2019 Honda CR-V vs. 2019 Mazda CX-5: Head to Head

CR-V vs. CX-5: Which Compact SUV Is Right for You?

The Honda CR-V and the Mazda CX-5 are tied at the top of our competitive compact SUV rankings. These rivals both have great performance, interior, and safety scores that help set them apart from other crossovers in the class. But what sets them apart from each other?

That’s what we’ll cover in this slideshow, comparing the CR-V and CX-5 across 10 categories to help you decide which of these SUVs best fits your lifestyle.

Our new car rankings are regularly updated as new data becomes available, so the scores you see in this slideshow may not match the ratings you’ll find in our reviews.

Read on to see who wins this matchup of premier compact SUVs.

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Price

Winner: Mazda CX-5

Only $100 separates the base prices of these two models, with the 2019 Mazda CX-5 starting at $24,350 and the 2019 Honda CR-V coming in a bit higher at $24,450.

Despite its lower cost, the base CX-5 offers significantly more features than the cheapest CR-V. The CX-5 even comes with a few advanced safety systems – like blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, and low-speed automatic braking – that you’d have to pay thousands of dollars more to get in the CR-V.

Buyers in snowy climes can get an all-wheel-drive CX-5 for several hundred dollars less than a CR-V with all-wheel drive.

With more features, a lower base price, and cheaper all-wheel drive, the CX-5 comes out on top.

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Reliability

Winner: Honda CR-V

Neither the Mazda CX-5 nor the Honda CR-V ranks at the top of the class in predicted reliability ratings (the Ford Escape and Kia Sportage are the class leaders in this category). Still, the CR-V pulls out the win against the CX-5 with a score of 3.5 out of five from J.D. Power, versus the Mazda’s three out of five rating.

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Seat Comfort

Winner: Honda CR-V

Both the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5 have spacious cabins, with generous head- and legroom in both rows. These crossovers offer comfortable, supportive front seats and wide-opening rear doors that make it easy to access the second row. You can get upgrades like leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, heated front seats, and even a heated steering wheel in both of these rivals. However, the CR-V takes the cake here due to its larger back seat.

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Cargo Space

Winner: Honda CR-V

The Honda CR-V’s cavernous cargo space easily beats out the Mazda CX-5’s smaller cargo hold. The CR-V has 39.2 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats and 75.8 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down. The CX-5 offers only 30.9 cubic feet in the back and 59.6 cubic feet when the rear seats aren’t in use.

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Interior Quality

Winner: Tie

These two crossovers offer some of the nicest interiors in the compact SUV class. The Mazda CX-5 (pictured above) and Honda CR-V (pictured below) feature attractive cabin designs, and high-end materials are used throughout both SUVs. You’ll find soft-touch materials covering every surface in the CR-V and CX-5, even in places where you’d find hard plastics in other small crossovers.

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Interior Features

Winner: Mazda CX-5

While the CR-V may have more comfortable seats and a bigger cargo area, the CX-5 offers more tech features. The base CX-5 offers drivers a 7-inch touch screen, two USB ports, HD Radio, Bluetooth, voice command, and four speakers. The CR-V comes standard with a 5-inch display screen, a single USB port, Bluetooth, and four speakers.

Optional features on the CR-V include three additional USB ports, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, HD Radio, satellite radio, and a 7-inch touch screen. A six-, eight-, or nine-speaker audio system is also available, as is navigation and voice recognition. The CX-5 can be equipped with two additional USB ports, a 10-speaker Bose audio system, satellite radio, navigation, and support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

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Acceleration

Winner: Mazda CX-5

Both the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5 are powered by four-cylinder engines. The CR-V’s base engine is a 184-horsepower four-cylinder that provides decent acceleration. Compare that with the CX-5’s base 187-horsepower four-cylinder, and it’s a fairly close match, though the CX-5 feels a bit quicker around town.

The real difference is in the available engines. The CX-5 offers a new-for-2019 turbo-four that produces 227 horsepower with regular gas and 250 horsepower with premium gas. The CR-V’s optional engine is a turbocharged four-cylinder that produces 190 horsepower. It provides ample power, but can’t match the CX-5’s optional engine.

The CR-V's engines are mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), while the CX-5’s engines are attached to a six-speed automatic transmission.

