Compare the2026 Honda PassportVS 2025 Mazda CX-5

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda Passport have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Mazda CX-5 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Honda Passport has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The CX-5 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Passport deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Passport’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The CX-5’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Passport’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The CX-5 doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Compared to metal, the Passport’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Mazda CX-5 has a metal gas tank.

Both the Passport and the CX-5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The Honda Passport weighs 607 to 1026 pounds more than the Mazda CX-5. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

There are almost 2 times as many Honda dealers as there are Mazda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Passport’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Passport has a 130-amp alternator. The CX-5’s standard 100-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 51 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Mazda vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda fourth in overall reliability. Mazda is ranked 6th.

Engine

The Passport’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 98 more horsepower (285 vs. 187) and 77 lbs.-ft. more torque (262 vs. 185) than the CX-5’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Passport’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 29 more horsepower (285 vs. 256) than the CX-5’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Passport uses regular unleaded gasoline. The CX-5 with the 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Passport has 3.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the CX-5 (18.5 vs. 15.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Passport has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The CX-5 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Passport higher (7 out of 10) than the Mazda CX-5 (4 to 6). This means the Passport produces up to 13.2 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the CX-5 every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Passport, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the CX-5.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Passport’s brake rotors are larger than those on the CX-5:

	Passport	CX-5	CX-5 Turbo
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	11.7 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	11.9 inches	11.9 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Passport has larger standard tires than the CX-5 (265/60R18 vs. 225/65R17). The Passport TrailSport’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the CX-5 (275/60R18 vs. 225/65R17).

The Passport’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the CX-5’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Passport has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the CX-5.

The Passport has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The CX-5 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Passport offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the CX-5; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Passport’s wheelbase is 7.4 inches longer than on the CX-5 (113.6 inches vs. 106.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Passport is 5.2 inches wider in the front and 5.4 inches wider in the rear than on the CX-5.

For greater off-road capability the Passport has a greater minimum ground clearance than the CX-5 (8.3 vs. 7.6 inches), allowing the Passport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Passport’s minimum ground clearance is .4 inch higher than on the CX-5 Carbon/Premium/Turbo (8.3 vs. 7.9 inches).

Chassis

The front grille of the Passport uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The CX-5 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Passport has 15.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CX-5 (119.1 vs. 103.6).

The Passport has .8 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom, 3.1 inches more front hip room, 4.8 inches more front shoulder room, 1.7 inches more rear headroom, 1.3 inches more rear legroom, 2.1 inches more rear hip room and 6.9 inches more rear shoulder room than the CX-5.

Cargo Capacity

The Passport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the CX-5 with its rear seat up (44 vs. 29.1 cubic feet). The Passport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the CX-5 with its rear seat folded (83.8 vs. 59.3 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Passport. The CX-5 doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Passport TrailSport Elite’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The CX-5 doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Towing

The Passport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the CX-5’s (5000 vs. 2000 pounds).

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Passport uses the Vehicle Stability Assist sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The CX-5 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

The Passport’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The CX-5 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

On a hot day the Passport’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the CX-5 can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Passport’s standard Push Button Start and Smart Entry allow you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Pushbutton Start standard on the CX-5 only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the vehicle The Passport TrailSport Elite’s available Push Button Start and Smart Entry also allows you to unlock the doors from either rear door handle. The CX-5 Select/Preferred/Carbon/Premium’s available Advanced Keyless Entry and Start doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

The Passport’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The CX-5’s power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Passport to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The CX-5 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Passport’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Mazda only offers heated mirrors on the CX-5 Premium/Turbo.

When the Passport is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The CX-5’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Passport’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The CX-5 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Passport has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the CX-5 Select/Preferred/Carbon Edition/Premium/Turbo.

Both the Passport and the CX-5 offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Passport has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The CX-5 doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The Honda Passport has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the rear view mirror. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Mazda charges extra for Homelink® on the CX-5.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Honda Passport has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the CX-5 Carbon/Premium Plus/Turbo offers wireless charging.

The Passport TrailSport has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The CX-5 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Honda Passport and the Mazda CX-5, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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