Honda CR-V Hybrid vs Mazda CX-50 Hybrid

THE Honda CR-V and the Mazda CX-50 are the cream of the compact sport utility vehicle (SUV) crop.

With its non-hybrid powertrain, the CX-50 beat seven rivals in a small-SUV battle royal last year.

And the Honda CR-V’s full line took home a 10Best Trucks award this year.

With increased public interest in hybrids, we were curious how the gas-electric versions of each would stack up against each other.

Meet the contestants

At Honda, the hybrid powertrain is the step-up choice over the base turbocharged 1,5-litre four in the CR-V, so it is reserved for the top three trim levels: Sport, Sport L and Sport Touring.

Our sample vehicle was a Sport Touring, which includes all-wheel drive.

For Mazda, the CX-50’s hybrid powertrain is effectively the middle offering, between the free-breathing base four-cylinder and the more powerful turbo four. Mazda offers the CX-50 Hybrid in three trim levels: Preferred, Premium and Premium Plus. Here again, we had the top model, the Premium Plus.

Interior and exterior

The latest CR-V has a more substantial, squared-off appearance than its predecessors.

If you want a CR-V Hybrid, though, you would better like black wheels and black trim, because that is what you are going to get.

We like the CX-50’s somewhat more wagon-like proportions, with a longer hood and a set-back cabin.

It comes across as a junior version of the CX-70/CX-90.

Honda CR-V Hybrid — Climb inside, and the CR-V earns top marks for its outward visibility.

The layout of the controls and switchgear is traditional Honda: straightforward, easy to use and no gimmicks.

We love the three knobs for climate control and the physical shift lever.

There is also a good amount of stowage.

The plump front seats are plenty comfortable and the space in the back is generous. Outside the hex-pattern trim on the dash, however, this is mostly a style-free zone, and the materials even in this range-topping trim are nothing special.

Mazda CX-50 Hybrid — The top-spec CX-50 interior has a whiff of richness with soft leather accents on the dash and door panels.

As in the CR-V, a real shift lever and physical climate-control buttons and knobs are present. Bravo.

The Mazda’s rear seat also has plenty of legroom and knee clearance, but the cushion is not as substantial as the Honda’s.

And the CX-50’s more hunkered-down roofline means the view out is not quite as expansive.

Infotainment

The Honda’s infotainment system is unremarkable, and that is okay. At 9.0 inches, the touchscreen is far from the biggest out there, but it is big enough (the base Sport hybrid gets a 7.0-incher).

There is a volume knob and two tiny buttons for tuning. Smartphone mirroring is wireless in the Sport Touring (and Sport L), and the top-spec model also has a wireless charging pad.

The Mazda infotainment system is unusual in that you navigate via a knob and a quartet of buttons on the centre console. That would not be so bad — we appreciate BMW’s similar (soon-to-be-deep-sixed) setup — but the operational logic makes the Mazda system kind of annoying.

There is a workaround, however.

Pair your smartphone (wireless smartphone mirroring is standard on all models) and use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, and touchscreen functionality is unlocked, but the 10.3-inch screen is a long reach.

Wireless charging is standard on all CX-50 Hybrid trims.

Powertrain and performance

The Honda’s hybrid system combines an Atkinson-cycle 2.0-litre four and two electric motors.

One electric motor functions as a generator and the other propels the car.

The gas engine charges the battery and can also assist in powering the car. Total combined output is 204 horsepower.

Mazda gets its hybrid powertrain from Toyota.

The Atkinson-cycle 2.5-litre four and three electric motors are the same bits you will find in a RAV4 Hybrid.

Like we said, all-wheel drive is standard.

One of the motors drives the rear wheels, with the gas-electric combo up front powering the front wheels via a planetary-gear transmission that operates like a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

The nickel-metal hydride battery is a Mazda exclusive, though (Toyota uses a lithium-ion unit).

Total combined output is 219 horsepower.

Mash the right pedal, and neither of these hybrids has a distinct advantage over the other. Our 2025 CX-50 test car got to 60 mph in 7,6 seconds.

That is just ahead of the 7,9-second result for the CR-V Hybrid Sport Touring, the test results for which come from a 2023 model we previously evaluated that is mechanically identical to the latest one.

From a 5-to-60-mph rolling start, though, the CX-50’s 8,4 seconds trails the CR-V’s at 8,0 seconds flat.

The Mazda ekes out a win in the quarter-mile sprint, its 15,8 seconds at 89 mph nosing ahead of the Honda’s 16,3 seconds at 85 mph.

The Honda, though, was fractionally quicker in 50-to-70-mph passing at 5,2 seconds to the Mazda’s 5,6.

Call it a wash, then, between the two.

Both hybrid SUVs have modest tow ratings. The CX-50 Hybrid’s pulling capability is less than its non-hybrid siblings at 1 500 pounds.

Still, that beats the hybrid CR-V’s 1 000 pounds, but few buyers will find this difference meaningful.

Fuel economy

With all-wheel drive, the Honda CR-V Hybrid earns Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ratings of 40 mpg city and 34 mpg highway.

With all CX-50 hybrids touting all-wheel drive, the figures are 39 mpg city and 37 mpg highway. So, the Honda has a paper-thin edge in the city, while the Mazda does better on the highway.

Driving experience

The CR-V hides its hybrid nature well. Programmed faux shifts mimic the action of a conventional transmission.

In most driving, the engine is audible, but droning is not an issue.

The hybrid system in the CX-50 is familiar, since it has borrowed from the RAV4 (and other Toyotas).

Because of its CVT-like action, the engine sometimes holds revs under acceleration.

There is more engine presence here, as the Mazda is noisier than the Honda: 74 decibels at wide-open throttle versus 72.

In keeping with its sport designation, the CR-V Hybrid has a firmer suspension tune and beefier anti-roll bars than non-hybrid models.

And while its handling is poised and competent, you would not call it engaging. We were much more impressed by the suspension’s ability to take the edge off broken pavement and glide smoothly over bumps.

The CX-50 is stiffer riding, allowing more road harshness to penetrate the cabin. But while the two SUVs’ skidpad grip is similar (0.85 g for the Honda, 0.83 g for the Mazda), the Mazda has subjectively superior steering and handling.

When it comes to stopping, neither of these hybrids suffers nonlinear brake-pedal response, but the Honda’s 171-foot stop from 70 mph is 10 feet shorter.

Picking a winner

The tit-for-tat results show how closely matched these two compact SUVs are. Either way, there are no losers here. — Car and Driver