2024 Honda ZR-V vs 2023 Mazda CX-5

What's the difference?

Should you consider the Honda ZR-V if you are looking for a new family SUV? Absolutely, it offers the right blend of practicality, panache and poise to make it a serious consideration over the hot-selling Mazda CX-5.

What might dissuade some buyers is the smaller dimensions, but seriously, the ZR-V is a poster child for ‘making the most of what you got’. There are a few other nit-picky things about the new Honda, but those cons (collectively) aren't a deal-breaker.

Sorry, Civic Type R, the 2023 ZR-V might be the best car Honda Australia has in its line-up right now, and it deserves at least your attention and consideration, even if that doesn’t evolve into your outright commitment.

Despite being far from the most modern option on the market, I'm surprised to see how well the CX-5 is holding up, particularly compared to more recently launched rivals when it comes to driving dynamics and cabin ambiance.

In fact, this car still feels so up to the task it's hard to believe Mazda is already moving its styling upwards and onwards with spiritual successors on the way like the CX-50 and CX-60.

For now, it's hard to go wrong in the CX-5 range, and actually, the Touring Active is the value pick of the bunch if you're willing to do away with certain small luxuries which this design feels like it should have.

Honda is on a bit of a tear in terms of design, at least to my eye.

All models in its line-up look modern, sophisticated and properly upmarket. And yes, that’s counting the Accord mid-size sedan, too.

The ZR-V is certainly no different, and while it does crib more than a few design cues from the likes of the Porsche Macan and Maserati Grecale, for a mainstream mid-size SUV, that’s not necessarily a criticism.

The front end is characterised by tall headlights and a chiselled bonnet, but the component that draws the eye the most is the front grille.

With a trapezoidal shape and vertical slats, at first glance the ZR-V’s toothy grin sort of looks like the aforementioned Grecale, and it's a departure from the face of the Civic (on which it is based).

I’m still not one hundred per cent sold on the front styling of the ZR-V. It doesn’t look too cohesive or consistent with the rest of the Honda Australia line-up (the HR-V and CR-V SUVs have a horizontal-themed grille), but it’s not ugly.

Step to the side and there are shades of Macan thanks to its long bonnet, bulbous bodywork and short overhangs.

I like the top-spec VTi LX’s body-coloured wheel arches, too, invoking a little BMW vibe to make the ZR-V feel a touch more upmarket.

However, the rear is my favourite element of the ZR-V, thanks to a funky tail-light design, nicely-sized spoiler and a subtle contrasting diffuser with integrated twin exhaust outlets.

Step inside, and those familiar with the new Civic will feel right at home thanks to a honeycomb dashboard insert that hides the air vents, floating multimedia touchscreen and perfectly girthed steering wheel.

Everything about the cabin is laid out in a clear and sensible manner, but the soft-touch materials and contrast stitching throughout just elevate it from something you might expect from Honda.

And build quality in the ZR-V is excellent. Everything feels so solid and well put together, with nary a sign of squeak or rattle.

Is it the best-looking mainstream family SUV out there? It certainly comes close, but to my eye, Mazda’s CX-5 just edges it out due to a more consistent overall design. 

What has always sold the CX-5 is its understated but upmarket-looking design. Even after all these years it oozes cool with its big trend-setting and deeply three-dimensional honeycomb grille, tasteful chrome highlights, and sleek light fittings, which of course are all elements now emulated by other brands.

The recent update brought with it new shapely LED lights front and rear, a tweaked face, new wheel designs and some updated features for the interior.

Meanwhile, this Touring Active grade scores some bright green touches inside and out, as well as additional silver trim pieces and gunmetal wheels.

Inside it's still hard to believe Mazda manages to make a car look and feel this good at the price. It's not hard to imagine someone test driving a Toyota RAV4 and subsequently being blown away by the premium look and feel of the CX-5.

The Lego brick neon green highlights in the interior of the Touring active, which form part of the vent surrounds and work their way into the seat trim, bring an unusually youthful flair to the usually serious Mazda cabin, but they won't be for everyone.

Other highlights include a tasteful smattering of silver trim, a blend of soft-touch materials in the dash and doors, and a more subtle approach to multimedia than many other brands, with low-set screens far from the driver.

Measuring 4568mm long, 1840mm wide, 1620mm tall and with a 2655mm wheelbase, the ZR-V is one of the smallest mid-size SUVs in Australia.

But don’t let the figures fool you, as this pint-sized family hauler has a few tricks up its sleeve.

From the front row, there is ample room to get comfortable, while storage options extend to door pockets, a glove box, a generous wireless smartphone charging pad, two cupholders and a handy storage shelf under the shifter.

However, the front seats found in the VTi LX grade of ZR-V feel insufficiently bolstered and flat, at least to my back and bottom.

I found myself sinking and sliding around in the seat more than I would have liked in my time with the car, so this could be an area of concern for slimmer people like myself.

