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Mazda CX-5 vs Volkswagen Tiguan

What's the difference?

VS
Mazda CX-5
Mazda CX-5

$33,990 - $61,031

2023 price

Volkswagen Tiguan
Volkswagen Tiguan

$38,990 - $89,990

2023 price

Summary

2023 Mazda CX-5
2023 Volkswagen Tiguan
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Inline 4, 2.5L

Turbo 4, 2.0L
Fuel Type
Unleaded Petrol

Premium Unleaded Petrol
Fuel Efficiency
7.5L/100km (combined)

8.8L/100km (combined)
Seating
5

5
Dislikes
  • Hardly cutting-edge drivetrain tech
  • Clumsy dial-operated phone mirroring
  • Fuel consumption could be better

  • Misses out on blind-spot warning and rear-cross traffic alert
  • No wireless phone charging
  • No head-up display
2023 Mazda CX-5 Summary

Australia loves Mazda.

We have all sorts of Mazdas. Big ones, small ones, relatively affordable ones, expensive ones, but one which stands above the rest is the CX-5.

That's because this mid-sizer does a lot of the heavy lifting for the Japanese brand, keeping it in the fight against titans like Toyota in the sales charts.

If you're ready to feel old, this second-generation version of the CX-5 with its eye-catching design is now a whopping seven years old, although it has been tweaked recently in 2022 to bring a few updates, as well as the addition of the variant we're looking at here, the Touring Active.

So, the question we're wrestling with is whether this car's continued massive popularity is still warranted.

Is this still one of the best mid-size SUVs you can buy for your family, or should you be considering more recently arrived alternatives?

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2023 Volkswagen Tiguan Summary

The Volkswagen Tiguan R Grid Edition can be a loud, wild beast tearing at the tarmac with 235kW (more than 300 horsepower!) and next minute a comfortable and quiet mid-sized family SUV.

But another one of its talents is being more than $6000 less to buy than the Tiguan R on which this special edition is based.

How is that possible? What's the catch? Could it be the one of the best buys on the market right now?

You'll know after reading this review.

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Deep dive comparison

2023 Mazda CX-5 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan

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