IN-DEPTH COMPARISON - All Specs, Trims, Base Model Differences & More! RAV4 vs CRV vs CX-5 for 2024

76262 3 that's the total combined Us sales volume of the Toyota Rav 4 Honda CRV and Mazda CX5 through just the first three quarters of 2023 that means by the end of 2023 there could be over 1 million sales for just these three models alone that's massive here's how that number breaks out in comparison to other cars in the segment you may be considering as well the rav forell is a healthy lead over the CRV and these two have been running away with it for what feels like at least the last decade then we have the Mazda while its sales numbers May pale in comparison to our two Titans this has been a wildly important C of the Mazda brand for some additional perspective out of all cars these Brands sold in the US respectively the Rav 4 accounted for 21% of Toyota's Us sales the CRV accounted for 24% of Hondas while more than one out of two mazas sold in the United States as a CX-5 wo you may be asking how does all that information make any difference when considering which one of these cars is your per perfect fit well let's find out it's time for our first ever top trims Showdown let's talk about what we'll be covering in this video if you're Cross Shopping these cars you probably watched a dozen videos at this point of a car Rie walking around the cars taking aesthetic shots of the exterior shoving some carryon bags into the trunk complaining about the infotainment and driving them around to tell you which one is better well this video isn't that this is top trims we do things a little bit different here we like spe numbers and of course trim levels in their prices and features we'll start off by comparing specs power figures exterior and interior Dimensions safety ratings quality scores and cost to own awarding a winner in each category and giving a score then we'll move to talking about how the standard features and base prices of each model compare to one another in our Bare Essentials comparison all three of these cars bu some pretty impressive features in the very top trim but the reality is most buyers fall somewhere in the middle of the pack so we'll also do an apples to app comparison we'll take one trim level of each car in a similar spot in the lineup to illustrate the similarities and differences and what each of these cars have to offer if you're interested in learning more on any of these models we have done comprehensive trim level breakdowns on each of them where we cover all standard features explain the differences in each trim level and make our top picks for each we'll wrap up by crowning a winner with our top pick honors where we choose which one of these would be at the top of our shopping list let's do it let's meet our competitors we got the Toyota Rav 4 available in nine distinct trim levels ranging from sporty to rugged and simple to fancy whatever your style there's probably a RAV four for you and that's probably why it's the most popular for our three competitors next we got the Honda CRV newly redesigned with a simple but modern aesthetic there are six different trims of the CRV that are all pretty conservative yet inoffensive in their styling last we got the underdog the Mazda CX-5 with its Dynamic and sporty design was substance to match we'll see eight different trims available with plenty to offer even the most detail oriented of buyers starting off with available powertrains the ra 4 will offer three distinct options first a 2.5 L inline 4 available with front-wheel drive all-wheel drive or a dynamic torque vectoring all-wheel drive which should net about 30 MP gallon combin and a modest 8.2 second 0 to 60 standard Rav 4 engine will come paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission a hybrid all coming standard with toyo's electric on demand all wheeel drive system that replaces a drive shaft with rear electric motors the hybrid should get close to 40 MP gallon combined plus improved acceleration at about 7.3 seconds 0 to 60 there's a plug-in hybrid Rav 4 Prime that's classified as a different model that gives an estimated 42 M of all electric range at 94 mpge or about 38 MP gallon combined when driving as a traditional hybrid and getting from 0 to 60 an astonishing 5.4 seconds both the hybrid and the plug-in hybrid RAV 4S will compared with a CVT the CRV changes things up a bit with either a 1.5 L turbo 4 cylinder standard with front-wheel drive and available with all-wheel drive this base engine should achieve about 29 m per gallon combined but doing it at a much more leisurely Pace than any of its competitors at 8.7 seconds from 0 to 60 for better fuel economy and acceleration you can opt for the hybrid which will pair a 2 L 4-cylinder with electrification to achieve a combined 37 mes per gallon and a 0 to 60 Sprint around 7 1/2 seconds that means neither