Mazda CX-5 achieves top rating in IIHS side impact test

MANILA: The Mazda CX-5 was the only vehicle out of 20 small SUVs to receive the top “Good” rating in a new, tougher side crash test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). This was the first test series of 2020-2021 model year vehicles using a more demanding test aimed at addressing higher severity crashes by simulating the striking vehicle to a heavier barrier traveling at a faster speed.

“We developed this new test because we suspected there was room for more progress, and these results confirm that,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “The good rating for the CX-5 shows that robust protection in a more severe side crash is achievable.”

Mazda is proud to add this recognition to the brand’s long record of IIHS accolades, which includes the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ achieved by all tested Mazda vehicles such as the Mazda3, Mazda6, CX-3, CX-30 (produced after September 2020), CX-5, and CX-9.

Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) Vice President for R&D, Design, and Quality Assurance Masaki Ueno stated, “Safety is a top priority at Mazda, and we have long researched how to protect occupants in side impacts. We have studied real-world crashes and used computer simulation to consider body structure and load paths, resulting in the robust design that has existed in the CX-5 since the 2017 model year.”

Photo from Mazda

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