Mazda cx-5 vs toyota rav4 2022

You’re looking at Australia’s two biggest-selling SUVs, the Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5, both of which recently received some updates for the current model year.

Table of Contents Show

Is Mazda CX
Is the RAV4 2022 Noisy?
Is Mazda redesigning the CX

For those after a medium SUV with some rugged design cues and class-leading fuel economy, there’s the newly launched RAV4 Edge spec level with variant-first two-motor hybrid drivetrain.

How much?

This pair line up very closely on price, though not in terms of estimated delivery times.

Mazda Australia is reporting comparatively brief wait times compared to the more supply constrained RAV4, buyers of which have been waiting up to a year.

Mazda CX-5 Akera 2.5T

List price: $53,380
Drive-away*: $58,481

Toyota RAV4 Edge Hybrid

List price: $52,700
Drive-away*: $57,773

* Price based on a Melbourne postcode

What do you get?

Common features on the outside include 19-inch wheels with space-saver spares; LED headlights, tail lights and DRLs; auto-folding mirrors, a front-row sunroof, powered tailgates, and rain-sensing wipers. The Toyota adds roof rails.

	Mazda CX-5 Akera	Toyota RAV4 Edge
Wheels	19-inch	19-inch
Spare tyre	Temporary	Temporary
Headlights	LED	LED
Tail lights	LED	Partial LED
Daytime lights	LED	LED
Mirrors	Auto-folding	Auto-folding
Sunroof	Standard	Standard
Tailgate	Powered	Powered
Wipers	Rain-sensing	Rain-sensing
Roof rails	No	Standard

Inside there are common features such as heated and ventilated front seats, a powered driver’s seat, dual-zone climate control, proximity key (hands-free) access, and parking sensors front and rear.

The Mazda has Nappa leather seats compared to the Toyota’s ‘Softex’ synthetic leather designed to be harder-wearing, a powered front-passenger seat, heated back seats, a frameless electro-chromatic rear-view mirror, and a heated steering wheel.

The Toyota counters with a nifty digital rear-view mirror that uses a rear camera display.

	Mazda CX-5 Akera	Toyota RAV4 Edge
Seat trim	Nappa leather	Softex synthetic leather
Driver’s seat functions	Heated, ventilated, powered	Heated, ventilated, powered
Passenger seat functions	Heated, ventilated, powered	Heated, ventilated
Heated back seats	Standard	No
Air-con type	Dual-zone climate control	Dual-zone climate control
Rear-view mirror	Frameless, auto-dimming	Digital via camera
Heated steering wheel	Standard	No
Proximity key	Standard	Standard
Parking sensors	Front and rear	Front and rear

In terms of tech, both share satellite-navigation, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth and USBs, digital radio, a wireless phone chargers, and a 360-degree camera view.

The Mazda’s upgraded 10.25-inch screen controlled by a rotary dial atop the transmission tunnel is larger than the Toyota’s 8.0-inch touchscreen, while the CX-5 also has a head-up display and its branded audio system has one extra speaker.

	Mazda CX-5 Akera	Toyota RAV4 Edge
Head-up display	Standard	No
Infotainment screen	10.25-inch	8.0-inch
Sat-nav	Standard	Standard
Apple CarPlay	Standard	Standard
Android Auto	Standard	Standard
Audio system	Bose, 10 speakers	JBL, 9 speakers
Bluetooth/USB	Standard	Standard
Digital radio	Standard	Standard
Wireless charger	Standard	Standard
Camera view	360-degree	360-degree

Are they safe?