gas or hybrid version Rav 4 will Edge out the CRV in both fuel economy and acceleration but the numbers are close enough that it may or may not be a huge deciding factor for you if you choose the CRV you'll be rocking a CVT just like the Rav 4 hybrid moving over to the CX-5 this is the first of many times we'll see how Mazda does things differently similarly the base engine will be a 2.5 L inline 4 boasting a small advantage over the other two base engines with an 8.1 second 0 to 60 time but that will come out the cost of fuel economy with the CX5 only achieving 28 MP gallon combin mind unlike its competitors the CX5 ditches electrification for a turbocharger for around a 6sec 0 to 60 run but premium fuel is recommended for this engine though not required and you'll have to decide if the performance is worth the dip and fuel economy to around 24 m per gallon combined driving enthusiasts Rejoice the CX5 will come with a six-speed automatic transmission instead of a CBT to summarize the CX5 wins on performance but the Rav 4 and hybrid variant will win on fuel economy the CRV boasts better fuel economy than the CX-5 but it's bottom of the pack for acceleration towing capacities for the CRV will be500 lb for the gas model and 1,000 lb for the hybrid the CX5 will have a 2,000lb towing capacity on all models and the Rav 4 will have a 1750 lb towing capacity on the hybrid and up to 3,500 lb for the gas model depending on the trim you choose moving to our exterior Dimensions I knew these models would be similar considering they all compete with one another but I was actually surprised how close they really are we're talking fractions of an inch in some measurements the noteworthy difference here is that the CRV is going to be about 4 in longer than the other two and about 5 in wider now let's see how that translates to the interior for passenger Comfort we see the Rav 4 offer the least front head room while the Honda offers the most and for rear passenger headro at flip flops CX5 falls in the middle of both categories but closer to the higher end of both front leg room will be almost identical while surprisingly the Rav 4 loses a couple inches to its competitors and rear leg room again these numbers are all very close so it's relative but with hip room we see the Rav 4 get edged out slightly again here in the front and buy a lot in the rear the numbers obviously don't tell the whole story but just based on Dimensions the CX5 actually would seem to offer the riest back seat area this changes when we get to cargo volume with the rear seats up or down we see the CX-5 offers considerably less space than its competition the CRV and Rav 4 will be close but the CRV takes the prize for overall cargo volume with a whopping 76.5 cubic feet for safety these all appear to be excellent choices however the CRV pulls ahead in this category with IHS top safety pick plus honors while the CX5 and Rav 4 are still top safety picks from JD Power we have quality and reliability scores based on input from verified owners of the car from their website This Is How They Define these scores the score measures the level of defects malfunctions and design flaws experienced by vehicle owners covers the entire vehicle from engine to infotainment system a higher rating means fewer problems in third place we have the Toyota Rav 4 with 76 out of 100 then we have the Honda CRV with 80 out of 100 and the CX5 pulling ahead with 82 out of 100 while we see the CX5 take the cake here it's surprising to see the Rav 4 rated so low given Toyota's reputation for stringent quality control for more insight I used edmunds.com 5-year cost to own predictor I'm not entirely sure what's under the hood of this calculation as it's labeled as proprietary but I wanted to illustrate some comparison this is based on 5 years of ownership driving 15,000 m a year so these may be less accurate depending on how much more or less you drive I ran these calculations for each powertrain with the exception of the Rav 4 Prime in the lowest trim they're offered on and with all-wheel drive to level the playing field as much as possible based on this both the gas and hybrid CRV come in lower than anything else for insurance maintenance and repairs once you factor in predicted fuel cost the hybrid crb and hybrid Rav 4 unsurprisingly come in the lowest but this will be hugely dependent on fuel costs where you live and how much you drive the nod here will go to the CRV before we get to our Bare Essentials and Apples to Apples comparisons let's see where we stand the CRV scored in safety and low cost to own and cargo volume while the Rav 4 edged out the others in fuel economy with the CX5 beating the others in acceleration and performance and quality scores you may be starting to see just how similar these cars are and why they're so popular but also some factors as to why buyers