11 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mazda higher than Subaru.

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 Subaru 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, Subaru is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda fourth in overall reliability. Subaru is ranked 7th.

Engine

The CX-5’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (187 vs. 182) and 10 lbs.-ft. more torque (186 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The CX-5’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 74 more horsepower (256 vs. 182) and 144 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mazda CX-5 is faster than the Subaru Forester:

	CX-5 4 cyl.	CX-5 turbo 4 cyl.	Forester
Zero to 60 MPH	8.3 sec	6.4 sec	9.6 sec
Quarter Mile	16.3 sec	14.9 sec	17.3 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the CX-5 with its standard engine gets better fuel mileage than the Forester Wilderness (24 city/30 hwy vs. 25 city/28 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 Forester doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the CX-5 Turbo’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Forester:

	CX-5	CX-5 Turbo	Forester Base	Forester
Front Rotors	11.7 inches	12.6 inches	11.6 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	11.9 inches	11.9 inches	11.2 inches	11.2 inches

The CX-5 stops much shorter than the Forester:

	CX-5	Forester
70 to 0 MPH	167 feet	181 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

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

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CX-5’s wheelbase is 1.1 inches longer than on the Forester (106.2 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the CX-5 is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

The CX-5 handles at .82 G’s, while the Forester Wilderness pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the CX-5 is quieter than the Forester Limited:

	CX-5	Forester
At idle	38 dB	41 dB
70 MPH Cruising	66 dB	69 dB

Passenger Space

The CX-5 has 1.1 inches more front hip room, .2 inches more rear legroom and 1.7 inches more rear hip room than the Forester.

Cargo Capacity

The CX-5 has a much larger cargo volume than the Forester with its rear seat up (30.8 vs. 28.9 cubic feet).

Towing

The CX-5’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Forester’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds).

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 Forester doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The CX-5’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 Forester’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

The CX-5’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 Forester’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Consumer Reports rated the CX-5’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Forester’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

Standard air-conditioned seats in the CX-5 Premium Plus/Turbo keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Forester doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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 Forester doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the CX-5 is less expensive to operate than the Forester because it costs $318 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the CX-5 than the Forester, including $225 less for a water pump, $11 less for front brake pads, $217 less for a starter, $188 less for fuel injection, $128 less for a fuel pump, $116 less for front struts and $231 less for a timing belt/chain.

Recommendations

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its May 2020 issue and they ranked the Mazda CX-5 first. They ranked the Subaru Forester Limited fifth.

The Mazda CX-5 outsold the Subaru Forester by 33% during 2022.