Safety

The Mazda Proactive Safety philosophy guides all the company’s research and development efforts in safety performance. It drives advances in every area from safety fundamentals, such as the driving position, through passive safety features, to advanced i-Activsense innovations. The Mazda CX-30 is equipped with numerous safety technologies born from these research endeavours.

Awarded the maximum five-star rating by Euro NCAP, the CX-30 performed strongly in all four test categories: Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Vulnerable Road User and Safety Assist. The rating is a result of three key factors: the adoption of the very latest Skyactiv-Vehicle Architecture, which features a high-rigidity, impact-absorbing yet lightweight bodyshell; a wide range of advanced i-Activsense safety technologies, which help drivers identify potential risks and reduce the likelihood of damage or injury; and high standards of pedestrian protection performance.

With an exceptional 99% score in the Adult Occupant category, the Mazda CX-30 achieved maximum points for frontal full-width impact, as well as for both barrier and pole side impacts. Mazda’s Smart Brake Support system also gained full marks in low-speed tests, with collisions avoided in all scenarios. An excellent Child Occupant score of 86% included full marks in Child Restraint System installation checks and for child protection in the lateral impact test. Vulnerable Road User (pedestrian safety) tests achieved a score of 80%, with maximum points for pedestrian leg and pelvis area protection. A score of 77% in the Safety Assist category recognises the efficiency of the Mazda CX-30’s comprehensive suite of i-Activsense safety features.

With a laser focus on passive safety and strength, the Mazda CX-30 benefits from a remarkably strong and lightweight body structure comprising approximately 30% ultra-high-tensile steel rated 980 MPa or higher, and including the strategic application of 1,310 MPa-class steel. This combined with a new perimeter beam, newly designed B-pillars that are both stronger and lighter, and rear side frames that deform in an accordion-style pattern to create a strong body that can withstand impact force and a frame structure that effectively absorbs energy.

The body uses Mazda’s distinctive multi-path structure and straight framework. It also adopts a perimeter beam that reduces the impact force generated when structural components of an opposing vehicle make contact with the Mazda CX-30 in an offset collision. In such a collision, where a small amount of overlapping occurs with the opposing vehicle or obstacle, the material used on the right and left ends of the perimeter beam effectively guide energy to the load paths. This combines with a bendable front frame structure that takes the brunt of the impact and then gradually absorbs its energy with optimum efficiency.

For side impact protection the CX-30’s body is built to take the brunt of impact energy from a variety of directions and locations, and to help minimise cabin deformation by dispersing that energy to the front and rear of the vehicle. The Mazda CX-30 is the first Mazda vehicle which hot-stamped material is first attached to a ridged reinforcing material before both are formed together into the B-pillar shape. The increased efficiency of this reinforced structure achieves greater strength while also reducing weight.

At the back, the rear side frames are designed to deform in an accordion-style pattern in the event of a collision. This makes it possible to double the efficiency of energy absorption over the structure previously used without increasing weight, while also achieving high levels of collision safety, dynamic performance and fuel economy.

Other passive safety highlights include the addition of a knee airbag in addition to front, curtain and front side airbags as standard equipment. By suppressing forward motion of the driver’s body in the event of a collision, the driver’s knee airbag contributes to fewer injuries to the driver’s legs, chest and abdomen. The CX-30’s front seats are designed to mitigate neck injuries by making the seats rigid and adopting a side frame designed to absorb energy. This reduces the chances and severity of neck injury by minimising the amount of head, chest and pelvis travel experienced in a collision.

The focus on passive safety also extends to the protection of pedestrians should the worse happen. An energy-absorbing space between the hood and engine is designed to mitigate injury to a pedestrian’s head should it contact the hood in the event of an accident. The inside of the hood also adopts an energy-absorbing structure with a pattern of parallel columns positioned closer to the hood surface. Impact energy is more directly absorbed in the initial moment of contact and then gradually diffused, enabling more rapid energy absorption.

To reduce the chance of injury to a pedestrian’s legs, the bumper adopts a plastic face with small ribs attached to the upper section along with a plastic lower stiffener positioned in front of the perimeter beam. By supporting the thigh and shins when contact is made and thereby softening the blow to the knees, this structure helps to reduce the chance of knee or ligament injuries caused by the legs bending.

As is demonstrated by the high score in NCAP’s Safety Assist category, the Mazda CX-30 features a comprehensive suite of Mazda’s i-Activsense safety features designed to help the driver and mitigate or prevent accidents. In addition to a never before seen level of standard safety systems across the entire range, the Takumi Mazda CX-30 is equipped with three additional active safety features: Driver Monitoring, Front Cross Traffic Alert (FCTA) and Cruising & Traffic Support (CTS) systems.

The Driver Monitoring (DM) system uses both an infrared camera and infrared LED to observe the driver’s condition while driving. Specifically, it monitors how wide the driver’s eyes are open at any given time, the number of times the driver blinks, and also the angle of the mouth and face in order to determine the level of drowsiness or fatigue. It also monitors the driver’s line of sight and eye movement to determine when the driver is being inattentive. If the system judges that the situation has become dangerous, it activates the brake warning sound to alert the driver.

The infrared camera and infrared LED are mounted within the centre display’s bezel, which enables the system to monitor the driver day or night without its view being blocked by the driver’s hand movements when operating the steering wheel. The system is carefully designed to sound warnings only when needed so they cause no annoyances when driving normally.

When pulling away from a standing start, the Front Cross Traffic Alert (FCTA) system detects other vehicles approaching from blind spots at the front right or left of the vehicle and alerts the driver of their presence. It uses front side radars to monitor the left and right front diagonal areas the driver cannot easily confirm by eye. This helps prevent a common cause of accidents, such as when cars enter a T-junction with a partially obscured view.

Working in conjunction with the standard Mazda Radar Cruise Control, Cruising and Traffic Support (CTS) helps reduce driver fatigue by assisting with accelerator, brake pedal and steering operations when stuck in traffic. When active, CTS automatically adjusts vehicle speed to maintain a proper trailing distance while following the vehicle ahead. It also assists with steering torque to make it easier to maintain proper lane position through bends. The benefits of CTS are particularly effective and help support a safer, more reassuring and more comfortable driving experience when having to perform numerous fine adjustments while driving in traffic jams. The system operates at speeds of between 0-38mph for automatic transmission models and 19-38mph for manual transmission models.

Click here to read more on the CX-30s five-star Euro NCAP safety rating.