Mazda CX-5 vs INFINITI QX30

Though Mazda hasn’t redesigned its popular compact crossover SUV since 2017, a program of continuous refinement makes the 2024 CX-5 better than ever. It might even be too good. It has shared showroom space with the similarly sized Mazda CX-50 model since last year but continues to outsell its newer and slightly more expensive sibling. As it turns out, there are numerous reasons for that.

Verdict: Mazda positions the CX-5 as an SUV for active urbanites, and it serves perfectly in its role. Stylish design, taut dimensions, excellent outward visibility, a comfortable cabin, commendable quality, and impressive safety ratings make it a great choice. Plus, the 2024 Mazda CX-5 is genuinely enjoyable to drive.

Crossovers are the hottest segment in the automotive landscape, and compact crossovers represent the hot spot within that booming category. Infiniti had a high-riding wagon in the form of the EX35 (the current QX50), but it needed something fresh and new in a hurry. So what to do? Rather than building a whole new tiny SUV from the ground up, it borrowed from a competitor.

In an unlikely arrangement between Mercedes-Benz and Infiniti parent company Renault, the German automaker provided Infiniti with the GLA-Class platform as the basis of an all-new compact crossover: the 2017 Infiniti QX30.

Originally, the QX30 was supposed to be two separate vehicles; the Q30 hatchback and the QX30 crossover. Infiniti has revamped the names for its entire lineup, replacing the G37 with the Q50 and the M37 with the Q70. Each crossover and SUV model became a QX, followed by a number based on its size. The brass at Infiniti must have felt that two very similar cars with two different names was confusing, so it combined the two, violating its own naming convention… which is also confusing.