In newest Consumer Reports. Actually was thinking of the Mazda initially…still very reliable, but went with Lexus.

 

I test drove the CX5 a couple of years ago. The turbo buzz inside the car and 6 speed transmission cut it for me. Nice enough car but not yet up to Lexus standards. Mazda is up and coming though. New in line 6 to be launched this year I read in a car slightly larger than the CX5, I think. Their interior quality is improving as well. Also read they are targeting upmarket. In 3 or 5 years when you're ready to replace, I think you'll see a substantial difference in resale of the 2 with Lexus holding value better. Drive them both and decide for yourself.

 

As the saying goes, the devil is in the details. Consumer reports is very good at nit-picking the pennies but I find they lack appreciation for some things that are hard to qualify by price alone. A $5 bottle of wine can get you as drunk as a $50 bottle of wine. Does that make the $5 bottle of wine functionality equivalent? Depends on the drinker I suppose and what they hope to experience. I would have considered the CX5 - RAV4 to be a better comparison. One thing about the Lexus, until the day it is squeezed into a cube by the crusher, it will always be worth $10K more.

 

Gotta agree to comments. I have a 350h so main thing was mpg, quality etc. etc. No complaints.
As for the wine. Boone’s Farm! That was my go to wine back in the late 60’s. Think $.85 per bottle.

 

Remember MD2020?

 

Just my two cents, the Mazda is very reliable, and it is the car that we are upgrading from... 2013 CX-5 (now kept as a beater car, about 85k miles) to the 2023 NX. Although the CX-5 we have was really the first gen, it has held up well over the time and no issues at all, and it has been taken care of in pretty much pristine condition, only thing we did to further keep it along the times of tech was upgrade it to an aftermarket 10" Android head unit that has AA/CarPlay Wireless. Not really a fair comparison since the CX-5 we have is mid-trim & 10 years old (the bi-xenons HIDs during then was great with a nice cut off) and the NX we have is pretty much maxed out with options (also ICE vs Hybrid) but our 2.0L CX-5 is very underpowered (~150hp) previous to the standard 2.5L that came onboard the year after. It handles well though but the knock against the CX-5 back then was really power and it's interior NVH, although the mpgs on it we still get around 30ish on long road trips.

The NX definitely excels on everything from interior design, NVH, technology, and other features, as it should since it's been about 10 years between these two and much more expensive. The newer CX-5's are nice but after owning the NX350h for a month now, imo there isn't a comparison, and you do get what you pay for. Even the paint is nicer and some family members even took a ruler and magnifying glass to inspect how good the gaps/paint was haha. We didn't go back to Mazda due to the lack of some technology features that we were looking for, and didn't prefer the control dial to interact with the headunit. 360deg camera rendering wasn't as good as how Lexus did it in the NX from what I remember with the new CX-5's. I still think Lexus did a fantastic job on the 2nd gen NX, incorporating all the tech features and the giant head unit finally being touchscreen interactive. Still really happy with our NX and thankfully it has been perfect so far and couldn't ask for more!

 

Never had MD2020. Heck lucky enough to get Boones Farm.

 

Consumer Reports has Lexus #2 in reliability behind Toyota and Mazda #4. J D Power ranks the NX as the most dependable compact pemium SUV, the RX as the highest rated mid size premium SUV and the UX as the highest rated small premium.

 

Just for fun, I went to Mazda’s website and configured the highest level CX-5 with every bell and whistle. It didn’t come close to the new-generation NX in any way whatsoever. Exterior styling is bland and generic. Interior styling is vintage 1990s. Technology doesn't measure up (if HUDs are available, I couldn't find them). Etc. Etc. It is not a "luxury SUV."

Can a buyer purchase something cheaper than the NX? Sure, Consumer Reports. But as someone said above, you get what you pay for.

 

I test drove both the NX350H and CX-50 and thought both were great vehicles, but ultimately chose the NX for it's superior ride comfort, interior quality and fuel efficiency. The Mazda was also 48K (CAD) fully loaded, which was not enough of a difference (IMHO) compared to a base model 350H.

I would however still chose a CX-5/CX-50 over a CRV, Rav4, Tiguan or anything else in the non premium category.

 

The 2024 Mazda's look to significantly "up" the luxury level to be more directly comparable. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes to get the features downstream to the midsize and compact versions. Inline 6, HUD, 360 degree cameras, etc. are all here.

https://www.mazdausa.com/vehicles/cx-90

 

We also test drove the CX50 and I love it but unfortunately Mazda does not offer any hybrid. My wife still prefers the NX hybrid which I am ok with, we can wait another 6-9 months before buying the NX H. I heard Mazda will introduce the CX70 PHEV soon, can't wait.

 

I saw this too yesterday, Interior design looks nice, as Mazda always does & ups the game. Don't know how I feel about the dash being fabric/cloth material though and especially the rear tail design since it looks even more .... odd than the CX-60. It's the same design language with the CX-60, been keeping up with the current euro-version of the CX-60 that already has the PHEV, and I too was excited to see the reviews. U.S. spec may be different for the CX-70 though which is what I was interested in prior to the NX. Did anyone notice the grill design mesh that Mazda is doing? Can see where they got the "chain-link" inspiration from...

 

NX ish

 

I came from a 2020 CX-5 to a 2022 NX 350h. I test-drove the Tucson, the RAV4 and the GV 70. My favorite was the Lexus because in sport mode it was very close to the CX5. I love Mazda's driver-centric focus great handling and great drive. The interior was also amazing for a non-luxury price. I just wanted to get into a hybrid/PHEV to save at the pump. I also wanted to see what Lexus was like. Always wanted to have one. If Mazda had a hybrid offering I probably would have stuck with them.

After almost a year with my Lexus, I miss the **** in the Mazda. It was intuitive and I rarely took my eyes off the road. Now the Lexus is way more comfortable but the infotainment system is a nightmare. I got the smaller screen so I have to pay $20 a month if I wanna use the stock navigation which is trash. Android auto randomly goes into a connect/disconnect loop at the worst moment. I still love her though as she is strikingly beautiful.

That being said. No regrets. My next car will probably be a Lexus too. Welcome to the club!