Compare the2025 Ford Bronco SportVS 2025 Mazda CX-50

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Bronco Sport Sasquatch/Badlands’ standard Trail Control allows you to creep down safely. The CX-50 doesn’t offer Trail Control.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Bronco Sport has standard Cross Traffic Alert with rear Cross Traffic Braking, systems which detect vehicles approaching from the sides and can automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. Only the CX-50 Turbo Premium Plus offers Rear Cross Traffic Braking.

Both the Bronco Sport and the CX-50 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, 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.

There are over 5 times as many Ford dealers as there are Mazda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Bronco Sport’s warranty.

The Bronco Sport has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The CX-50 doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Bronco Sport first among small suvs in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The CX-50 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 Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in initial quality. With 53 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is rated below average.

The Bronco Sport has more powerful engines than the CX-50:

As tested in Consumer Reports the Ford Bronco Sport turbo 3 cyl. is faster than the Mazda CX-50 4 cyl.:

As tested in Motor Trend the Bronco Sport Badlands 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Mazda CX-50 (256 HP engine):

On the EPA test cycle the Bronco Sport 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder gets better fuel mileage than the CX-50 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder 6-speed Auto (25 city/29 hwy vs. 23 city/29 hwy).

Regardless of its engine, the Bronco Sport’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. Mazda only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the CX-50 Turbo/Hybrid.

The Bronco Sport has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the CX-50 Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (16 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Bronco Sport 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-50 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Ford Bronco Sport, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the CX-50.

The Bronco Sport stops much shorter than the CX-50:

The Bronco Sport offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the CX-50; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

For superior ride and handling, the Ford Bronco Sport has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Mazda CX-50 has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Bronco Sport has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Bronco Sport flat and controlled during cornering. The CX-50’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Bronco Sport’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (57% to 43%) than the CX-50’s (58.9% to 41.1%). This gives the Bronco Sport more stable handling and braking.

For greater off-road capability the Bronco Sport Base/Big Bend has a greater minimum ground clearance than the CX-50 Hybrid Preferred (7.8 vs. 7.6 inches), allowing the Bronco Sport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Bronco Sport’s minimum ground clearance is .2 inch higher than on the CX-50 2.5 S Premium Plus (8.8 vs. 8.6 inches).

The Ford Bronco Sport may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 300 pounds less than the Mazda CX-50.

The Bronco Sport is 1 foot, 1.1 inches shorter than the CX-50, making the Bronco Sport easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Bronco Sport 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-50 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Bronco Sport Badlands offers available computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The CX-50 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Bronco Sport Badlands is quieter than the CX-50:

The Bronco Sport has 5.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CX-50 (105.7 vs. 100.3).

The Bronco Sport has 2.4 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more front hip room, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, 3.1 inches more rear headroom, 1.3 inches more rear hip room and 2 inches more rear shoulder room than the CX-50.

The Bronco Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the CX-50 with its rear seat up (32.5 vs. 31.4 cubic feet). The Bronco Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the CX-50 with its rear seat folded (65.2 vs. 56.3 cubic feet).

An optional locking center console keeps your small valuables safer in the Bronco Sport. The CX-50 doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Bronco Sport’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The CX-50’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

While the CX-50 Hybrid can only tow 1500, any Bronco Sport can tow a minimum of 2000 pounds.

Optional Trailer Sway Control on the Bronco Sport uses the AdvanceTrac® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The CX-50 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The power windows standard on both the Bronco Sport and the CX-50 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Bronco Sport is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The CX-50 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

If the windows are left open on the Bronco Sport the driver can close them all from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the CX-50 can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Bronco Sport’s available exterior PIN entry system. The CX-50 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Bronco Sport’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Mazda only offers heated mirrors on the CX-50 Preferred/Premium/Turbo.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Ford Bronco Sport has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the CX-50 Preferred/PremiumTurbo offers wireless charging.

The Bronco Sport offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The CX-50 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Insurance will cost less for the Bronco Sport owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Bronco Sport will cost $395 less than the CX-50 over a five-year period.

The Bronco Sport will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Bronco Sport will retain 58.63% to 60.38% of its original price after five years, while the CX-50 only retains 53.88% to 56.04%.

The Ford Bronco Sport outsold the Mazda CX-50 by almost three to one during 2023.