may choose one over the other in 2024 the list of standard features on pretty much any new car is pretty extensive these three included we've compared all-wheel drive versions of the lowest trims of each vehicle to keep things as even as possible starting from lowest price to highest we have the CX5 2.5S select starting at $29,500 remember the CX5 is the only one of these vehicles that comes standard with all wheeel drive across all models so for the other two the all-wheel drive was an added cost next we have the rav 4le starting at $298 75 the base Le trim is also ail a as a hybrid which starts at $3,475 last we have the CRV LX starting at $31,000 comparing Tech of these three offerings you see a 10.25 in screen as standard on the CX5 while the Rav 4 gets an 8 in screen and the CRV gets a 7-in screen all three will have Bluetooth audio and streaming capability plus Apple carplay and Android auto functionality is standard but the RAV4 gets Wireless carplay and Android auto you'll get one USB port on the Basse CRV three on the Rav 4 and four on the CX5 5 the CRV and Rav 4 will offer 7 in of screen in the gauge cluster even in the base models while the lower trim cx-5's get a smaller 4.6 in display both the Rav 4 and the CRV will get cloth seating a urethane steering wheel and gear selector and manually adjustable drivers and passenger seats the CX5 will have leatherette seating heated front seats a leather wrapped steering wheel and gear selector and a power driver seat yes on the base model all three will come with power locks power windows and rear AC vents the Rav 4 and CRV will come with keyless entry while the Mazda will come with smart key allowing you to unlock and lock the doors from a button on the door handle the Rav 4 and CX5 will have one touch Auto up down on all four Windows while the base CRV will only have this feature on the front windows for the base LX both the Honda and Toyota will have automatic climate control but only the CX5 and hybrid Rav 4 will have a dual zone automatic climate control standard something else of note the CX5 has a 4020 40 folding rear seat versus 6040 on the other two this might be helpful if you wanted to transport something long like skis for example while still seating 4 push button start will not come standard on the Rav 4 but will on the other two and all three come with an electronic parking brake with a brake hold feature moving to the exterior we see auto onoff LED headlights on all three with automatic high beams the Rav 4 and CRV will also have LED tail lights and daytime running lights the CX5 does however come standard with 17-in alloy wheels while the base CRV and Rav 4 come with steel wheels and wheel covers you'll also get integrated LED turn signals on the power mirrors automatic rain sensing wipers and rear privacy glass class which we also see on the rav for but not on the CRV LX basic safety features will be pretty standard across the board here but CRV does add multiple angles to the backup camera for more advanced safety features the CRV has an extensive list of driver AIDS as standard but all three will get Dynamic radar cruise control Lane keeping assist Lane departure warning and some sort of pre-collision braking CRV and Rav 4 will come with traffic sign recognition standard it is offered on the CX-5 but only in the top signature trim the Rav 4 also gets some extras in the form of Smart Stop Tech technology which basically prevents you from accelerating on accident and trailer sway control the CX5 will come standard with blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert while this is not available on the base CRV and it's an additional $680 option on the base Route 4 aside from Advanced Driver AIDS the CX5 appears to outclass its rivals in every way on the base model and do it for less money making the CX5 the winner of our Bare Essentials comparison not everyone's just looking at the base model though so let's Advance up the trim ladder for our Apples to Apples comparison this comparison is really for Illustrated purposes to take a trim from each car that isn't the absolute top trim or the base trim that has some similarities to a trim from the competitive models including where it falls in the lineup and price to get a better idea of how they might match up for this we chose the second to top trim for each model we chose the Rav 4 hybrid xse at $ 37,1 35 the CRV sport L hybrid at $35,200 and the CX-5 turbo premium at $37,800 again if there are other trims of these vehicles you'd like to know more about make sure you check out our trim level breakdown videos for each of these less than $700 separate these three offerings and offer the more powerful powertrain option all with all-wheel drive and all have a more sporty stylized exterior even down to the black alloy wheels we see on all of them on these loaded but not fully