How the 2026 Mazda CX-5 compares to the 2026 Toyota RAV4

The ‘all-new’ 2026 Mazda CX-5 has finally made its global debut and will arrive Down Under next year as one of the chief adversaries of the next-generation Toyota RAV4.

Their predecessors have been locked in a titanic battle both on the showroom floor and sales charts for more than a decade now, each vying for the hard-earned cash of working Aussie SUV buyers. That battle is primed to intensify with the arrival of their new generations.

Both are primed to be big sellers and possible class-leaders to drive, so we thought we’d take an early look at how these two family icons stack-up against each other based on what we know so far – full details of both will be announced closer to their respective releases in 2026.

The 2026 Mazda CX-5 and 2026 Toyota RAV4 mark the latest evolution of two of the world’s most prominent mid-size SUVs and will therefore face stiff competition from not just each other, but the Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Subaru Forester, Nissan X-TRAIL and Mitsubishi Outlander.

All these vehicles share similar dimensions – and vehicle class – but do ultimately vary as vehicles continue to increase in size and blur traditional segment classifications.

The RAV4 is the first to strike of our feuding duo, measuring 4823mm long, 1854mm wide, 1702mm tall and 2690mm between the axles compared to the CX-5’s corresponding 4690mm x 1860mm x 1695mm x 2776mm dimensions.

It’ll be interesting to see how they compare in person, however, because while the RAV is longer and marginally taller, the CX-5 could offer more room inside with its extra width and longer wheelbase.

This one is a little more subjective than the other fields in this bench test, but to our eye, the 2026 Mazda CX-5 is the better-looking family bus with its distinct cab-back silhouette, aggressive front fascia and sleek rear end.

That’s not to say the 2026 RAV4 is decidedly ugly – it’s just not as good-looking as the Mazda, though there’s little doubt it’ll appeal massively to Toyota’s loyal fanbase.

Let’s just call this one how its is; the 2026 Toyota RAV4 beats the 2026 Mazda CX-5 on the powertrain front. Well, at least until Mazda roles out the long-overdue CX-5 hybrid in either 2027 or 2028.

Toyota Australia has confirmed the next-gen RAV4 will come here in both hybrid and plug-in hybrid guises, the former outputting a combined 143kW and the latter 227kW, though neither has been given an official fuel consumption figure yet.

As before, the hybrids will be offered with the choice of front- or all-wheel drive and utilise a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

The new CX-5 will launch locally exclusively with a ‘recalibrated’ 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine good for 132kW/242Nm – no turbos, no hybrid tech, nothing – paired with a tried and tested six-speed automatic transmission.

Front- and all-wheel drive will also be available, and while Mazda Australia has confirmed a hybrid option will be added to the range at some stage, we have next to no concrete details of the system or a proposed timeline.

Another tricky one to call due to the lack of local information available right now. However, it seems the 2026 Mazda CX-5 and 2026 Toyota RAV4 will go blow-for-blow on the technology front (as they should).

Mazda has confirmed some CX-5 variants will feature a vast 15.6-inch infotainment interface, while press images show the flagship will also come with a digital instrument cluster, most likely derived from the 12.3-inch unit offered in the CX-60, CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90.

Toyota is yet to lock in such details of the Aussie RAV4s, but we do know the North American versions will all come with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and either a 10.5 or 12.9-inch infotainment system depending on the variant.

Call it a tie until more details emerge.

And so, the winner of this initial bench test between the 2026 Mazda CX-5 and 2026 Toyota RAV4 is… with a final score of two to one following a last-round tie… the RAV4.

Offering a significantly more advanced, punchy and undoubtedly frugal powertrain with the option of plug-in hybrid power pretty much seals the Toyota’s victory after its admittedly narrow first-round win over the handsome Mazda.

An important note here is that this battle was fought exclusively on-paper; the end result could well be very different come next year when both models are on local soil and able to be driven, crawled through and lived with back-to-back.

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