Compare the2024 Mazda CX-50VS 2023 Lincoln Corsair

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the CX-50. But it costs extra on the Corsair.

Both the CX-50 and Corsair have rear cross-traffic warning, but the CX-50 Turbo Premium Plus has Rear Cross Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Corsair’s Cross-Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the CX-50 and the Corsair have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 Corsair:

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 54 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Corsair last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2022.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are better in initial quality than Lincoln vehicles. With 5 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mazda higher than Lincoln.

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 Lincoln 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, Lincoln is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda fourth in overall reliability. Lincoln is ranked 10th.

On the EPA test cycle the CX-50 gets better mileage than the Corsair running its gasoline engine:

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

The CX-50 has 4.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Corsair Grand Touring’s standard fuel tank (15.9 vs. 11.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The CX-50 has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Corsair. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

For better stopping power the CX-50’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Corsair:

The CX-50 stops much shorter than the Corsair:

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

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CX-50 is 2.5 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Corsair.

The CX-50 2.5 Turbo handles at .87 G’s, while the Corsair Reserve AWD pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the CX-50’s turning circle is 1.1 feet tighter than the Corsair’s (36 feet vs. 37.1 feet).

The CX-50 has 1.2 inches more rear legroom and 1.3 inches more rear hip room than the Corsair.

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

Maximum trailer towing in the Lincoln Corsair is limited to 3000 pounds. The CX-50 offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

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

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 Corsair’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

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 Corsair’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Mazda CX-50 and the Lincoln Corsair, based on reliability, safety and performance.