Which CX Mazda is Best? (Answered!)

Mazda is a Japanese automobile manufacturing company, and while they specialize in making smaller sized vehicles, they do have a line of SUVs and family cars. This line contains their three CX models, the CX-5, the CX-9, and the CX-30, but which one is the best?

The Mazda CX-5 is the best CX model from Mazda and the second best compact SUV of 2021 according to U.S. News. It has an overall rating of 8.9 out of 10 from US Car News which is higher than the other CX models. The CX-5 has a powerful engine, great mileage, and upgraded technology.

Now you know that the CX-5 is the best CX model from Mazda, let’s discuss why it ranks above the other models below. Keep reading to learn more about the Mazda CX-5 and the other Mazda CX models.

Mazda CX-5 Ratings

The first aspect of the CX-5 to look at is the ratings. These ratings cover the critics’ rating, the performance, the interior, safety, quality, and reliability. U.S. News gave the CX-5 an overall rating of 8.9 out of 10, which is impressive.

The critics’ rating was very high at a 9.8 out of 10 and is a testament of how great this compact SUV is. The performance rating was an 8.5 out of 10. Again, this is quite high and gives you insight into how the car functions.

The interior rating was the lowest of all with a 7.9; meanwhile, the safety rating was the highest of all, with a 9.9 out of 10! This is nearly perfect! If you have a family that you want to keep safe, this is the SUV to do that.

Finally, the quality and reliability rating was an 81 out of 100. This rating comes from J.D. Power and it gives us a pretty good idea of how the SUV will function over time.

As you add miles to the CX-5, it will still function well and there should be very few maintenance issues. Although Mazda was had a reputation for building unreliable vehicles, this rating shows that they have changed for the better.

CX-5 Specs

Now that you know the ratings for this compact SUV, we can take a look at the specs. We will look at the specs for the simplest and cheapest model, the CX-5 Sport. The specs we will cover include the engine and its power, the mileage, the dimensions, and the technology included.

CX-5 Engine

The engine on the 2021 Mazda CX-5 is a SKYACTIV-G 2.5 Liter, DOHC, 16-valve, 4-cylinder engine. This powerful engine gets 187 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 186 pounds per foot of torque at 4,000 rpm.

This is very powerful engine, and an SUV needs a powerful engine to pull that weight. Despite having such a powerful engine, the small size and lighter weight of the vehicle reduces the amount of fuel used.

CX-5 Mileage

The mileage on a vehicle can help you estimate how much money you will spend on fuel over the years. The Mazda CX-5, while having a powerful engine, does not use as much fuel as many other compact SUVs. This SUV gets 25 miles per gallon on city streets and 31 miles per gallon on highway streets. That is a lot of miles, and with a fuel capacity of 14.8 gallons, one tank of gas can take you up to 458.8 miles!

CX-5 Dimensions

Looking at the dimensions of a vehicle will give you a good idea of how easy it will be to park, maneuver, and haul cargo. For exterior dimensions, this compact SUV is 179.1 inches long, 83.3 inches wide, 66.2 inches tall, and has a wheelbase of 106.2 inches. Ground clearance, a crucial dimension for rough road drivers, is 7.5 inches on the Mazda CX-5.

For interior dimensions, there are measurements for the front seats and the rear seats. For the driver’s and passenger’s seats, there are 39.7 inches of headroom, 57.1 inches of shoulder room, 55.2 inches of hip room, and 41 inches of legroom.

For the rear row of seats, there are 39 inches of headroom, 54.8 inches of shoulder room, 55.3 inches of hip room, and 39.6 inches of legroom. As you can see, there is plenty of space in both the front and backseat of the Mazda CX-9.

CX-5 Technology

The 2021 CX-5 is loaded with a lot of new technology. One well loved feature is the ability to connect to your Mazda CX-5 through the MyMazda app. From there, you can start the engine remotely, access roadside assistance, have automatic 911 dialing, check maintenance and status reports on the SUV, locate your vehicle’s exact location, and more!

Another great technological addition to the CX-5 is the ability to connect your smartphone to the vehicle to play music, get directions, answer calls, and perform any other necessary functions.

The Mazda CX-5 Compared to Other Models

When comparing the Mazda CX-5 to the other CX models, it becomes even clearer that this is the best CX model. When it comes to ratings, the CX-5 ranks higher than the CX-9 and CX-30.

The CX-5’s overall rating is 8.9 while the CX-9’s and CX-30’s ratings are only 8.5 and 8.4 respectively. The CX-9 does have a better performance rating than the CX-5, but besides that, all of the scores are lower.

When it comes to specs, there are a lot of differences in these models. The engines are different, the mileage is different, and even the dimensions are different. The CX-30 is the smallest of the CX models. it is only 173 inches long, 70.7 inches wide, and 61.7 inches tall.

Because of the small size, when it comes to mileage, the CX-30 has the best of the three, getting 25 miles per gallon on city streets and 33 miles per gallon on highway streets.

The CX-9 is the largest of the three SUVs, and is 199.4 inches long, 77.5 inches wide, and 69.0 inches tall. Because of its size, it has the worst gas mileage out of the three, and has a much more powerful engine than the CX-5. It is also the only full-size SUV offered by Mazda.