Compare the2024 Mazda CX-5VS 2024 Chevrolet Equinox

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Mazda CX-5 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Chevrolet Equinox doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The CX-5 has standard Whiplash-Reducing Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Equinox doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The CX-5 Turbo Signature has standard Smart Brake Support-Rear that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Equinox doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the CX-5. But it costs extra on the Equinox.

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 Equinox’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. Chevrolet charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Equinox.

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 Equinox doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the CX-5 and the Equinox have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available around view 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 Chevrolet Equinox:

	CX-5	Equinox
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	82	159
Leg Forces (l/r)	160/307 lbs.	363/349 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	156	376
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches

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 Chevrolet Equinox:

	CX-5	Equinox
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	81	109
Chest Movement	.5 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	126 lbs.	195 lbs.
Hip Force	189 lbs.	357 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	208	288
Hip Force	524 lbs.	630 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	40 G’s
Hip Force	435 lbs.	730 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 much safer than the Equinox:

	CX-5	Equinox
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	223 lbs.	290 lbs.
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	112 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	.51 in	1.73 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	312 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.34 in	1.69 in
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Injury Criterion	307	733
Head Peak Forces	no contact	101 G’s
Neck Tension	22 lbs.	89 lbs.
Neck Compression	245 lbs.	491 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.42 in	1.65 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.26 in	1.57 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	602 lbs.	669 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL

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 98 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Equinox last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

The CX-5’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Equinox’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda 13 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

Engine

The CX-5’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 12 more horsepower (187 vs. 175) than the Equinox’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The CX-5’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 81 more horsepower (256 vs. 175) and 117 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 203) than the Equinox’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Mazda CX-5 is faster than the Chevrolet Equinox:

	CX-5 4 cyl.	CX-5 turbo 4 cyl.	Equinox
Zero to 60 MPH	7.9 sec	6.1 sec	8.9 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	23.6 sec	16.9 sec	26.8 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	8.4 sec	6.6 sec	9.6 sec
Quarter Mile	16.2 sec	14.7 sec	16.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	85 MPH	94 MPH	83 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the CX-5 with its standard engine gets better fuel mileage than the Equinox AWD (26 city/31 hwy vs. 24 city/30 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 Equinox doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The CX-5 has a standard locking fuel door. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Equinox. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	CX-5 Turbo	Equinox
Front Rotors	12.6 inches	11.8 inches
Rear Rotors	11.9 inches	11.3 inches

The CX-5 stops much shorter than the Equinox:

	CX-5	Equinox
70 to 0 MPH	167 feet	182 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	133 feet	135 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	144 feet	145 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The CX-5 has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the CX-5 flat and controlled during cornering. The Equinox’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The CX-5 has engine speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Equinox doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

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

The CX-5 Carbon Turbo executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Equinox LT AWD (27.7 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CX-5’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the Equinox’s (36 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The CX-5’s turning circle is 5.6 feet tighter than the Equinox RS’ (36 feet vs. 41.6 feet).

Chassis

The CX-5 is 3 inches shorter than the Equinox, making the CX-5 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The CX-5 has .1 inches more front legroom, 1 inch more front hip room, .5 inches more rear headroom and 3.6 inches more rear hip room than the Equinox.

Cargo Capacity

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

	CX-5	Equinox
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	38”	34.9”/67.4”
Max Width	57”	53.7”
Min Width	41.3”	40.7”
Height	32.4”	31”

Towing

The CX-5’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Equinox’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 Equinox doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The CX-5’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Equinox’s passenger windows don’t 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 Equinox’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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 Equinox doesn’t offer cornering lights.

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 Equinox is rated higher at a number “8” rate.

The CX-5 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the CX-5 will retain 53.49% to 54.83% of its original price after five years, while the Equinox only retains 49.47% to 53.1%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the CX-5 is less expensive to operate than the Equinox because it costs $573 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the CX-5 than the Equinox, including $229 less for a water pump, $575 less for a muffler, $162 less for front brake pads, $67 less for a starter, $115 less for fuel injection, $421 less for a fuel pump, $427 less for a timing belt/chain and $188 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Mazda CX-5 and the Chevrolet Equinox, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its April 2019 issue and they ranked the Mazda CX-5 six places higher than the Chevrolet Equinox LT AWD.

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