Compare the2025 Audi Q3VS 2025 Mazda CX-5

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

Safety

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The Q3’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The CX-5 doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the Q3 and CX-5 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q3 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The CX-5’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Audi Q3 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 Q3 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The CX-5 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.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Q3’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The CX-5 doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the Q3 and CX-5 have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Q3 has Automatic Brake Activation (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 Q3 and the CX-5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available 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 Audi Q3 is safer than the Mazda CX-5:

	Q3	CX-5
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Abdominal Force	95 lbs.	126 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	159	208
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	65 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	13 inches

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

Warranty

The Q3 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-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 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Q3’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the CX-5’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

The Audi Q3’s engines use a cast iron block for durability, while the CX-5’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Q3 has a 140-amp alternator. The CX-5’s standard 100-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Q3 second among small premium suvs in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The CX-5 isn’t in the top three in its category.

Engine

The Q3 40 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 36 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 185) than the CX-5’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Q3 45 TFSI is faster than the Mazda CX-5 4 cyl.:

	Q3	CX-5
Zero to 60 MPH	7.8 sec	8.6 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	4.9 sec	5.4 sec
Quarter Mile	16.1 sec	16.6 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91 MPH	85 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Q3 40 TFSI gets better fuel mileage than the CX-5 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder (22 city/29 hwy vs. 22 city/27 hwy).

Regardless of its engine, the Q3’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The CX-5 Turbo doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Audi Q3, 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 Q3’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the CX-5:

	Q3	CX-5	CX-5 Turbo
Front Rotors	13.4 inches	11.7 inches	12.6 inches

The Q3’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 Q3 stops much shorter than the CX-5:

	Q3	CX-5
70 to 0 MPH	160 feet	184 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	125 feet	136 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	135 feet	144 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Q3 has larger standard tires than the CX-5 (235/55R18 vs. 225/65R17). The Q3’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the CX-5 (255/45R19 vs. 225/65R17).

The Q3’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the CX-5’s standard 65 series tires. The Q3’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the CX-5 Carbon/Premium/Turbo’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q3 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the CX-5. The Q3’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the CX-5 Carbon/Premium/Turbo.

Suspension and Handling

The Q3 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 Q3 handles at .91 G’s, while the CX-5 Turbo Signature pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Chassis

The Q3 is 3.5 inches shorter than the CX-5, making the Q3 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Q3 easier. The Q3’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 27.8 inches, while the CX-5’s liftover is 29.4 inches.

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Q3. The CX-5 doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Q3’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.

Servicing Ease

The Q3 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The CX-5 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 power windows standard on both the Q3 and the CX-5 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Q3 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.

If the windows are left open on the Q3 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower 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.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Q3 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The CX-5 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Q3’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Mazda only offers heated mirrors on the CX-5 Premium/Turbo.

The Q3’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 CX-5 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Q3 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 CX-5 Select/Preferred/Carbon Edition/Premium/Turbo.

Both the Q3 and the CX-5 offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Q3 has standard 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.

Economic Advantages

The Q3 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Q3 will retain 56.3% to 56.96% of its original price after five years, while the CX-5 only retains 53.49% to 54.83%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Q3 is less expensive to operate than the CX-5 because typical repairs cost less on the Q3 than the CX-5, including $94 less for a muffler and $9 less for a fuel pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Audi Q3 and the Mazda CX-5, based on reliability, safety and performance.