Compare the2023 Mazda CX-50VS 2023 Jeep Cherokee

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 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.

Both the CX-50 and Cherokee have rear cross-traffic warning, but the CX-50Turbo Premium Plus has Rear Cross Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic.

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 Cherokee doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the CX-50 and the Cherokee have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee 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.

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 Cherokee has not been tested, yet.

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 17 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.

The CX-50’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-50’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-50 4 cyl. is faster than the Jeep Cherokee 4 cyl.:

On the EPA test cycle the CX-50 gets better mileage than the Cherokee:

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

The CX-50 stops much shorter than the Cherokee:

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 Cherokee Altitude LUX’s optional 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the CX-50 Premium Plus/Turbo has standard 20-inch wheels. The Cherokee’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CX-50’s wheelbase is 4.2 inches longer than on the Cherokee (110.8 inches vs. 106.6 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CX-50 is 1.9 inches wider in the front and 2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cherokee.

The CX-50 2.5 S handles at .81 G’s, while the Cherokee pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the CX-50’s turning circle is 1.7 feet tighter than the Cherokee’s (36 feet vs. 37.7 feet). The CX-50’s turning circle is 2.1 feet tighter than the Cherokee Trailhawk’s (36 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

For greater off-road capability the CX-50 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Cherokee (8.3 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the CX-50 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The CX-50 has .6 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more rear headroom and 2.2 inches more rear hip room than the Cherokee.

The CX-50 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Cherokee with its rear seat up (31.4 vs. 27.6 cubic feet). The CX-50 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Cherokee with its rear seat folded (56.3 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the CX-50 easier. The CX-50’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28.4 inches, while the Cherokee’s liftover is 30.9 inches.

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

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

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 Cherokee 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 Cherokee doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

Consumer Reports rated the CX-50’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-50 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.

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 Cherokee has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the CX-50 and the Cherokee 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 Cherokee.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mazda CX-50 offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Cherokee doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

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