Compare the2025 Nissan RogueVS 2025 Mazda CX-5

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Rogue 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.

The Nissan Rogue 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 CX-5 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Rogue Platinum has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The CX-5 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

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

Compared to metal, the Rogue’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Mazda CX-5 has a metal gas tank.

Both the Rogue 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 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 Nissan Rogue is safer than the Mazda CX-5:

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

Nissan pays for scheduled maintenance on the Rogue for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Nissan will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance (up to 3 visits). Mazda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the CX-5.

There are almost 2 times as many Nissan dealers as there are Mazda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Rogue’s warranty.

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 66 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is rated below average.

The Rogue’s 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder produces 14 more horsepower (201 vs. 187) and 40 lbs.-ft. more torque (225 vs. 185) than the CX-5’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Nissan Rogue is faster than the Mazda CX-5 4 cyl.:

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Nissan Rogue 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.

The Rogue has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The CX-5 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Rogue 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 CX-5 doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Rogue’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the CX-5 are solid, not vented.

The Rogue stops much shorter than the CX-5:

For better traction, the Rogue has larger tires than the CX-5 (235/65R17 vs. 225/65R17).

The Rogue has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The CX-5 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Rogue Platinum AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the CX-5 Turbo Signature pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Rogue Platinum AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the CX-5 (27.7 seconds @ .6 average G’s vs. 28.5 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Rogue’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the CX-5’s (35.4 feet vs. 36 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Rogue has a greater minimum ground clearance than the CX-5 (8.2 vs. 7.6 inches), allowing the Rogue to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Rogue’s minimum ground clearance is .3 inch higher than on the CX-5 Carbon/Premium/Turbo (8.2 vs. 7.9 inches).

The Nissan Rogue may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 150 to 200 pounds less than the Mazda CX-5.

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Rogue Platinum AWD is quieter than the CX-5 Turbo Signature (73 vs. 76 dB).

The Rogue has 1.4 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more rear headroom and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the CX-5.

The Rogue has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the CX-5 with its rear seat up (36.5 vs. 29.1 cubic feet). The Rogue has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the CX-5 with its rear seat folded (74.1 vs. 59.3 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Rogue Rock Creek/SL/Platinum’s available liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under 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.

The Rogue SL/Platinum’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 Rogue and the CX-5 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Rogue 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.

The Rogue’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.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Rogue to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The CX-5 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the Rogue with available tilt-down mirrors 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.

Both the Rogue and the CX-5 offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Rogue has available rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The CX-5 doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

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

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Nissan Rogue will be $1266 to $2290 less than for the Mazda CX-5.

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

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its June 2023 issue and they ranked the Nissan Rogue Platinum AWD first. They ranked the Mazda CX-5 Carbon Turbo fourth.

The Nissan Rogue outsold the Mazda CX-5 by 76% during 2023.