Toyota HiLux vs Mazda CX-5: Which Suits You, a Ute or an SUV?

Sooner or later a lot of Australian buyers land on this fork: a dual-cab diesel ute with a tray, or a family-size petrol SUV with a boot. The Toyota HiLux and the Mazda CX-5 are two well-known badges on either side, so we have lined them up on paper. We compare current rows only, grade against grade, name the price basis beside each dollar figure and print “no data” where a manufacturer document is silent. We have not driven either car, so nothing here is about how they feel on the road: it is manufacturer documents, ANCAP and our own records, framed by what you need the vehicle to do rather than by a winner.

What each one costs

Every figure is recommended retail before on-road costs, which is what we hold for both brands. The pairing we use through this guide is the HiLux SR5 4x4 double-cab pick-up auto against the CX-5 G25 GT SP AWD. We picked the GT SP over the Touring because it sits closer to the SR5 on price, and it is still $14,000 below it, so say it plainly: these two are not money-for-money rivals. For the closest money, the HiLux WorkMate 4x4 double cab is $2,000 over the GT SP. At the budget end the pairing is the HiLux WorkMate 4x2 single cab-chassis against the entry CX-5 Pure. There the ute is $6,000 cheaper, but it is a two-seat work truck sold as a cab-chassis, so price is about the one thing it shares with a five-seat SUV.

Prices are as at the date under each figure, from the manufacturers' Australian price information. We hold no drive-away figure for these six rows, so none is shown. The weekly line under each price is a cost-to-own estimate on an assumed finance rate, not a quote.

Running costs: fuel and servicing

Start with fuel. The HiLux SR5 is a 2.8-litre turbo diesel with a 48V mild-hybrid system, 150kW and 500Nm, and claims 7.2 L/100km combined. The CX-5 is a 2.5-litre petrol with 132kW and 242Nm and claims 7.4 L/100km on 91 RON. On paper the diesel ute is a touch lighter on fuel than the petrol SUV, which surprised us. Both are laboratory figures, and a ute towing or carrying a full tray will use well above its claim. Diesel and 91 petrol are priced differently, so we have put no dollar figure on the gap. The calculator below uses the prices you actually pay.

The HiLux has the bigger tank, 80 litres against 58: about 1,110km a tank on the claimed figures against about 784km for the CX-5. That is arithmetic on the claims, not a range test.

Servicing is where the two work differently. Toyota wants the HiLux back every 10,000km or six months. Its own service price calculator (read 8 October 2026) lists $395 for each of the first ten visits, which run to 100,000km or 60 months and are sold as capped price. That is $3,950 over five years. Mazda wants the CX-5 every 15,000km or 12 months. Its service price guide, dated 8 October 2026, lists the first five visits at $352, $526, $352, $621 and $352, a total of $2,203. Mazda says those are service prices that can change and can vary by state, not a capped price. On those figures the CX-5 is about $1,750 cheaper to service over five years, and the HiLux's price is the one Toyota has capped.

Both carry a five-year, unlimited-kilometre new vehicle warranty: 5yr / unlimited km on the HiLux SR5 and 5yr / unlimited km on the CX-5. For the full ownership picture, our running costs guide shows how fuel, servicing, tyres and insurance stack up, and the weekly line under each price above is the cost-to-own view.

Towing and payload

This is where the two stop being rivals. The HiLux SR5 is rated to tow 3,500kg braked with a 350kg tow ball download. The CX-5 is rated at 1,800kg braked with 150kg on the ball, a 1,700kg difference. A 1,800kg rating still covers plenty of boats, camper trailers and small caravans, so check your trailer's loaded weight against the tow rating and the ball limit, and remember ball weight comes out of payload.

Payload needs a careful word. Mazda prints a payload for the CX-5 GT SP, 517kg. Toyota's September 2026 spec sheet prints the HiLux SR5's gross vehicle mass and kerb weight but no payload figure. Its footnote describes payload as GVM less kerb weight, but we do not print a calculated number in place of a printed one, so the HiLux column says no data. If payload decides your purchase, get the figure from the compliance plate of the exact vehicle.

Our ball weight comparison explains why the ball limit often decides before the headline rating does, and towing capacity explained covers GVM and GCM.

Tray or boot

The HiLux SR5 pick-up has a tray 1,545mm long and 1,555mm wide, with 1,120mm between the wheel arches and 475mm of side height. The CX-5 has a boot of 466 litres with the seats up and 1,594 litres with them folded. A tray is measured in millimetres and a boot in litres, so we do not convert one to the other. What the numbers do tell you is how each carries things. A tray takes tall, long, wet and dirty loads, and the gap between the arches decides what sits flat. A boot is enclosed, so luggage stays dry and out of sight, while a tray is open unless you add a cover or canopy.

If you are weighing tray sizes across utes, the ute tray size comparison lines them up.

