Crash test: top score for the Mazda CX-5
SAFETY In a new side-impact crash test, the Mazda CX-5 came out on top in its class. Overall, the Audi Q3, Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4 and Volvo CX40 achieved good results.
The U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has significantly tightened its testing order because side collisions accounted for about 23 percent of U.S. traffic fatalities in 2019.
David Harkey, president of the organization, said, "We re-set the test because we believed there was room for further development in this area. And the good result for the Mazda CX-5 confirms to us that better occupant protection is possible."
Low penetration into the passenger compartment
The CX-5's vehicle structure survived the crash very well, and the airbags protected the heads and upper bodies of the dummies used.
In addition, the testers found very little intrusion into the passenger compartment. This reduces the risk of injury, the IIHS attested to the model, which will receive another facelift next year.
Result after severe side impact
The American Insurers Safety Institute has been conducting this crash test since 2003, and since then the safety of vehicle occupants has improved significantly.
At the time, only one in five models achieved a good score. According to a scientific study, the chances of surviving a severe side impact have now improved by 70 percent.
Significant tightening of the tests
In order to simulate accidents even better, the institute has tightened up the test considerably. The vehicles now have to withstand contact with a 1.9-ton sled that hits the side at a speed of around 60 km/h. The test is also carried out at a higher speed.
Previously, a sled weighing 1.5 tons was sent on a crash course at around 50 kilometers per hour. The result is an 82 percent increase in impact energy. Thanks to its honeycomb structure, the new barrier also behaves more like a real SUV or pickup truck on impact.