Both the Mazda and Toyota have five-star crash ratings from independent tester ANCAP, with the following results:

Mazda CX-5

Date stamp: 2017
Adult occupant protection: 95%
Child occupant protection: 80%
Pedestrian/cyclist protection: 78%
Safety assist features: 59%
Crash report: Here

Toyota RAV4

Date stamp: 2019
Adult occupant protection: 93%
Child occupant protection: 89%
Pedestrian/cyclist protection: 85%
Safety assist features: 83%
Crash report: Here

	Mazda CX-5 Akera	Toyota RAV4 Edge
Airbags	Front, front-side, curtain	Front, front-side, curtain, driver’s knee
Child seats	2 x ISOFIX, 3 x top tether	2 x ISOFIX, 3 x top tether
Autonomous emergency braking	Car and vulnerable road user	Car and vulnerable road user
Lane-keeping aid	Corrective steering, alerts	Corrective steering, alerts
Blind-spot monitoring	Standard	Standard
Rear cross-traffic alert	Standard	Standard
Cruise control type	Adaptive	Adaptive
Traffic sign readout	Standard	Standard

What are they like inside?

Mazda

The Mazda gives a more convincing impression of luxury, with its soft Nappa leather seats, tasteful wood inserts, matching brown leather armrest and centre tunnel padding, knurled dials, and flat silver trim inserts. The padded dash also feels very ‘Lexus’.

Settle into the (heated, ventilated and powered) driver’s seat and you’re presented with a leather-wrapped and tastefully stitched steering wheel with clean and simple buttons, ahead of a cluster with centre speedo TFT that changes colours, and a head-up display on the windscreen showing speed digitally and the current limit.

The big change is the new, larger centre display running Mazda’s latest operating system from the Mazda 3, CX-30 and other new-gen products. It’s a much cleaner, quicker and more attractive setup than the old CX-5’s dated system with its full-width maps, and is paired to a cracking-good stereo.

The main user-interface issue is the fact the rather distant centre display doesn’t have touch functionality, meaning you rely on the (unchanged) centre-tunnel rotary dial with shortcut buttons, which doesn’t work well with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay mirroring.

Storage options comprise a mid-size centre console with two USBs, bottle holders in the door, a felt-lined glovebox, and cupholders with teeth just behind the infotainment controller.

In terms of cabin space, the CX-5 has never been the roomiest in its class. Open the back doors and you’re presented with a bench comprising two longer-base outboard (heated) seats and a more meagre centre spot impeded by the centre tunnel.

There’s room for two adults behind two others nevertheless – I’m 194cm and was in work boots, and my knees just touched the seats ahead – and the head space is retained because unlike some other rivals it lacks a panoramic glass roof. But there are similarly sized SUVs out there with more spacious, airy setups.

There are plenty of back-seat amenities too, beyond the expected rear vents, including a flip-down centre armrest incorporating cupholders, USBs and seat heater buttons. And Mazda doesn’t cut costs by downgrading rear trims, because it all feels about as premium in the back as it does up front.

The boot is a smaller-than-average 438 litres and is accessed by a powered tailgate. Its flexibility bonafides are enhanced by the clever soft bag cover that moves with the tailgate, and levers in the rear to shortcut-fold the 40:20:40 rear bench seat for longer items.

Toyota

The RAV4 imparts a chunkier, bolder, and brighter look, and trades the premium-looking materials for lower-maintenance stuff, exemplified by the synthetic leather seats with orange piping and good bolstering.

The bright orange theme continues throughout, incorporating the stitch-work, and various plastic inlays in and around storage areas. I like the chunky rubberised ventilation controls, knurled and illuminated drive mode selector, and relative lack of glossy black trim. Rare…

Behind the leather-wrapped wheel with its (again) nicely damped buttons is a medley digital and analogue cluster with a few extra menus and animations, but no HUD like the Mazda.

The touchscreen is more CarPlay/Android-friendly, but it’s otherwise an inferior system to the Mazda’s – in terms of size, resolution, input processing and usability. Fine for a Corolla, but it feels like a $50,000-plus SUV should offer something a little swisher.

Extra storage includes a signature open section ahead of the front passenger, and a slightly more capacious console. It also has a bonus digital rear-view mirror which is handy if you have a full boot or three rear passengers.

