Feedback on BSM, Sport vs. Touring, 14 vs. 13?

[drivesacar]

I'm thinking of getting either an i Touring or Sport hatch AT pretty soon. I've driven a 13 Touring hatch several times and like it except for the hardness of the lumbar support and the visibility around the A-pillars. These both seem better in the 14 - I've test driven a 14 Touring once but plan to do another before I buy. But since some other things have changed, wondering if folks who own them have some feedback on a few things:

BSM - Now standard on the Touring, but not on the Sport. I'm actually slightly afraid of this feature! Driving on Southern California freeways, there'll usually be someone in your blind spot when you signal. Seems like all that beeping could be distracting? I understand BSM can be switched off, but that you have to do it every time you start the car, and then it shines a possibly annoying light on the dash. Anyone know if the car can be set to either fully disable BSM or at least make it visual only? Or if you live in a dense-freeway place, have you found the BSM useful or distracting?

On the other hand, I read one reviewer who felt the BSM (or maybe it was the RCTA) was borderline necessary due to the 14's rear visibility. I've found the 13's rear visibility to be fine, but hard to get as much passing/reversing time test driving the 14. Are there really significant rear visibility issues on the 14?

Anything else I should pay special attention to re: 14 vs 13 or Sport vs. Touring? I'm in particular very interested in trunk space and hatch use. I'm happy with how the 13's hatch works: quick to fold the seats down, and they end up virtually flat. The 14 seems trivially smaller in the trunk, and with a slightly different rear headrest configuration, but otherwise seems just about the same? As for the trim level question: though I haven't seen the Sport yet I'm not really concerned with the leather trim and rear cup holders - aside from that it looks like it's mainly BSM and how the doors open?

Thanks for any input!

 

[Poco Askew]

BSM beep doesn't bother me, but it doesn't happen very often.
Volume can be set to high (default), low, or off. AFAIK, this volume setting sticks after the car is turned off and back on.
It works great - I love it.

 

[nitsuj]

BSM is a great features. Has saved me a couple times from someone merging at the same time as me from another lane into the same lane.

 

[iMaple]

BSM - Now standard on the Touring, but not on the Sport. I'm actually slightly afraid of this feature! Driving on Southern California freeways, there'll usually be someone in your blind spot when you signal. Seems like all that beeping could be distracting? I understand BSM can be switched off, but that you have to do it every time you start the car, and then it shines a possibly annoying light on the dash. Anyone know if the car can be set to either fully disable BSM or at least make it visual only? Or if you live in a dense-freeway place, have you found the BSM useful or distracting?

The BSM seems really tight and accurate. Every time I've seen the light go on, I would hit a car or be really close to hitting it if I had changed the lane while the light was on (though I guess traffic in the northwest is a different (better) beast .

I think you can change the beep volume - so it shouldn't be a big deal, if you don't like it. I love the feature.

 

[lowincash]

The beeping is not distracting at all, it's very helpful and works very well. Even the rear cross traffic alert (uses same sensors) works well, but I find it sometimes scares me while I'm backing up lol

 

[ceric]

It is my opinion that BSM is the most useful option $200 can buy.
($200 was what they charge on CX9 as an option back in 2008)

 

[Chibana]

The BSM in this car (and I suspect most) is just about completely pointless if you adjust your mirrors properly. I have my side mirrors adjusted so there is almost no blind spot. The BSM light only goes off when the car next to me is easily visible in the side view mirror. It would be more useful if it went off a bit sooner, when the car is just leaving the rear view mirror and just starting to touch the side view mirror, where there may be a tiny blind spot if the vehicle is small enough. Unfortunately, the light doesn't go off there, but later. I suppose the beeping might keep you from making a dumb mistake if you didn't look in your mirror before moving over but still remembered to use your turn signal.

 

[drivesacar]

Volume can be set to high (default), low, or off. AFAIK, this volume setting sticks after the car is turned off and back on.

Aha! Thanks for the info. The salesman didn't seem to know about this. Is this a user-adjustable setting, or does the dealer have to configure it?

 

[drivesacar]

The BSM in this car (and I suspect most) is just about completely pointless if you adjust your mirrors properly. I have my side mirrors adjusted so there is almost no blind spot.

Thanks, I was wondering about that. Didn't seem like the car had a particularly large blind spot when I test drove it, but sometimes hard to notice these things on a short drive.

 

[lowincash]

The BSM in this car (and I suspect most) is just about completely pointless if you adjust your mirrors properly. I have my side mirrors adjusted so there is almost no blind spot. The BSM light only goes off when the car next to me is easily visible in the side view mirror. It would be more useful if it went off a bit sooner, when the car is just leaving the rear view mirror and just starting to touch the side view mirror, where there may be a tiny blind spot if the vehicle is small enough. Unfortunately, the light doesn't go off there, but later. I suppose the beeping might keep you from making a dumb mistake if you didn't look in your mirror before moving over but still remembered to use your turn signal.

