David Booth: At first blush, this comparison didn’t seem fair at all. After all, the NX300 is the spawn of Lexus’ RX, the best-selling Asian luxury SUV in Canada, while the CX-5 is, well, a Mazda, a marque hardly renowned for its leather and wood trim. I was going to mention the silliness of such a comparison, but Mazda recently introduced a Signature version of its hot-selling, mid-priced crossover with turbocharged engine liberated from the upscale CX-9. The hot-rodded 2.5-litre four boasts 250 horsepower — when juicing on 93 octane; 227 hp when feeding on the low-grade stuff — which is actually 15 more ponies than the more expensive NX300 can manage. Game on. Jonathan Yarkony: Makes sense, right? I keep thinking of the Mazda CX-5 relative to mainstream cute utes like the Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester and find that while it drives well and is luxurious on a level they don’t even approach, it’s just short on practicality and value. Buuuuut, if we set it against something from the luxury segment, which is not known for generous cargo, it would be interesting to see just how far Mazda has come in terms of luxury and whether this Signature trim and that engine truly take it to the next level. Now, we could have compared it to an X3 or Q5, but those would probably cost $30K more for the same features, so that’s a little ridiculous. Plus, I couldn’t get past the irony of it – for years we would look at the pricing and say, “Why spend $60K on the German option when you can get all the same stuff and usually better practicality and definitely better reliability in a Lexus?” Well, looks like Lexus needs to start looking over its shoulder with Genesis coming to the luxury market, but right here, right now, Mazda is absolutely creeping in on the luxury class in a way that Buick and Acura have failed to do. DB: I will grant you that Mazda, in general, and the CX-5, in particular, has come a long way. Besides the upgrade in power, the Signature is also more luxurious inside, the Cocoa Napa leather supple, the Abachi wood decorous and the 10-speaker Bose sound system sonorous. But there remains, in those parts of the cabin that are not easily upgraded, a middle-classness, if you will, to the CX-5. The infotainment screen, for instance, is tiny, almost an afterthought. And the rearview back-up monitor is just plain dated. The actual camera has the requisite pixels, but unlike virtually all modern backup cameras, it has no artificial lines reflecting your steering angle to show your projected path while you’re backing into a parking spot. Totally useless. I ended up reversing the old fashioned way: You know, using the bumpers as feelers. JY: Well, that’s reassuring remind me never to loan you my beloved personal car. But yeah, you’re right, the Lexus NX does have a pretty sweet parking system. Not only is there a standard rear view with guidelines, there is an excellent overhead 360º view, and parking sensors to make sure you don’t ding the luxurious dark beige paint. (Random tangent: C’mon Lexus, a crossover as funky and cool-looking as the NX deserves a better colour than this drab, blend-into-a-dreary-background grey.) But what I especially liked is that the front parking sensors automatically come online as you creep close to a garage wall or other frontal obstructions – visibility has become so difficult in modern crossovers, so every little bit of exacting parking assistance is appreciated. Also, you may have found some cheap plastics and materials where no one else looks, but Lexus’ flaws are front and centre, literally. The steering wheel leather is lovely to the touch, especially the perforated portions, but the seam is a travesty. The edges of the leather are exposed, so pretty much every time you touch the wheel – which I hope is always since I will go out on a limb and assume NX owners aren’t in the same phylum as Autopilot-testing idiot Tesla owners – you feel the rough edges and shoddy workmanship. You can stack a dozen analog clocks on your dash for all I care, but the constant contact with this poor finish undermines any claim to luxury. A shame, because I like the look of the funky Lexus interior, and the seats and materials are all on par with the class expectations. The infotainment system on the other hand. the Mazda’s screen may be small, but at least the controls are reasonably easy to use. The Lexus trackpad is pure frustration in its inconsistent responses and lack of accuracy. Adding insult to injury is the fact that the NX’s release dates back to when Toyota still resisted the supremacy of Apple CarPlay, but I’m sure that will be rectified in the near future. DB: The issue is that, when viewed on a specification sheet, the CX-5 looks to be in the NX’s league. Leather? Check. Back-up camera? Check. Even the powertrain is the same turbo-four cylinder with six-speed automatic transmission. At 250 horsepower — when fed 93 octane gas, at least — the CX-5 is more powerful than the Lexus.
Origin: SUV Comparison: 2019 Mazda CX-5 Signature vs Lexus NX300 F Sport