The back seats offer vents, USBs and cupholders, and the floor is mostly flat meaning better foot placement for rear-centre occupants thanks to the use of two-motor AWD. Legroom, foot-room and headroom is superior for taller occupants, and it feels airier.

Boot capacity measures a more substantive 580L litres with five seats in use and the two-height floor at its lower setting. The tailgate is powered, but there are no levers in the boot to swiftly fold the middle seats.

In essence, the Toyota’s is brighter, brasher and roomier, whereas the Mazda’s is a more premium experience with superior tech. if you have destructive kids, then just quietly I’d be worried about them scuffing up that lovely CX-5…

Just a reminder to be sure to watch the video embedded higher up the story, in which Paul gives a visual breakdown of the respective interiors.

	Mazda CX-5 Akera	Toyota RAV4 Edge
Length	4575mm	4615mm
Width	1845mm	1865mm
Height	1680mm	1690mm
Wheelbase	2700mm	2690mm
Clearance	200mm	195mm
Boot	438L	580L

What’s under the bonnet?

Mazda

The CX-5 can be had with a cheaper naturally aspirated 2.5-litre petrol and a more efficient 2.2-litre twin-turbo diesel, but the engine option Mazda loaned us was the 2.5-litre turbo-petrol.

It pushes out a potent (for the segment) 170kW of power and a diesel-like 420Nm of torque through an on-demand all-wheel drive (AWD) system and six-speed automatic transmission.

It can tow 2000kg and uses a claimed 8.2 litres of fuel per 100km.

Toyota

The RAV4 Edge comes with a 2.5-litre naturally aspirated engine option but the vast majority of buyers go for the hybrid, which is a real unique selling point in these times of mega fuel prices.

The Toyota’s drivetrain pairs a 2.5-litre petrol running the leaner Atkinson cycle, paired with a 88kW and 202Nm front motor-generator and 40kW and 121Nm rear motor-generator, plus a small battery charged by the engine and brake-energy recuperation.

It uses an e-CVT transmission and the AWD system uses the rear axle motor. Nifty. It can tow 1500kg and uses a crazy-good 4.8L/100km using 91 RON on the ADR combined cycle.

	Mazda CX-5 Akera	Toyota RAV4 Edge
Engine	2.5-litre, 4-cyl, turbo	2.5-litre, 4-cyl
Electric motor/s	NA	Front and rear
Power	170kW @ 5000rpm	163kW
Torque	420Nm @ 2000rpm	No total listed
CE’s 0-100km/h	7.52sec	8.32sec
Fuel economy	8.2L/100km	4.8L/100km
Fuel required	91 RON petrol	91 RON petrol
Transmission	6-speed automatic	e-CVT
Driven wheels	Driveline AWD	Two-motor AWD
Towing capacity	2000kg	1500kg
Kerb weight	1730kg	1760kg

Is Mazda CX

Overall Reliability Rating The severity and frequency of repairs are both much lower than other vehicles, so the RAV4 is one of the more reliable vehicles on the road. The Mazda CX-5 Reliability Rating is 4.5 out of 5.0, which ranks it 1st out of 26 for midsize SUVs.

Is CX

Conclusion. The Toyota RAV4 is more practical and family-friendly, thanks to its bigger interior and better fuel economy. However, the Mazda CX-5 is the more stylish and athletic choice, especially with its available turbo engine.

Is the RAV4 2022 Noisy?

Despite being a recently redesigned model, the 2022 Toyota RAV4 is well-known for having a raucous-sounding engine. Consumer Reports described it as having more engine noise than competitors and not enough insulation to cancel out the wind and road noise.

Is Mazda redesigning the CX

2022 Mazda CX-5 Redesign: Mechanical Elements Drivers may also notice the Turbo trim level, which is a renamed version of the Grand Touring Reserve, and the updated Signature trim body colors. Lastly, the engine horsepower has increased to 256 hp with premium fuel.