Consumer Reports says Mazda is the safest brand

[Freedom55]

Consumer Reports Names Mazda Its First‑Ever Safest New‑Car Brand

Mazda is proud to be recognized by Consumer Reports as the top‑performing brand in its newly released Safety Verdict assessment—an evaluation that sets a new benchmark for how effectively...

news.mazdausa.com

Good to know!

 

[Mazdiod2]

Better than Volvo?

 

[Lazy2.5]

Quote: "Mazda's strong results demonstrate our long‑standing belief that true safety comes from the seamless integration of advanced engineering, intuitive technology, and vehicles that respond predictably and confidently to the driver."

Sounds about right to me. I am consistently impressed with how playful and lively Mazda's chassis is while being downright stable and predictable, at a broad range of different speeds.

It's really impressive to me that I can routinely get my FWD Mazda 6 to oversteer in slippery conditions when equipped with winter tires. In the odd time that I have to be evasive and experience oversteer unintentionally, the vehicle is still composed and easy to control, even at higher speeds.

I believe the vehicle's neutral handling and composure play a large role in safety.

 

[N7turbo]

In a thread about safety, oversteer is inherently unsafe and these cars are set up to understeer from the factory.

 

[Freedom55]

Better than Volvo?

I had the same initial question...also better than Subaru. Yes better than Volvo because CR used additional criteria such as availability of safety nannies across models, driver's distraction from touch screen, etc. That's why Tesla scored quite low because most of the commands are done through the touch screen. Alas that being said, it doesn't look good for Mazda next year as the CX-5 will have most commands done through the touch screen. Seems to me that CR liked the commander knob on the 2025 models even if some users don't like it (I'm OK with it); you can't please everyone!

 

[ADS-B]

What is safety nannies?

 

[Lazy2.5]

In a thread about safety, oversteer is inherently unsafe and these cars are set up to understeer from the factory.

Oversteer can be dangerous in certain scenarios, even if you know how to control it. So is understeer. I am obviously competent with controlling a vehicle at it's limit of grip, but I often don't feel that way while I am understeering.

I can't say that I have often experienced dangerous levels of oversteer while driving normally, in snowy conditions, with winter tires.

Any driver who actually knows how to control their vehicle would likely prefer a vehicle that defaults to rotation/controllable levels of oversteer at the limit.

When my car does understeer, I feel like all I can really do is sit and wait for it to stop, or pull the mechanical e brake (And get it to oversteer, where you now actually have control over where you are going, to an extent.)

While the CX-5 turbo I drove understeered more than my 6, I did still get it to oversteer pretty nicely under power while turning. I'd say that the 6 is tuned more on the neutral side rather than defaulting to understeer.

 

[Freedom55]

What is safety nannies?

Things like blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert/braking, forward emergency braking, etc.

More explanation from Road and Track if you are interested.

Mazda Tops New Consumer Reports Rankings of Safest Overall New Car Brands in America

The new safety verdict assessment goes beyond crash test results and considers handling, braking, and interior controls.

www.roadandtrack.com

 

[Lazy2.5]

I liked that the 2023 CX-5 I drove would detect when I was getting tired on the road and gave me a little warning with a cup of coffee.

That was frankly, the only nanny feature I did like. Everything else was shut off.

My 2015 literally has BSM and a back-up camera. That's it.

The BSM has helped to avoid fender benders or even hitting a person while backing out of a spot, so I am grateful for that. The availability of some of those other features suggest that the average driver cannot properly operate their own vehicle without electronic assistance, lol.

 

[greybeard]

All us old guys are very experienced with oversteer. Learned to drive with the back end coming around from day one.
Understeer sucks by comparison, can’t control a plow.
The rare car that’s neutral is the best. My 2014 focus is such a car. Best handling I’ve ever owned, totally neutral, sticks till all 4 wheels break loose, and then you can control it with brakes or power, or both together if you’re real good.
Haven’t pushed my new cx-5, yet. But bet the stability control gets involved.

 

[Lazy2.5]

All us old guys are very experienced with oversteer. Learned to drive with the back end coming around from day one.

I am aware! I've heard some stories from my father, moving to western canada as a soviet refuge in the early 80's.

He told me his first vehicle was a buick skylark. Said the handling was sh*t and that it got 40L/100KM, but always mentioned that the engine was very powerful.

I'm still in my 20's, but I happened to learn how to drive on a RWD BMW. That thing was so fantastic in the snow.

Understeer sucks by comparison, can’t control a plow.

I was just surprised how bad the average driver is with handling a car. So bad, that "defaulting to understeer" is considered "safe."

The rare car that’s neutral is the best. My 2014 focus is such a car. Best handling I’ve ever owned, totally neutral, sticks till all 4 wheels break loose.

If you are very careful with your throttle and steering inputs, the front wheels will stick and the rear wheels break loose on the Mazda 6. With some basic suspension upgrades and an limited slip differential, maybe some small changes to negative camber, Mazda's chassis would be formidable on a track.

and then you can control it with brakes or power, or both together if you’re real good.

Haven't learned to do that yet!

Haven’t pushed my new cx-5, yet. But bet the stability control gets involved.

At least on the FWD 6, the traction control will not get involved until you are about halfway through the process of being fully sideways, counter steering. It is however very good at mitigating tire spin off the light by quickly shoving the transmission into second shortly after a first gear peel-out. AWD CX-5's I'm sure won't have that issue. Or even with just an LSD if you are FWD.

I find that the CX-5 was less engaging, less willing to approach its limit and more prone to understeering, but it is also like 600-700LB heavier than my car, which is huge. the AWD system and shorter wheelbase did seem to help with weight distribution somewhat, but i find that the rear wheels seldom get involved as far as putting down power goes while cornering.

Anyways, back to the topic of safety. Considering it is a heavy crossover, the CX-5 is competent and safe, just not very playful. From the Miata, to the 3/6, CX-5, probably even the CX-9 all have a similar sense of sporty flair built into their chassis and steering feel.

 

[N7turbo]

I liked that the 2023 CX-5 I drove would detect when I was getting tired on the road and gave me a little warning with a cup of coffee.

How did it do that? My 2023 doesn't have that feature...

 

[Lazy2.5]

How did it do that? My 2023 doesn't have that feature...

Oh? I believe it is called the Driver Attention Alert (DAA) , if you want to look it up. Just did a quick search.

Actually, it may have been a 2024. Can't remember now.

 

[ColoradoDriver]

Quote: "Mazda's strong results demonstrate our long‑standing belief that true safety comes from the seamless integration of advanced engineering, intuitive technology, and vehicles that respond predictably and confidently to the driver."

Prediction: Next year's ratings tank due to move to a giant touchscreen.

Why'd you crash? Had to take my eyes off the road to find the damn climate control in a menu.