loaded trims here's how they stack up the Mazda retains the 10.25 in screen all the way up the lineup which still comes close to the 10.5 in screen standard on the Rav 4 hybrid xse trim and still large than the 9-in screen for the CRV here all three will have upgraded audio over the Basse models with eight speakers on the CRV and a 10- speaker Bose premium audio system on the CX-5 the XS will come standard with six speakers but you can choose to option an 11 speaker JBL premium audio system as part of an almost $3,000 advanced technology package all three come standard with Sirius XM capability and Wireless Apple carplay and Android auto wireless chargers will be included with this trim of the CRV and CX-5 and can be added on the Rav 4 as part of that same advanced technology package the CX5 will add a head-up display and upgrade to a 7in screen in the gauge cluster while the Rav 4 hybrid xse will have an optional 12.3in digital gauge cluster as part of the advanced technology package all three will also include their own Unique Interior accents for the CRV we see black leather seats with orange accent stitching for the CX5 we get red accents and on the Rav 4 we get a black softex interior with blue accents and Unique fabric inserts all three will have leather WRA touch points and heated seats as standard but the CX5 also had ventilated front seats and paddle shifters on the exterior we see gloss black wheels all around 18 in for the Honda and Toyota and 19 Ines for the Mazda we also see roof rails and gloss black painted heated power mirrors on all three safety features remain pretty much the same except the addition of traffic jam assist on the CX-5 trim if you want more features on the CRV you'd be stepping up to the sport tour ring hybrid the next step up for the CX5 would be the signature trim to get it fully loaded with even more the Rav 4 however would allow you to add up to 3660 $5 in option packages to add the features we already talked about plus things like a 360° camera a panoramic moon roof and even a digital reuvv mirror for our Apples to Apples we've got to give the nod to the CX5 yet again while it's the most expensive of the three options we chose it's basically a premium paint color away from being the same price you have way more power and performance than the other two and additional features like ventilated seats and a head-up display now let's get to our top pick to summarize this comparison you've really got two options that are much more similar than not in the CRV and Rav 4 while the CX-5 dares to be different Honda and Toyota are massive players with tons of resources and tons of sales numbers and Mazda is much smaller this is what allows them to step outside the norm and offer something that arguably feels more special and more premium and do it for less money while being compared to much more mainstream Vehicles this is Mass Appeal versus appealing massively to a smaller audience this is two vehicles that dominate their space and do so at an incredible volume volume versus a brand and a vehicle that intends to look at their design feel and driving experience in an almost artistic way if you have an already figured it out the CX5 is our top pick of these three yes it has some shortcomings it's got less space for hauling things it gets worse gas mileage and offers no hybrid options it's by far the oldest platform of these three dating back to 2016 and yet people keep coming back to it buying it more than pretty much every other Mazda model combined the Rav 4 and CRV are pragmatic practical reasonable it's easy to see why they sell so many but the Mazda is chasing after emotion which is much more powerful and they seem to accomplish this without as much sacrifice as you expect the CX-5 is much more Miata than it is minivan it's the emotional choice for someone who needs to be practical let us know if you agree with our pick down in the comments below and also let us know if there's any cars you'd like to see us break down or any comparisons you'd like to see until next time thanks so much for watching stay safe and remember Life's too short to drive a base model

Channel: Top Trims

Views: 25,338

Keywords: toyota, rav4, honda, cr-v, cr v, crv, mazda, cx5, cx 5, cx-5, rav 4, hybrid, turbo, base model, lx, ex, ex-l, sport, touring, sport l, exl, le, xle, woodland, trd, offroad, premium, limited, se, xse, adventure, select, preferred, premium plus, carbon, edition, signature, horsepower, hp, mpg, plugin, phev, prime, 0-60, vs, comparison, breakdown, trims, options, configurations, standard, features, carplay, android auto, wireless, awd, 4wd, fwd, loaded, new, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, safety, quality, reliability, cargo, legroom, heated seats

Id: zyIabvKpTHg

Length: 17min 19sec (1039 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 26 2023