2017 Mazda CX-5 earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+
Its headlights barely passed the test, but otherwise, the CX-5 was a solid performer.
Despite the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's growing battery of tests, a number of vehicles still get added to its Top Safety Pick+ list every year. This week, Mazda's newest crossover is recognized for its safety.
The IIHS announced Tuesday that the 2017 Mazda CX-5 earned the company's highest accolade, Top Safety Pick+. In order to achieve this, a vehicle has to pass a battery of crash tests with flying colors. It also needs good headlights and some degree of autonomous emergency braking.
Damn near the entire Mazda lineup has a Top Safety Pick+ award under its belt, save for the MX-5 roadster.
In terms of crash tests, the CX-5 aced the exam. It earned Good ratings in all five crash tests, including the ever-so-tricky small overlap front crash test. When broken down even further, the Good scores just kept on comin'. It achieved a score of Acceptable for its child seat anchors, which were considered too deep in the seat for a Good rating.
When it comes to crash prevention, the CX-5 kept the scores high. It earned a score of Superior for its optional autonomous emergency braking system. Available as standard on Grand Touring trims, and as an option on Touring trims, the system avoided collisions at both 12 mph and 25 mph.
The final and newest test evaluates a car's headlights. Here, the CX-5 was rated Acceptable for two of its four headlight setups. The highest ratings went to the LED projector headlights on the Grand Touring and Sport trims -- the low beams created some glare, but visibility was ample. The LED projectors on the Touring trim only received a Marginal rating.
There are dozens of vehicles on the Top Safety Pick+ list, ranging from sporty cars to more pedestrian affairs. The CX-5 joins other Mazda models on this list, like the Mazda3, Mazda6, CX-3 and CX-9.
