Compare the2023 Mazda CX-50VS 2023 Ford Escape

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
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 Escape 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 Escape.

Both the CX-50 and the Escape 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

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-50 is safer than the Escape:

	CX-50	Escape
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	174	391
Head Peak Forces	no contact	93 G’s
Neck Tension	290 lbs.	379 lbs.
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	982 lbs.	1160 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	89 lbs.	201 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.02 in	1.54 in
Torso Max Deflection	.83 in	1.5 in
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	446 lbs.	1093 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

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 Escape last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2022.

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 Escape’s camshafts. If the Escape’s 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 37 points higher than the Escape.

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 Ford 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, Ford is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda fourth in overall reliability. Ford is ranked 18th.

Engine

The CX-50’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 6 more horsepower (187 vs. 181) than the Escape’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder. The CX-50’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 6 more horsepower (256 vs. 250) and 40 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 280) than the Escape’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Mazda CX-50 turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Ford Escape turbo 3 cyl.:

	CX-50	Escape
Zero to 30 MPH	2.2 sec	2.5 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6.6 sec	8 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	18.8 sec	24.8 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7.2 sec	8.5 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	3.6 sec	4.1 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	5 sec	5.3 sec
Quarter Mile	15.1 sec	16.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91 MPH	86 MPH
Top Speed	142 MPH	122 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the CX-50 with its standard engine gets better fuel mileage than the Escape 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder (24 city/30 hwy vs. 22 city/31 hwy).

The CX-50 has a gallon more fuel capacity than the Escape FWD’s standard fuel tank (15.8 vs. 14.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

The CX-50 stops much shorter than the Escape:

	CX-50	Escape
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	162 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	118 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the CX-50 Premium Plus/Turbo’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Escape (245/45R20 vs. 225/65R17).

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 Escape’s optional 55 series tires.

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

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CX-50’s wheelbase is 4.1 inches longer than on the Escape (110.8 inches vs. 106.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CX-50 is 2.7 inches wider in the front and 3.5 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Escape.

The CX-50 2.5 Turbo handles at .87 G’s, while the Escape AWD pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the CX-50’s turning circle is 1.2 feet tighter than the Escape’s (36 feet vs. 37.2 feet).

For greater off-road capability the CX-50 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Escape (8.3 vs. 7.3 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 1.3 inches higher than on the Escape (8.6 vs. 7.3 inches).

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the CX-50 2.5 Turbo is quieter than the Escape AWD (69 vs. 70 dB).

Cargo Capacity

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

Servicing Ease

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

The CX-50’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 Escape’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

On a hot day the CX-50’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Escape can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The CX-50 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 Escape doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

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 Escape’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

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

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-50’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Escape’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

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

Both the CX-50 and the Escape 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 Escape.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the CX-50 Premium Plus/Turbo Premium keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Escape doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The CX-50 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 Escape S doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the CX-50 has standard rear heat vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Escape S doesn’t offer rear vents.

Recommendations

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

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