Test bench | Mazda CX-50 competition

The Mazda CX-50 is coming. But others before it have already taken root, including the Honda Passport, Lexus NX and Subaru Outback Wilderness.

Eric LeFrancois
special collaboration

Honda Passport

Price: from $45,570

More expensive and far from being as refined as the CX-50, the Passport nevertheless proves to be more credible on the trails. It also has the advantage of offering a superior towing capacity (2,268 kg compared to 1,587 kg for the Mazda) and an ingeniously designed passenger compartment. The consumption of its V6 engine has nothing to envy to Mazda’s engine. On the road, on the other hand, the CX-50 makes dust rings around this Honda dynamically. The steering is more precise, faster, while the all-wheel drive coupled with a torque vector proves to be more sophisticated and more efficient.

Lexus NX

Price: from $47,400

So here’s the odd one out: the Lexus NX. Still, Mazda names him as a potential rival. Not to face it on the trails, but rather in the beautiful neighborhoods where Mazda aspires to circulate in the near future. The CX-50, in its GT Turbo version, dons the finery necessary to elevate it among the fine linens of the industry. But it must in particular make up for its notoriety deficit (ah, the image!) and improve its basic guarantee. But back to this duel. The NX provides a more comfortable road feel, the choice between four powertrains, including two hybrids, better performance at the pump. Beautiful assets, but at a price that the buyer of a CX-50 is not necessarily ready to pay…

Subaru Outback Wilderness

Price: from $33,383

Naturally, it will be necessary to extend several thousand additional dollars to the starting price of the Outback to acquire the Wilderness version. The latter is undoubtedly the direct rival of the CX-50 GT Turbo. It offers superior dynamic road qualities (acceleration, pick-up, direction), but the suspensions do not have the same cushioning as those of the Subaru. Nor such progressive travel when it’s time to hit the trails. The all-wheel drive offers unrivaled traction (helped by an adequate set of tyres) and all the necessary equipment (hill descent control, protective plates, X-mode) to chart your own course.