SAFETY IS TOP PRIORITY

4x4magazine | 21/03/2012 | 0 Comments

The all-new Mazda CX-5 for the US market has been named a “Top Safety Pick” for 2012, the highest possible safety rating, by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in their crashworthiness tests.

The IIHS evaluation methods include: frontal offset test for a vehicle driving at 40mph (approximately 64km/h), side impact test for a vehicle driving at 31mph (50km/h), rear crash protection for a vehicle driving at 20mph (32km/h) and roof strength test to determine a vehicles’ protection performance as: “Good”, “Acceptable”, “Marginal” or “Poor” based on deformation of the vehicle and the performance of the safety equipment. A vehicle qualifies a Top Safety Pick if the vehicle earns a “Good” rating in all four tests.
To measure roof strength, a metal plate is pushed against one corner of a vehicle’s roof at a constant speed. The maximum force sustained by the roof before 5 inches of crush is compared to the vehicle’s weight to find the strength-to-weight ratio. This is a good assessment of vehicle structural protection in rollover crashes. The roof of the CX-5 withstood a force equal to 5.47 times the vehicle’s weight. Vehicles with a strength-to-weight ratio of 4 or better earn a good rating.
Mazda is intensifying its safety-related research and development efforts, aiming to achieve safety performance levels that are best in class so as to provide all customers with driving pleasure together with outstanding environmental and safety performance.
The all-new 2013 Mazda CX-5 is the first of Mazda’s new-generation products to fully adopt its breakthrough SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY. Beginning with the 2013 CX-5, Mazda incorporated its new lightweight high-rigidity SKYACTIV-BODY which is based upon an entirely new structure, new materials and new processes. The CX-5 is the first vehicle to use 1,800MPa high-tensile steel, the highest grade used in a mass production vehicle, for front and rear bumper beams. The CX-5’s SKYACTIV-BODY is comprised of 61 percent high-tensile steel, creating a lighter, stronger body.