In the second row, there is sufficient space behind the driver’s seat, set for my 183cm frame, while map pockets and a fold-down armrest also come into play alongside the door’s bottle holder.

Worth noting, however, that while there's plenty of space to fit a forward-facing kids car seat and a front passenger, the door trims are a little chunky and leave little room for my toddler to slide in and out of said safety seat.

Open the boot and you will find enough room for 370 litres of volume, which can expand to 1302L with the rear seats stowed.

Although this isn’t close to class-leading (even the CX-5 manages a 438L/1340L rating), the flat floor and easy-to-remove cargo blind make it a breeze to throw a pram, shopping or any sort of gear into.

I think boot space is one of those stats that will always sound good on paper, but how you use that space in reality is a better indicator of practicality, and in this regard, I was never wanting for more space in my week with the car.

As one of Australia's most popular mid-size SUVs, you'd hope the CX-5 is up to family duties, and the good news is it mostly aces the brief.

Up front, there's plenty of room for adults, with a good amount of adjustability, and great visibility despite a relatively high belt-line and dash.

The seats in this Touring Active grade are manual adjust only, which may be a downside for some, while the blended seat trim of ‘Maztex' synthetic leather and suede isn't my preference.

I'm more in favour of a basic cloth seat, which will be much easier to clean and will probably wear better, or the lovely real leather seats which appear on higher grades.

Nicely-sized bottle holders appear in the doors and centre console, and the latest update also brings a wireless charger under the climate unit, to match the wireless phone mirroring.

On the topic of phone mirroring, Mazda has taken the commitment to dial-operated systems to a fault.

The multimedia screen, perched atop the dash, is not a touch unit, and is instead operated only with the centre dial.

This dial is fine for operating Mazda's relatively straightforward software, but is downright clumsy when it comes to flicking through menus on Apple CarPlay, in particular.

Still, I appreciate the very straightforward climate panel, which consists of physical buttons and dials for all of its controls. Far preferable to the trendy touch panel, or worse, multimedia-screen interfaces on some rivals.

The rear doors open nice and wide, making it easy to fit child seats, and room back there is more than sufficient for adults in the outer two rear seats, as well.

I had plenty of legroom and headroom behind my own driving position at 182cm tall.

The quality trims continue in the doors, and there's a large bottle holder in each one, alongside a further two in the drop-down armrest.

Interestingly, this part also has a flip-open tray with two USB 2.0 connectors, a tidy way to get power to the rear passengers, but one which can't be used if the middle seat is occupied.

There are no additional outlets on the back of the centre console, although there is a set of air vents back there.

The boot measures in at 438 litres, which is not on the larger end for the mid-size SUV space, and may cause some families to run into issues, particularly if they need to carry a pram on top of regular luggage.

As it is though, it fit our CarsGuide demo luggage set with minimal room to spare. There is a space-saver spare wheel under the floor.

Since it arrived Down Under in 2022, the updated CX-5, thanks in large part to its ongoing popularity, is available in a long list of confusingly labelled variants.

To be precise, there are now 11 different versions of this SUV, two basic front-wheel drive variants, and nine all-wheel drive models with three different engine options.

Confused? Me too. To cut to the chase with the Touring Active, though, it's the third cheapest all-wheel drive version, featuring the least powerful of the three engine options.

For roughly the same money you can get into a base model Toyota RAV4 GX all-wheel drive hybrid, or mid-grade all-wheel drive versions of the Hyundai Tucson (Elite) or Kia Sportage (SX+), although I would argue none of those options have quite the visual appeal of our Mazda.

Standard equipment on the Touring Active grade includes 17-inch gunmetal alloy wheels, ‘Maztex' synthetic leather and suede interior trim, a new-for-the-update 10.25-inch multimedia screen with dial control (more on that later), a semi-digital instrument cluster, updated navigation system, and wireless phone charging to match the wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

There's also dual-zone climate, and re-designed LED light fittings front and rear.

Despite the swish look, there are things missing here. For example, my partner was surprised the seats were manually adjusted in a car which looks this nice inside, and I have to agree.

Plus, you have to spend significantly more to get into a version with the turbocharged engine. There's also no sunroof at this grade, nor is there a powered tailgate.

Powering the ZR-V VTi LX is a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine, the same one available across the model line barring the top-spec e:HEV hybrid.

The engine produces 131kW/240Nm, which isn’t all that much compared to larger engine rivals in the same segment.

Paired to the engine is a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that drives the front wheels.

And while a mid-size family SUV is never about outright power, and Honda’s powertrain options aren’t exactly plentiful at the moment, know that you aren’t getting the spiciest SUV with the ZR-V.

For such a contemporary looking car, things feel a little dated when it comes to engine tech.

Rather than employing a fancy hybrid or downsized turbo unit with a tricky transmission, Mazda relies on a regular 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine, mated to a traditional six-speed torque converter automatic transmission.

The engine produces 140kW/252Nm, hardly on the high end for the segment, and it needs to drive all four wheels.

