Mazda’s new and more rugged CX-50 crossover just hit the ground earlier this year, and it’s already earning accolades. Beyond largely positive reviews and a solid list of standard features, CX-50 buyers can also now brag about their SUV’s safety. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) just named the Mazda CX-50 a Top Safety Pick+, its highest award.
The 2023 CX-50 earned “Good” scores in all crash test categories, and the IIHS awarded it “Superior” scores for its front crash prevention systems. Even the CX-50’s headlights, a frequent sticking point in IIHS assessments, earned “Good” or “Acceptable” scores. Mazda also picked up “Good” ratings for the CX-50’s seatbelt reminders and a “Good+” score for child seat anchor (LATCH) ease of use.
Those scores are due in part to the Mazda’s excellent safety equipment. Every 2023 CX-50 comes with a generous list of standard driver aids, including adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alerts, lane departure alerts, lane keeping assist, hill-start assist, driver attention monitoring, and a rearview camera system.
Mazda also focused on structural integrity with the CX-50. Side-impact door beams are standard, and the company’s North American CEO, Jeff Guyton, said that Mazda is focused on safety, saying, “Our research has led us to thoughtfully consider crash avoidance technologies, as well as the body structure of our vehicles to protect occupants in the event a crash does occur.”
The IIHS periodically updates its testing rubric for new technologies and changing traffic conditions. The organization’s 2023 testing requirements include a new nighttime pedestrian detection test, and vehicles have to earn an “Advanced” or “Superior” to receive a Top Safety Pick designation. Side crash tests will also change, as the IIHS will use a heavier impact weight moving at higher speeds going forward.
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