![]() The CX-50’s sportier suspension setup compromises its ride quality, and while it’s certainly not harsh, it does make the Mazda’s drive experience more frenetic than the Subaru’s. Mazda CX-50: 7/10 Subaru Outback: 6.5/10 Comfort During our test loop, we recorded an indicated 11.7 L/100 km overall for the Subaru, which was a full litre more than the Mazda that could, in part, be explained by the Outback’s less efficient winter tires. On paper, these two are rated almost identically for efficiency, with the same 8.1 L/100 km for highway driving, but a slightly thirstier city consumption for the Subaru. ![]() Mazda CX-50: 7.5/10 Subaru Outback: 7/10 Fuel Economy ![]() Meanwhile, both machines offer solid braking performance with good stopping power and pedal feel. Nevertheless, while the Subaru tends to roll around more on its taller suspension, it still maintains impressive grip and handles well if you trust it to do its thing. What makes that fact more impressive is that the Mazda manages its sporty feel despite the rather gnarly all-terrain Falken Wildpeak tires worn by this tester.Īlthough the Outback Wilderness comes fitted with its own all-terrain tires, our Outback tester in XT Premier trim typically wears a less aggressive touring tire – although a set of Bridgestone Blizzak winters was fitted here, which surely numbed steering feel somewhat. The CX-50 embodies a notably sportier personality than the Outback, with steering that’s quicker and more responsive, and flatter handling when driven swiftly around curves. Mazda CX-50: 7.5/10 Subaru Outback: 7/10 Driving Feel In the past, vehicles equipped with an automatic continuously-variable transmission (CVT) like the Outback would’ve been panned for its moaning and sluggishness, but Subaru’s refined its units to offer eight steps that simulate gear changes. The Outback has a fleeting moment of hesitation giving it a slight rubber band sensation before finding its stride. Around town, the CX-50 leaps away from a standstill with greater gusto, a product of its throttle calibration and traditional six-speed automatic transmission. Under most circumstances, these two offer comparable performance, with generous mid-range thrust making passing manoeuvres and highway merging effortless. There’s more power here (260, to be precise), but less torque (277 lb-ft). Subaru also offers a turbocharged four-cylinder under the Outback’s hood, although in a horizontally opposed configuration that has the cylinders laid flat instead of pounding up and down. More importantly, there’s a juicy helping of 310 lb-ft of torque on offer (320 lb-ft on the pricey stuff). The engine is well-suited to the CX-50, offering 227 hp – that figure jumps to 256 hp if 93-octane fuel is used, but let’s get real: nobody’s going to do that with fuel prices as they are. Mazda’s turbocharged 2.5L four-cylinder started out in the three-row CX-9 several years ago and has permeated throughout the lineup, making quasi-hotrods of smaller offerings like the compact Mazda3. In terms of price, performance, size, and capability, these two could not be more closely matched. Today, two of the best and most interesting offerings in the midsize SUV segment have strangely converged, with the sporty and stylish 2023 Mazda CX-50 gaining a rugged Meridian package, while the 2023 Subaru Outback has returned from the wilderness with more refinement than ever before. Over at Subaru, the quest has been to captivate granola-crunching adventure-seekers – and it’s done just that with considerable success. Take Mazda, which has been creating beautifully-styled crossovers that offer genuine driving pleasure and increasingly opulent cabins. Of course, there are exceptions to the rules, and that goes doubly for mainstream automakers that march to the beats of their own drums. They also became too popular to be cool anymore. Then SUVs became increasingly refined and almost indistinguishable from one another, not to mention the wagons and minivans people strived to avoid. They rushed out and embraced the rugged good looks and (alleged) all-conquering capability. ![]() Instead, SUVs – not to mention pickup trucks – were what all the cool parents were buying. Once upon a time, it was decreed by a great and powerful force (the car-buying public) that sedans, coupes, wagons, and minivans were out of fashion. ![]()
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