Compare the2026 Mazda CX-5VS 2026 Chevrolet Blazer

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mazda CX-5 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Chevrolet Blazer doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Mazda CX-5 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Blazer doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The CX-5 has a standard Secondary Collision Reduction System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Blazer doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The CX-5 has a standard Rear Smart Brake Support that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Blazer doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the CX-5. But it costs extra on the Blazer.

Both the CX-5 and Blazer have Rear Cross Traffic Alert, but the CX-5 has Smart Braking Support - Rear Crossing (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Blazer’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

The CX-5’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Blazer doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the CX-5 and the Blazer have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The CX-5’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Blazer’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda third in reliability, above the industry average. With 8 more problems per 100 vehicles, Chevrolet is ranked fifth.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2026 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda 3 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

On the EPA test cycle the CX-5 gets better mileage than the Blazer:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Mazda CX-5 uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Blazer with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The CX-5 has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Blazer. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

For better stopping power the CX-5’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Blazer:

For better maneuverability, the CX-5’s turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the Blazer’s (36.8 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the CX-5 S/Select has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Blazer LT (8 vs. 7.5 inches), allowing the CX-5 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The CX-5 Preferred/Premium’s minimum ground clearance is .6 inch higher than on the Blazer RS (8.2 vs. 7.6 inches).

The CX-5 is 7.3 inches shorter than the Blazer, making the CX-5 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The CX-5 has .7 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more rear headroom and .3 inches more rear legroom than the Blazer.

The CX-5 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Blazer with its rear seat up (33.7 vs. 30.5 cubic feet). The CX-5 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Blazer with its rear seat folded (66.5 vs. 64.2 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the CX-5 easier. The CX-5’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28.5 inches, while the Blazer’s liftover is 30.3 inches.

The CX-5 Preferred/Premium has a standard heads-up display that projects speed in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Blazer doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The CX-5’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Blazer’s passenger windows don’t close automatically.

The CX-5’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Blazer’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the CX-5 Premium Plus has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Blazer doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Both the Mazda CX-5 and Chevrolet Blazer offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The CX-5 offers available power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Blazer’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

The Mazda CX-5 outsold the Chevrolet Blazer by almost two to one during 2025.