Compare the2025 Mazda CX-50VS 2024 Jeep Compass

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mazda CX-50 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 Jeep Compass doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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 Compass doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The CX-50 has standard Secondary Collision Reduction System, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Compass doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The CX-50 Turbo Premium Plus has standard Smart Brake Support-Reverse that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Compass doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the CX-50 and Compass 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 Compass’ Rear Cross Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the CX-50 and the Compass have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, 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 much safer than the Compass:

	CX-50	Compass
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	114	189
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Pelvis Force	982 lbs.	1517 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	47	202
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	223 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.87 in	2.13 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	491 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.71 in	1.77 in
Torso Deflection Rate	8 MPH	14 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	491 lbs.	937 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 Compass is not even 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 20 points higher than the Compass.

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 Jeep 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, Jeep is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda 19 places higher in reliability than Jeep.

Engine

The CX-50’s optional 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 19 more horsepower (219 vs. 200) than the Compass’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The CX-50’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 56 more horsepower (256 vs. 200) and 99 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 221) than the Compass’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Mazda CX-50 turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Jeep Compass:

	CX-50	Compass
Zero to 60 MPH	6.4 sec	7.5 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	17.8 sec	20.8 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7.2 sec	7.9 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	3.5 sec	4.4 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	4.8 sec	5.4 sec
Quarter Mile	14.9 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92 MPH	89 MPH
Top Speed	142 MPH	118 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the CX-50 2.5 4-cylinder Hybrid CVT gets better fuel mileage than the Compass (39 city/37 hwy vs. 24 city/32 hwy).

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the CX-50 (except Turbo/Hybrid)’s fuel efficiency. The Compass doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the CX-50 Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Compass doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The CX-50 Hybrid’s standard fuel tank has a gallon more fuel capacity than the Compass (14.5 vs. 13.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The CX-50’s standard fuel tank has 2.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Compass (15.9 vs. 13.5 gallons).

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 Compass. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Transmission

The CX-50 has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Compass doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	CX-50	Compass
Front Rotors	12.8 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	12.8 inches	10.95 inches

The CX-50 stops much shorter than the Compass:

	CX-50	Compass
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	195 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	144 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	142 feet	151 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the CX-50 has larger standard tires than the Compass (225/65R17 vs. 215/65R17). The CX-50 Premium Plus/Turbo’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Compass (245/45R20 vs. 235/45R19).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the CX-50 Premium Plus/Turbo has standard 20-inch wheels. The Compass’ largest wheels are only 19-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CX-50’s wheelbase is 7 inches longer than on the Compass (110.8 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CX-50 is 4.4 inches wider in the front and 5 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Compass.

The CX-50 handles at .87 G’s, while the Compass Sport pulls only .81 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 2.8 seconds quicker than the Compass Trailhawk (26.8 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 29.6 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The CX-50 has .5 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more rear headroom, 1.5 inches more rear legroom and 2.9 inches more rear hip room than the Compass.

Cargo Capacity

The CX-50 has a much larger cargo volume than the Compass with its rear seat up (31.4 vs. 27.2 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the CX-50 easier. The CX-50’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28.4 inches, while the Compass’ liftover is 31.1 inches.

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

	CX-50	Compass
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	42.6”/75.4”	32.4”/65.7”
Max Width	55.6”	53.8”
Min Width	40.2”	38.1”
Height	30.2”	29.6”

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

Towing

The CX-50’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Compass’ (2000 vs. 0 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Jeep Compass is only 2000 pounds. The CX-50 offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The CX-50 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Compass 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 Premium Plus/Turbo 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 Compass doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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

The CX-50’s standard Advanced Keyless Entry and Start allow 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. Push Button Start standard on the Compass only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the vehicle. Push Button Start is not available on the Compass Latitude/Trailhawk/Limited.

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 Compass’ standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Consumer Reports rated the CX-50’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Compass’ headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Compass Latitude/Trailhawk/Limited’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The CX-50 Turbo’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-50 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 Compass’ mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The CX-50’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 Compass offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

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 costs extra on the Compass and isn’t available on the Compass Sport.

The CX-50’s standard automatic temperature control maintains the temperature you set, automatically controlling fan speed, vents and temperature to maintain a consistent, comfortable environment. The Compass Sport doesn’t offer automatic air conditioning.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Mazda CX-50, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Jeep Compass isn't recommended.

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