If this doesn't sound like enough punch for you, there's also a 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel engine (140kW/450Nm) available on the Touring Active grade, but it carries a roughly $3000 premium.

Officially, the ZR-V VTi LX returns a combined cycle fuel economy figure of 7.4 litres per 100km, but in my week with the car I managed 9.8L/100km.

This figure is much closer to the city consumption number of 9.3L/100km and, given I only drove the car in Melbourne’s inner city, that explains why.

The ZR-V VTi LX needs just 91RON petrol at the bowser, helping to keep refill costs down.

As you'd imagine, a 2.5-litre engine with no electrical or turbocharged assistance can punish you at the fuel pump.

While the hybrid RAV4 has managed to bring fuel efficiency as low as 4.8L/100km to the mid-size SUV space, our Mazda has a comparatively high official combined efficiency of 7.4L/100km.

After 400km of driving in real-world suburban conditions, my test car consumed 9.0L/100km, decidedly higher again.

Thankfully, the CX-5's relatively low-tech engine is capable of consuming entry-level 91 unleaded. It is only compliant with Euro 5 emissions standards, and has a 58-litre fuel tank.

Using the official economy figure, driving range comes in at just over 780km.

For a mid-sized family SUV, the ZR-V proves surprisingly fun and engaging behind the wheel.

A large part of this is due to the fact that the steering feel is just so good.

With enough weight and feedback coming from the tiller, it makes it an absolute delight to thread the ZR-V through traffic, around a roundabout or even a twisty road.

Some mainstream SUVs have opted for overly light steering feel, which ends up straying too close to unnatural. But the ZR-V, at least in this VTi LX form, nails it.

Backing up the steering is a comfortable ride, which is another pleasant surprise in the ZR-V.

The 18-inch wheels fitted are shod with thick 225/55 tyres, meaning there is plenty of sidewall to help soak up the bumps and ruts of Melbourne’s roads.

Don’t get me wrong, we're not talking premium levels of isolation here, but the plush ride is a welcome in a mainstream SUV.

Aiding this feeling of serenity is the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine and CVT that is as smooth as they come.

I’ve never really warmed to CVTs in the past, but the ZR-V has a great one, ‘shifting’ smartly to avoid excessive drone, while the engine delivers enough kick to move things along briskly.

And, in a way turning a negative into a positive, the smaller dimensions of the ZR-V mean it doesn’t feel that big on the road, which makes car parks that much easier to navigate despite also offering enough practicality for a small family and some gear. 

If you've driven any Mazda in the last decade or so, this latest CX-5 won't throw up any surprises. The drive experience adheres to the sporty, firm and purposeful ethos which Mazda has cultivated over a long period of time.

This is defined by nice accurate steering, an overall light and springy feel for the car, and a firm ride.

While the engine has to push harder than some in this class to move along its mid-size bulk and the demands of all-wheel drive, it's still a comparatively fun family SUV to drive.

Especially when compared with the comfortable-but-tame RAV4, and perhaps overly tech-y turbocharged dual-clutch versions of the Tucson and Sportage.

In this way, the Mazda's old-sounding powertrain may be an advantage. In particular, the six-speed automatic transmission is smooth and predictable, great for family buyers and won't throw up any surprises, particularly for those coming out of older vehicles equipped with similar components.

For its most recent CX-5 update, Mazda has tweaked the suspension further, which has thankfully gone a long way to taking the edge off the once too-hard ride.

It's still a firm and reactive SUV, though, amongst the more entertaining to drive in the segment.

There are no optional pieces of safety equipment in the CX-5 range, and thankfully the active systems are minimally invasive for the driver, too, letting the drive experience shine further.

Standard equipment includes auto emergency braking (works high speed going forward, and low speed in reverse), lane keep assist with lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring with rear-cross traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, as well as adaptive cruise control and front and rear parking sensors.

As a bonus, there's a nice high-def reversing camera, although you'll have to spend more for the 360-degree version, and a tyre pressure monitoring sensor, too.

The CX-5 has five airbags, dual ISOFIX and three top-tether mounting points across the rear row, and maintains a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from when this generation launched back in 2017.

Like all new Hondas sold in Australia, the ZR-V comes with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, matching the period offered by many mainstream brands like Ford, Hyundai, Mazda and Toyota.

And while this falls short of Kia’s seven-year warranty and Mitsubishi’s (conditional) 10-year period, the ZR-V’s servicing costs are among some of the lowest in the segment.

For the first five years or five services, each is just $199, with scheduled maintenance every 12 months or 10,000km.

Mazda keeps things simple here with five years of warranty, five years of roadside assist, and a five-year capped price service program.

For the latest update, the service intervals have been pushed out from 10,000km to 15,000km and 12 months, and the average cost works out to be $423 per year for the 2.5-litre petrol engine option as tested.

This is not the cheapest servicing in the segment, but it's not unusually expensive, either.