Compare the2024 Mazda CX-50VS 2025 Subaru Outback

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

Safety

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The Mazda CX-50 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 Outback doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

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 Outback 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.

The CX-50 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 Outback’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the CX-50 has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Braking on the Turbo Premium Plus automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Outback and its not available on the Base and the Outback’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Both the CX-50 and the Outback have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver 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 and rearview cameras.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the CX-50 is much safer than the Outback:

	CX-50	Outback
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh/hip Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Leg/foot Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
	Rear Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Thigh Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	ACCEPTABLE	POOR

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 Outback:

	CX-50	Outback
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	45 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	982 lbs.	1026 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	47	387
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	201 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.87 in	1.81 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	469 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.71 in	1.42 in
Torso Deflection Rate	8 MPH	9 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	491 lbs.	848 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Mazda CX-50 has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2024 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and an “Acceptable” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Outback is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

Reliability

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 15 points higher than the Outback.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda above average in long-term dependability. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Subaru is rated below average.

Engine

The CX-50’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (187 vs. 182) and 10 lbs.-ft. more torque (186 vs. 176) than the Outback 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The CX-50’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 43 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 277) than the Outback XT/Wilderness’ standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mazda CX-50 4 cyl. is faster than the Outback 2.5i 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder:

	CX-50	Outback
Zero to 60 MPH	8.5 sec	8.7 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	16.6 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
CX-50
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
Outback
	AWD	XT 2.4 turbo flat-4	22 city/29 hwy
		Wilderness 2.4 turbo flat-4	21 city/26 hwy

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

Brakes and Stopping

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

	CX-50	Outback
Front Rotors	12.8 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	12.8 inches	11.8 inches

The CX-50 stops much shorter than the Outback:

	CX-50	Outback
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	191 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	132 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the CX-50 Premium Plus/Turbo’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Outback (245/45R20 vs. 225/65R17).

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 Outback Onyx/Limited/Touring’s 60 series tires.

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

Suspension and Handling

The CX-50 has 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 Outback doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CX-50’s wheelbase is 2.7 inches longer than on the Outback (110.8 inches vs. 108.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CX-50 is 3.2 inches wider in the front and 2.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Outback.

The CX-50 2.5 Turbo handles at .87 G’s, while the Outback Wilderness pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The CX-50 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Outback Limited (26.8 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Chassis

The CX-50 is 5.3 inches shorter than the Outback Wilderness, making the CX-50 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Cargo Capacity

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

	CX-50	Outback
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	42.6”/75.4”	42”/75”
Max Width	55.6”	51”
Min Width	40.2”	43.3”
Height	30.2”	32.1”

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the CX-50’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Outback doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Servicing Ease

The CX-50 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Outback uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The CX-50’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 Outback’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

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 Outback can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The CX-50 has standard Advanced Keyless Entry and Start that allows you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Keyless Access and Start costs extra on the Outback and isn’t available on the Outback Base.

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 Outback’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The CX-50 has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Outback Premium/Limited/Wilderness/Touring/Onyx.

Recommendations

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

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