Clash of crossovers: Honda CR-V vs. Mazda CX-5

The growing number of crossover sport utility vehicles (SUV) in the country means that local car buyers have plenty of nameplates to choose from. Two nameplates, however, stand out from the rest: Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5.

Which between the two best suits your budget and your motoring needs? Join us to find out.

Exterior

The Honda CR-V is a crossover that exudes reformed ruggedness. At its front are large LED headlamps, LED daytime running lamps (DRL), and LED fog lamps that flank its relatively large honeycomb grille. Its rear comes with LED taillamps, a tailgate spoiler, and a high-mount stop lamp.

Additional rugged exterior appointments include its roof rails, front bumper skid garnish, door lower garnish, and mudguards.

The Honda CR-V rides on either 17-inch or 18-inch wheels — depending on the variant.

Meanwhile, the Mazda CX-5 offers a more elegant and sophisticated design. It has a more tamed front grille with adaptive LED headlamps. No fog lamps can be found here as the headlights are bright enough that the CX-5 can do without fog lights.

Its flowing side profile is highlighted by large 19-inch alloy wheels and either black or body-colored side cladding. Its rear end looks as sexy as its fore thanks to beautiful taillamps and dual exhaust pipes.

Both crossovers are winners in their respective rights in terms of their exterior features so we call this round a tie.

Interior

Inside the Honda CR-V are black leather seats accompanied by a multi-functional leather-wrapped steering wheel. Past the latter is a full-color thin-film-transistor instrument panel it is complemented by a seven-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto features.

As for the Mazda CX-5, it also has a set of leather seats, a leather-wrapped shift knob, and a steering wheel finished in leather. It has a seven-inch LCD display instrument panel and an eight-inch touchscreen LCD infotainment system.

Thanks to more posh cabin amenities, we give this round to the Mazda CX-5.

Engine

Under the hood of the Honda CR-V is either a 1.6-liter diesel engine or a 2.0-liter gasoline mill. The former makes as much as 118 horsepower (hp) while the latter can put out as much as 151 horses.

The diesel powerplants are mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission while the gasoline engines are paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Mazda packed the CX-5 with more powerful engines. Would-be owners can choose from the base model, which gets a 2.0-liter motor, or the variants that use 2.5-liter engines. Across the board, all models get Mazda’s Skyactiv-Drive six-speed automatic transmission with Sport Mode.

Performance-wise, the Mazda CX-5 makes anywhere from 154hp to 249hp.

With a more powerful engine, we give this round to the Mazda CX-5.

Safety

The Honda CR-V gets standard safety features such as vehicle stability assist (VSA), hill start assists (HSA), an anti-lock braking system (ABS), an emergency stop signal (ESS), agile handling assist (AHA), lane watch camera, and corner sensors.

Models equipped with the Honda Sensing safety suite get additional features like adaptive cruise control (ACC), low speed follow (LSF), a collision-mitigating braking system (CMBS), a lane keep assist system (LKAS), road departure mitigation (RDM), and forward collision warning (FCW).

Now Mazda, not to be outdone, fitted the CX-5 with standard safety features including ABS with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), dynamic stability control (DSC), parking sensors, and a 360-degree view camera.

Some variants also get additional safety appointments from Mazda’s I-Activesense safety suite. It adds blind spot monitoring (BSM), rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA), lane departure warning with brake assist, smart city brake support, and driver attention alert, among others.

With almost similar safety amenities, we call this round a tie.

Verdict

While both crossovers offer relatively appealing features, it was the Mazda CX-5 that won the contest. Thanks to its posh interior and more powerful engine, it proved to be a better vehicle than the Honda CR-V.

The Honda CR-V is offered in three variants priced from P1.753 million to P2.253 million. Likewise, the Mazda CX-5 is also offered in three trims with prices ranging from P1.89 million to P2.38 million.

Photos from Honda Philippines, Mazda Philippines, and Ruben Manahan IV

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