LOS ANGELES: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) announced that the Mazda CX-9 crossover, built after Dec 2019, has been added to the list of Mazda vehicles that earn its highest award – the 2020 TOP SAFETY PICK+.
“Earning the 2020 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ for Mazda’s 2020 CX-9 is a great honour and reflects our unending commitment to safety for our owners,” said Mazda North America president Jeff Guyton.
The CX-9 joins the 2020 Mazda3 Sedan and Hatchback, Mazda6, CX-3, and CX-5 vehicles as 2020 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award recipients to lead in the US auto-industry with more awards than any other automaker.
To qualify for the TOP SAFETY PICK+ award, the 2020 CX-9 earned good ratings in each of the Institute’s six crashworthiness evaluations of moderate overlap front, driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints & seats.
The CX-9 also earned advanced or superior ratings for front crash prevention in both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations.
Additionally, the 2020 CX-9, achieved a good headlight rating for all models built after Dec 2019.
Also, the CX-30 received five-star ratings in the IIHS crash test for frontal, side and in overall vehicle impact score.
The ratings are part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) that aims at helping consumers make informed decisions about safety when purchasing a vehicle.
The five-star safety rating programme evaluates how vehicles perform in crash tests with the NHTSA conducting frontal, side and rollover tests because these types account for the majority of crashes on roadways of the US.
“With our customers always in mind, safety is a top priority for Mazda, and we are proud to have the CX-30 earn NHTSA’s top rating – the NCAP 5-star rating,“ said Guyton.
The Japanese carmaker’s i-Activsense advanced driver aid system featured in the CX-9 include Advanced Smart City Brake Support with Pedestrian Detection, Smart Brake Support with Collision Warning, Mazda Radar Cruise Control with Stop & Go Function, Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Lane Departure Warning System with Lane-Keep Assist, High Beam Control, Adaptive Front-Lighting System, and Traffic Sign Recognition.
The CX-30, on the other hand, comes standard with crash avoidance technologies recommended by NHTSA which include forward collision warning and crash imminent braking (features of Mazda’s Smart Brake Support), and Lane Departure Warning.
The optional i-Activsense for the CX-30 includes an adaptive cruise control system with Stop & Go functionality, Blind Spot Monitoring, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Lane-Keep Assist, Driver Attention Alert, High Beam Control and Adaptive Front-Lighting System.
Keyword: Mazda CX-30 and CX-9 earn top awards in IIHS crash tests