BATTLE OF THE BEST! — NEW 2026 Mazda CX-5 vs. 2026 Honda CR-V: Comparison

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Here’s our Comparison of the NEW 2026 Mazda CX-5 vs. Refreshed 2026 Honda CR-V!

Looking to buy a Mazda CX-5, Honda CR-V or any vehicle? Go to https://carconfections.com/new-car-quotes to get invoice pricing information and to have car dealers COMPETE for the BEST PRICE on vehicles in your local area!

Mazda and Honda put their best foot forward in the compact crossover space, and two of their most important models are updated for this year! So, with a radically changed CX-5 and an updated CR-V, which of these two is the best for you? Go ahead: CLICK to find out 🙂 Also, be sure to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and tap the notification bell if you enjoyed this review — it helps us more than you can imagine!
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0:00 Intro
0:52 Detailed Exterior Comparison
3:47 Interior Comparison
9:36 Test Drive & Impressions Comparison
14:19 Sound Level Reading (dB) Comparison
15:23 Resale, Reliability, & Price Evaluation
17:03 Personal Winner and Our Driveway Pick

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45 thoughts on “BATTLE OF THE BEST! — NEW 2026 Mazda CX-5 vs. 2026 Honda CR-V: Comparison

  1. Giving Mazda a bunch of points for things I don’t care about is nice, but aill take reliability, comfort, safety, knobs and space over gimmicks. Honda for the win.

  2. واحدة
    The issue of climate and audio controls being accessible via the screen has become a safety concern while driving, as it risks distracting the driver. Unfortunately, this has now become a manufacturing defect, similar to the problem of hidden door handles.

  3. Here's the REAL question …. why buy any "old school" cars with gas powered engines or even hybrid engines when you will very soon have access to the stunning EV's from China …. If you are unaware of what's in the very near future , just start looking at the genius vehicles that China has in production on YouTube…… The current offerings available to US buyers are prehistoric…

  4. The CX-5 is not all new. Entire powertrain is a carryover, just for starts. And until parts listings come out it is impossible to know what is carryover there. Shocks & struts are revalved, but doesn't mean the rest is new or change.

    The CX-5 is a joke. It might as well be sporting floral fabric seats. The giant axx screen is just the start of what is wrong with it. I'll be sicking with my 2020 Signature and moving to another brand when time to replace

  5. I own both a 2015 CX-5 GT AWD 2.5 and a 2020 CR-V EX-L AWD, both with over 100k. They both are fantastic vehicles and super reliable. While I do prefer my CX-5 to the wife's CR-V, the CX-5 Achilles Heel is MPG! Our CR-V averages 31mpg while the CX-5 averages 21. We are planning on replacing my CX-5 this year and as much as I would like another Mazda, I am leaning towards a CR-V Sport Touring. By the way the elimination of the Physical Controls is a huge factor that I did not mention…Mazda WTF?

  6. I want a cx5 but the biggest problem is rear storage being too small. that is a serious deal breaker because it becomes non functional for long drives if you have a family.

  7. They come out with an all new 2026 Mazda CX-5 but no turbo or hybrid?
    What are they thinking?
    The Rav4 is Hybrid only and that would be best to replace the aging carry over drivetrain they are re using in the CX-50.

  8. CRV has better interior. I don’t care about the CX5’s additional features if the basics are harder to use than they need to be

  9. loosing physical controls and adding too big screen will make this model the biggest flop in Mazda's history on EU market! no diesel just adds up to making it a huge flop! Cx60 with inline 6 diesel is the right path to go in Europe. Getting rid of turbo is also a very good decision.

  10. The biggest miscommunication about the new CX-5 is that it's only "half released". The hybrid trims will take over the outgoing turbo trims, which had exclusive luxury touches like side acoustic glass and nappa leather. So we've yet to really see the actual top trims of the new CX-5.

  11. Is the 6-speed more refined in the 2026 versus the 2020 CX5 non-turbo?

    My non-turbo 6-speed is VERY unrefined 10-15 mph in traffic. You feel the shifting and it clunks while shifting. I got the torque converter replaced along with transmission flushed many times and it still is not refined.

    I even reset the transmission module twice and it still didn’t fix it.

    This car only has 50k miles on it and it feels like the transmission is bad. It’s a shame, I love the car but being told it’s normal is very worrisome. I inherited this car and want the 2026, but worries me it has a 6-speed too.

    Car shifts amazing otherwise and is a dream to drive, but man that transmission is awful.

  12. The mazda cx 5 you simply can not buy, the interiors is hopeless. Overall the Honda crv is fantastic, the simplicity of that interior , now that is how it should be done, mazda

  13. Umm if you want to keep your car take the Mazda if you want your car to be either on four bricks or in a shipping container stay away from Honda.😂

  14. I think the Honda CRV 1.5 turbo engine still has issues relating to taking too long for the engine to reach operating temperature. So starting the CRV in very cold climate conditions can be a problem. The new CX5 decided to go non turbo for its 2.5-liter Skyactiv-G four-cylinder engine which first came out in 2013 and has proven to be a reliable workhorse.

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