Compare the2024 Mazda CX-30VS 2023 Ford Bronco Sport

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

Safety

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The Mazda CX-30 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 Bronco Sport doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The CX-30 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 Bronco Sport doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The CX-30 Turbo Premium Plus has standard Rear Smart Brake Support that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Bronco Sport doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The CX-30 Turbo Premium Plus has a standard 360° View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Bronco Sport 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-30 and Bronco Sport have rear cross-traffic warning, but the CX-30 Turbo Premium Plus has Smart Braking Support - Rear Crossing (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Bronco Sport’s Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the CX-30 and the Bronco Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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, rear cross-path warning and 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-30 is safer than the Ford Bronco Sport:

	CX-30	Bronco Sport
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Compression	18 lbs.	29 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	33.5%	37%
Neck Stress	172 lbs.	177 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-30 is safer than the Ford Bronco Sport:

	CX-30	Bronco Sport
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	73	80
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	525 lbs.	689 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 inches
HIC	178	255
Spine Acceleration	30 G’s	35 G’s

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the CX-30 is 1.9% to 2.7% less likely to roll over than the Bronco Sport.

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-30 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 72 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Bronco Sport has not been fully tested, yet.

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the CX-30’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Bronco Sport’s camshafts. If the Bronco Sport’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-30’s reliability 23 points higher than the Bronco Sport.

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-30’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 10 more horsepower (191 vs. 181) than the Bronco Sport’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder. The CX-30’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 43 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 277) than the Bronco Sport Badlands’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mazda CX-30 4 cyl. is faster than the Ford Bronco Sport turbo 3 cyl.:

	CX-30	Bronco Sport
Zero to 60 MPH	7.8 sec	9.2 sec
Quarter Mile	16 sec	16.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	88.3 MPH	80.8 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the CX-30 gets better mileage than the Bronco Sport:

			MPG
CX-30
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/30 hwy
		2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/33 hwy
Bronco Sport
	AWD	1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	25 city/28 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the CX-30 (except Turbo)’s fuel efficiency. The Bronco Sport doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The CX-30 has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Bronco Sport. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Brakes and Stopping

The CX-30 stops much shorter than the Bronco Sport:

	CX-30	Bronco Sport
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The CX-30 Select/Preferred/Carbon/Premium’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Bronco Sport’s optional 60 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The CX-30 2.5 S Premium handles at .84 G’s, while the Bronco Sport Outer Banks pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The CX-30 2.5 S Premium executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Bronco Sport Outer Banks (27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CX-30’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the Bronco Sport’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the CX-30 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Bronco Sport Base/Big Bend (8 vs. 7.8 inches), allowing the CX-30 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The CX-30 is 8.5 inches shorter in height than the Bronco Sport, making the CX-30 much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

For excellent aerodynamics, the CX-30 has standard flush composite headlights. The Bronco Sport has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

Cargo Capacity

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the CX-30 Premium has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The Bronco Sport doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

Ergonomics

The CX-30 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 Bronco Sport doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The CX-30’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 Bronco Sport’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

The CX-30’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 Bronco Sport’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-30’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Bronco Sport’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Bronco Sport’s optional cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The CX-30 Premium’s standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

When the CX-30 Preferred/Carbon/Premium 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 Bronco Sport’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The CX-30’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 Bronco Sport offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

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