Size, ride and parking

The SR5 is 630mm longer than the CX-5, 25mm wider, 170mm taller and has a wheelbase 270mm longer. One number runs the other way: the HiLux's claimed turning circle is 10.8m against 11.2m, tighter on paper despite the extra length. Length is what you notice in a car park or garage, so measure the space you use daily.

A spec sheet cannot settle ride, and we have not driven either car. The documents say the SR5 has soft leaf springs at the rear and our CX-5 rows hold no rear suspension figure, so drive a ute empty and, if you can, loaded before you decide.

Safety

Both carry five ANCAP stars in our records, both from 2025. The CX-5 result covers all variants. The HiLux result covers all variants except the Rugged X, so it includes the SR5. A ute and an SUV are different vehicle types, so use the percentages below as a read on each car and not as a ranking between them.

On those numbers the CX-5 scores higher in all four categories, most clearly for vulnerable road users (93 against 82 percent). The HiLux's record shows eight airbags. Ours holds no airbag count for the CX-5, so we will not guess one.

The driver-assist kit is closer than the percentages: autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane keep assist and rear cross traffic alert are standard on both in our records.

Off-road hardware

The HiLux SR5 has 225mm of ground clearance against 205mm for the CX-5, plus low range, a rear diff lock, hill descent control and a 700mm wading depth in our records. Our CX-5 rows hold no low-range, diff lock or wading figure, so the table says no data and we do not claim either way. If you plan to go beyond a dirt road, ask Mazda for its off-road limits in writing.

Equipment by grade

Equipment has four honest states in our records: Standard, Optional (with a printed price), No (the manufacturer's document says it is not fitted) and No data. A blank in a brochure is not a No.

One deliberate omission. Toyota's launch pricing listed a $2,500 Premium Interior pack on the SR5, bundling leather-accented upholstery, an eight-way power driver's seat and a JBL audio system, and its September 2026 spec sheet also lists an SR5+ grade above the SR5. Because the SR5's seat and audio kit depends on which you buy, we have left those two rows out rather than print a Yes or a No.

Finance and tax

The calculators below take the HiLux SR5 and the CX-5 GT SP at recommended retail with a rate you can change, so you can see what the $14,000 gap costs a week.

On luxury car tax, the HiLux SR5 and the CX-5 GT SP are both under the 2026-27 threshold of $80,809 for cars that are not fuel efficient. The fuel-efficient threshold applies at 3.5 L/100km or less, and neither car is close to that. LCT is worked out on a car's LCT value, which can include options and dealer delivery rather than recommended retail alone, but at these prices neither is near the line.

For business buyers, the ute angle is narrower than the headlines make it sound. The tax rules we hold cover the luxury car tax thresholds and the electric car FBT exemption, which applies to battery electric cars only, so neither a diesel HiLux nor a petrol CX-5 qualifies for it. We hold no separate rule for a dual cab, so we do not state one. Whether a work vehicle attracts FBT depends on how it is used, so check the ATO or ask your accountant before you rely on a ute for the tax treatment. Our novated lease guide covers the lease side.

So which should you buy?

The answer depends on what the vehicle has to do, so here it is by need rather than by badge.

• You tow a heavy trailer or a big boat: the HiLux SR5 is rated to 3,500kg braked with a 350kg ball download, against 1,800kg and 150kg for the CX-5.
• You carry long, tall or dirty loads, or tools, in the open: the HiLux has a tray 1,545mm long with 1,120mm between the arches. The CX-5 has an enclosed 466-litre boot that grows to 1,594 litres with the seats folded.
• You mostly commute, do the school run and park in tight spots: the CX-5 is 630mm shorter. The HiLux has the tighter claimed turning circle, 10.8m against 11.2m, but length is what you feel in a car park.
• You want to spend less: at the grades we pair, the CX-5 GT SP is $14,000 under the HiLux SR5. At the entry the ute is cheaper, $33,990 for the WorkMate 4x2 single cab-chassis against $39,990 for the CX-5 Pure, but that is a two-seat work vehicle.
• You drive rough tracks or cross creeks: the SR5 has 225mm of ground clearance, low range, a rear diff lock and a 700mm wading depth in our records, and the CX-5 rows hold no low-range or wading figure.
• You want the higher published crash-test percentages: the CX-5 is ahead in all four categories in our records, from the same test year. Both are five-star.
• You want predictable servicing: Toyota caps the HiLux's first ten services at $395 each. The CX-5 is about $1,750 cheaper over five years on Mazda's guide, but those prices are not capped.
• You need one vehicle for work and the family: both can do it, differently. The ute gives you the tray and the towing; the SUV gives you the price, the enclosed boot and the shorter length. Ask which you would miss on a normal week.

Keep reading

The cars: Toyota HiLux range and Mazda CX-5 range, or the full Toyota and Mazda ranges. More on each side of the fork: best utes in Australia 2027, Toyota utes in Australia, best SUVs under $50K, and the head-to-head Mazda CX-5 vs Subaru Forester. Other pairings: HiLux vs Ranger and RAV4 vs CX-5.