Compare the2025 Hyundai TucsonVS 2024 Mazda CX-5

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Tucson have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Mazda CX-5 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Tucson are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The CX-5 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Tucson’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The CX-5 doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

Both the Tucson and CX-5 have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Tucson has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The CX-5’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Tucson and the CX-5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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, available all wheel drive and 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 Hyundai Tucson is safer than the Mazda CX-5:

	Tucson	CX-5
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.5 inches
Neck Injury Risk	35%	37%
Neck Stress	125 lbs.	205 lbs.
Neck Compression	59 lbs.	86 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	51/13 lbs.	449/262 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 Hyundai Tucson is safer than the Mazda CX-5:

	Tucson	CX-5
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	71	81
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	37	208
Spine Acceleration	59 G’s	65 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	332	449

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

The Hyundai Tucson achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The CX-5 has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

Warranty

The Tucson comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The CX-5’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Tucson 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Mazda covers the CX-5. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the CX-5 ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Tucson’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the CX-5’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tucson for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Mazda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the CX-5.

There are over 55 percent more Hyundai dealers than there are Mazda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Tucson’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Tucson has a 150-amp alternator. The CX-5’s standard 100-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Tucson third among compact suvs in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The CX-5 isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 70 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is ranked 29th, below the industry average.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Tucson gets better mileage than the CX-5:

			MPG
Tucson
	FWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/33 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy
CX-5
	AWD	w/out CDA and i-Stop 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Tucson uses regular unleaded gasoline. The CX-5 with the 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Hyundai Tucson, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the CX-5.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Tucson	CX-5	CX-5 Turbo
Front Rotors	12.8 inches	11.7 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	12 inches	11.9 inches	11.9 inches

The Tucson stops much shorter than the CX-5:

	Tucson	CX-5
60 to 0 MPH	118 feet	136 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	131 feet	144 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Tucson has larger standard tires than the CX-5 (235/65R17 vs. 225/65R17). The Tucson SEL/XRT’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the CX-5 (245/60R18 vs. 225/65R17).

Suspension and Handling

The Tucson has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The CX-5’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Tucson’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The CX-5 doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tucson’s wheelbase is 2.3 inches longer than on the CX-5 (108.5 inches vs. 106.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Tucson is .9 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the CX-5.

The Tucson Limited AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the CX-5 pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Tucson Limited AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the CX-5 (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.5 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Tucson has a greater minimum ground clearance than the CX-5 (8.3 vs. 7.6 inches), allowing the Tucson to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Tucson’s minimum ground clearance is .4 inch higher than on the CX-5 Carbon/Premium/Turbo (8.3 vs. 7.9 inches).

Chassis

The Hyundai Tucson may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 50 to 350 pounds less than the Mazda CX-5.

The front grille of the Tucson uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The CX-5 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Tucson has 4.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CX-5 (108.2 vs. 103.6).

The Tucson has .4 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 1.7 inches more rear legroom and 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the CX-5.

Cargo Capacity

The Tucson has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the CX-5 with its rear seat up (38.7 vs. 30 cubic feet). The Tucson has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the CX-5 with its rear seat folded (74.8 vs. 59.3 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Tucson’s liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The CX-5 doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Towing

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Tucson uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The CX-5 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

The Tucson Limited’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The CX-5 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The power windows standard on both the Tucson and the CX-5 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Tucson is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The CX-5 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

On a hot day the Tucson’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the CX-5 can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Tucson’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The CX-5’s power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

When the Tucson Limited 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 CX-5’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Tucson Limited’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Park Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The CX-5 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

The Tucson is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The CX-5 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Hyundai Tucson will be $1656 to $2833 less than for the Mazda CX-5.

Recommendations

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

The Hyundai Tucson outsold the Mazda CX-5 by 36% during 2023.

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