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Fuel Economy

Winner: Honda CR-V

Among compact SUVs, the Mazda CX-5 and Honda CR-V are nearly unmatched when it comes to gas sipping.

The CX-5 gets 25 mpg around town and 31 mpg on the highway when equipped with front-wheel drive. All-wheel-drive CX-5 models get 24 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. The most fuel-efficient version of the CX-5 is with the optional turbodiesel, which gets 27 mpg in the city and 30 on the highway with all-wheel drive. However, that model is still fairly rare, and it costs so much ($41,000) that you probably won’t be saving money in the long run.

As great as the CX-5’s gas mileage is, it falls just a bit short of the CR-V’s. The CR-V gets 26 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the freeway with the base engine and front-wheel drive, or 25/31 mpg city/highway with all-wheel drive. Stepping up to the CR-V’s optional turbocharged engine will get you even better fuel economy – up to 28 mpg city and 34 mpg highway.

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Ride Quality and Handling

Winner: Mazda CX-5

When it comes to absorbing bumps and jitters while driving, both the 2019 Honda CR-V and 2019 Mazda CX-5 excel. These compact SUVs provide a smooth ride over even the most pitted pavement.

The CX-5 comes out on top in the ride and handling category thanks to its performance around turns. Where the CR-V has stable and composed handling while cornering, the CX-5 is downright sporty. Like most Mazda vehicles, the CX-5 is easily one of the most engaging models to drive in its class, with well-tuned steering and suspension that let you make the most of twisty back roads.

Both models come standard with front-wheel drive and are available with all-wheel drive.

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Safety

Winner: Mazda CX-5

Just as they have in most of the other categories in this slideshow, the Mazda CX-5 and Honda CR-V sit right at the top of our compact SUV rankings when it comes to crash test ratings.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) named the CR-V a Top Safety Pick. The CX-5 has stepped up from that, with the IIHS giving it a Top Safety Pick+ designation.

The CR-V has not been tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) this year. The NHTSA gave the CX-5 a five-star overall rating, with five stars in front and side tests, and four stars in the rollover category.

When it comes to advanced safety features, the CX-5 pulls out the win. Every CX-5 model comes standard with a rearview camera, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, and low-speed automatic braking. The CR-V only comes standard with a rearview camera, so you have to spend more to get more high-tech safety systems.

Features like lane departure warning, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, and full-speed automatic emergency braking are available in the higher trims of both the CX-5 and CR-V.

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The Winner Is …

2019 Mazda CX-5

While these two SUVs are tied at the top of our compact SUV rankings, in this head-to-head battle the CX-5 comes out on top. The CR-V will appeal to anyone who values fuel economy, cargo space, reliability, and seat comfort. However, if handling, acceleration, interior features, and a lower price are at the forefront for you, the CX-5 is your vehicle. 

Before you choose between either of these, make sure you compare them to rivals like Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4, Kia Sportage, and Chevrolet Equinox in our compact SUV rankings. You can even crosshop a compact SUV against any of the vehicles in our subcompact SUV and midsize SUV rankings.

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More Shopping Tools From U.S. News & World Report

If you’d like more details on the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5, take a look at their reviews. Then, check out our new car rankings to find more of the best compact SUVs on the market.

Before you head to your local dealership, learn about the differences in buying and leasing and how to negotiate the best financing. Our purchase deals and lease deals pages have manufacturer incentives available on the CR-V and CX-5, along with hundreds of other vehicles. 

Be sure to use the U.S. News Best Price Program to get the lowest price on your new crossover. Shoppers who use the program save an average of more than $3,000 off their new vehicle.

2019 Honda CR-V vs. 2019 Mazda CX-5: Head to Head

• Price - Winner: Mazda CX-5
• Reliability - Winner: Honda CR-V
• Seat Comfort - Winner: Honda CR-V
• Cargo Space - Winner: Honda CR-V
• Interior Quality - Winner: Tie
• Interior Features - Winner: Mazda CX-5
• Acceleration - Winner: Mazda CX-5
• Fuel Economy - Winner: Honda CR-V
• Ride Quality and Handling - Winner: Mazda CX-5
• Safety - Winner: Mazda CX-5