Same here, I've learned to adjust my mirrors on all my cars so I don't have much of a blind spot. Angle the side mirrors out just enough so you don't see the back of your car so this way when the car moves out of sight from your rear view mirror you'll see it from either the left or right side mirror. Add this plus the BSM it just makes it a lot safer

 

[grumpy]

I didn't notice lights on the dash when bsm came on, just on the side mirror, and the beep sounded only when I turned on the signal and the I wasn't past the car I'm passing. It didn't sound repeatedly but I don't know if that's due to the fact that they were out of that area shortly after the first beep.

 

[MplsMike]

I had intended to buy the Touring. Drove it, checked out the BSM and determined I didn't really need it, nor did I need any of the other extras furnished with the Touring. I liked the feel of the wrapped wheel but I'm not crazy about the red stitching.

I ended up buying the Sport and I love it. Am even getting used to my bare steering wheel.

 

[drivesacar]

Thanks everyone. Any other thoughts from owners on rear visibility? I took a somewhat longer test drive in both Sport and Touring hatch last week and realized the rear vis really has taken a hit since the 2013 - both from the high beltline on the rear side windows and the smaller seeming rear window. So then I almost bought a closeout 2013, but finally decided I find the 13's seats uncomfortably hard. The 14's seats do seem better - but now I'm trying to decide whether rear visibility is likely to be a problem if I don't spring for the Touring. Perhaps I'm just overreacting to the "shock" of it feeling different than the 2013?

 

[MplsMike]

The 14 is a completely different animal than the 13. And even though I love almost everything about the 14, the lack of rear visibility is my least favorite thing. That said, you'll be hard pressed to find any other new car that has good rear visibility.

 

[lowincash]

My previous car was a 2009 pontiac vibe gt which has horrible rear visibility. When I first got it I often merge into traffic without seeing there's a car next to me, and still do at times after 5 years of owning it. You do get use to it but adjusting the mirrors correctly helps tremendously. I honestly don't find the rear visibility on the 14 mazda hatch that bad. I've had my mirrors aimed out more and combined with BSM, blind spot and rear visibility isn't a real problem anymore. Plus, reverse camera helps too. I know it's a bad habit but I don't even look back as often when I reverse now lol

 

[drivesacar]

Thanks for the comments. Interesting to hear about the Matrix comparison. Any thoughts on how it compares to Prius? That may be where I land if I don't end up with the 3, though I don't much care for Prius handling. Prius is known for poor rear visibility, but I've driven them enough to be used to it. The 14 Mazda3 struck me as worse than the Prius, but I'm not sure if that's just because I'm not used to it?

BTW, my budget won't allow for the tech package. I'm looking mainly at the i-Sport (no BSM, no camera) - or maybe if I stretch it, the i-Touring (BSM but no camera). Though I suppose aftermarket backup camera could be added - may end up doing that if I get Prius anyway.

 

[lowincash]

I remember testing the prius for my cousin a couple years back. I don't remember much but it seem okay to me and I didn't have a problem. I guess after being in my vibe, everything else seems better, that or I'm used to poor rear visibility lol I did have a problem with the rear view camera on the prius tho, it didn't have lines and I ended up backing into a new camry at the dealer parking lot =X Noob using backup camera lol

 

[Reacher]

I've never had a BSM system before and always just adjusted my mirrors so that I had no real blind spot. That being said, I enjoy the BSM and there have been a couple of times when it has helped me out. When I am moving left at the same time that somebody 2 lanes over is moving right, I can't see them in the mirror, but the BSM picked them up and kept me from changing lanes. The size of the coverage area seems pretty good and it hasn't bothered me a bit. I also like that it senses cars moving behind me when I put it in reverse.

 

[smartgroup]

I love BSM especially at night.

 

[Ki||ian]

If you don't have the Infotainment System then the BSM beep volume isn't adjustable, or I just haven't found the feature control for it. It really isn't bothersome, it gives you a couple of quick beeps when it first notices something in the way and that's about it. It's saved me from killing a dude on a motor cycle that zipped into the lane next to me between looking and starting to change lanes.

My father works for one of the main research groups for the insurance industry and now that more and more cars are having these safety features they are getting some real world data feedback. The two features that are having the greatest impact on crash reduction are BSM and the low speed auto breaking. Vehicles with these features have a DRAMATIC reduction in collisions and fender benders. Interestingly enough the Lane Departure feature looks like it is actually causing more accidents. This is because when it comes into effect it usually means the driver is not paying attention, then this loud beep happens and the drivers attention snaps back and they tend to OVER compensate, causing more accidents.