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Mazda CX-5 attains highest possible IIHS side impact rating.

Mazda CX-5 Attains Highest Possible IIHS Side Impact Rating.

The 2021 Mazda CX-5 is the only model to receive the highest possible safety rating (”Good”) from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) after it put 20 small SUVs through a rigorous new side impact test. The U.S. organisation, which conducted the tougher collision tests for the first time, noted that the CX-5 sparkled among the group of 2020 and 2021 model year vehicles.

“The Mazda CX-5 was our top performer,” stated the IIHS in its video report. “The vehicle structure held up extremely well during the test, the airbags did a really good job protecting the heads of the crash test dummies, and there was very little intrusion into the occupant compartment, meaning less likelihood of injury. This is how we’d like to see all vehicles perform in the future.”

The new side impact test uses a heavier barrier than its predecessor (1,900kg vs 1,500kg) travelling at a higher speed (60km/h vs 50km/h) and generating 82% more crash energy than the previous test. The barrier was also redesigned to better reflect a modern-day SUV or pickup truck colliding into a vehicle’s doors and B-pillar.

Mazda is launching the 2022 CX-5 early next year in Europe featuring, among other things, a wider range of i-Activsense safety systems. The new model, an upgraded edition of the car tested by the IIHS, adds Cruising & Traffic Support (CTS), which helps reduce driver fatigue in traffic jams by assisting with pedal and steering operations, and an evolved version of Adaptive LED Headlights (ALH) providing sharper control over the distribution of light. Mazda’s next-generation Skyactiv-Vehicle Architecture is another safety and comfort-enhancing feature of the 2022 CX-5. The upcoming model also marks the introduction of Mazda intelligent Drive Select (Mi-Drive), a new technology enabling the selection of different drive modes at the touch of a switch. Otherwise, Mazda is adding a number of design and comfort enhancements to the award-winning compact SUV, which accounts for 21% of the carmaker’s European sales.

The IIHS is an independent safety-testing organisation funded by the insurance industry in the U.S. All 2021 Mazdas tested by the IIHS thus far are rated TOP SAFETY PICK+, the institution’s highest possible overall ranking. Besides the CX-5, these include the Mazda3, Mazda6, Mazda CX-3 and Mazda CX-30.

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