Mazda not a top safety pick according to IIHS

[sip]

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's top safety picks:

On the other hand these safety picks could be highly flawed like Consumer Reports ratings

Large cars
Buick LaCrosse
Ford Taurus
Lincoln MKS
Volvo S80

Midsize cars
Audi A3
Chevrolet Malibu built after October 2009
Chrysler Sebring 4-door with optional electronic stability control
Dodge Avenger with optional electronic stability control
Mercedes C class
Subaru Legacy
Subaru Outback
Volkswagen Jetta sedan
Volkswagen Passat sedan
Volvo C30

Small cars
Honda Civic 4-door models (except Si) with optional electronic stability control
Kia Soul
Nissan Cube
Subaru Impreza except WRX
Volkswagen Golf 4-door

Midsize SUVs
Dodge Journey
Subaru Tribeca
Volvo XC60
Volvo XC90

Small SUVs
Honda Element
Jeep Patriot with optional side torso airbags
Subaru Forester
Volkswagen Tiguan

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

LOL. Nice dig about CR. Shame it's true in most cases. Particularly the reports that are based on consumer feedback.

Regarding these Insurance ratings, they are good to know, but there is a 'flaw' too in that they aren't solely based about crash impact testing and safety performance. To be classified a winner in a specific category, the winning vehicles must offer electronic stability control. If not, they aren't eligible as a top pick, regardless of how well they score on the crash tests.

[Ogata]

The cube just came out... how is that pillbox safe?

[koorick]

The cube just came out... how is that pillbox safe?

Ugly design = Less sales = Less of them on the road = Less accident?

Besides....who wanan be seen in that car

[sip]

LOL. Nice dig about CR. Shame it's true in most cases. Particularly the reports that are based on consumer feedback.

Regarding these Insurance ratings, they are good to know, but there is a 'flaw' too in that they aren't solely based about crash impact testing and safety performance. To be classified a winner in a specific category, the winning vehicles must offer electronic stability control. If not, they aren't eligible as a top pick, regardless of how well they score on the crash tests.

The dig was on you, not on CR. I was my feeble attempt at being sarcastic.

Mazda deserves not being a top safety pick, as safety is an option to Mazda. ESC was not even an option prior to 2010. To get ESC now, you have to upgrade to GS and then get the Moonroof. Instead of offering ECS as standard, as Suburu does, Mazda is waiting until September 2011 when it become mandatory.

ECS is proactive safety feature that helps avoid a crash. It is more desirable than crashworthiness of a car. Transport Canada has been testing ESC since 2004 and has made it mandatory for all 2012 vehicles. Then again, their tests could be "very flawed" too.

Mazda 3 didn't get to be a top safety pick not because of the absence of ECS (IIHS considers ECS optional cars too). It was because it scored only acceptable ratings in "Frontal offset test - leg/foot, right", "Side impact test - structure/safety cage and "Side impact test - pelvis/leg injury". Top safety picks like Suburu scored good ratings in all the categories.

[Lodian]

Back in September The 2010 Mazda3 Won the top safety pick from the IIHS. The read the article on Autoblog.

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

The dig was on you, not on CR. I was my feeble attempt at being sarcastic.

Mazda deserves not being a top safety pick, as safety is an option to Mazda. ESC was not even an option prior to 2010. To get ESC now, you have to upgrade to GS and then get the Moonroof. Instead of offering ECS as standard, as Suburu does, Mazda is waiting until September 2011 when it become mandatory.

ECS is proactive safety feature that helps avoid a crash. It is more desirable than crashworthiness of a car. Transport Canada has been testing ESC since 2004 and has made it mandatory for all 2012 vehicles. Then again, their tests could be "very flawed" too.

Mazda 3 didn't get to be a top safety pick not because of the absence of ECS (IIHS considers ECS optional cars too). It was because it scored only acceptable ratings in "Frontal offset test - leg/foot, right", "Side impact test - structure/safety cage and "Side impact test - pelvis/leg injury". Top safety picks like Suburu scored good ratings in all the categories.

I know the dig was aimed at me...feeble as it might have been.

I don't disagree about the ESC being an option on the Mazda's, partly to keep costs down and be cost competitive in the lower level models as this is still an economy car... I will however, disagree that ESC has a tremendous capability to help you avoid crashes. Have you driven in a car with ESC by chance? Not all ESC systems are created equal and some engage in very sharp and awkward manner, that for an inexperienced driver, could easily cause them to overreact to the ESC engaging with negative impact and cause the car to lose even more control. In any case, the only place ESC will help you, is if the car recognizes traction loss at the tires and the car is close to being in a severe spin through understeer or oversteer. In that case, the ESC tries to engage to correct the car. It does not help you in any other manner and I hope people won't start treating it like AWD or ABS brakes and believe that these things are technological miracles to help them avoid a crash and hence provide a very false sense of security.

Also, while right about the Mazda's crash test scores, you are wrong about the criteria that the IIHS used for its top award choices. They had to score well in the crash tests and must have ECS as an available option on the vehicle tested.

Lastly, ESC, or rather, DSC as Mazda calls it, was available on all Mazdaspeed3 models. Then again, there is a very good reason for that.

[sip]

Back in September The 2010 Mazda3 Won the top safety pick from the IIHS. The read the article on Autoblog.

Although 2010 Mazda3 was a top safety pick in Sept, it is not anymore. Check this IIHS link. It is probably because a rollover test was not done. Eventually, it may become a top safety pick. I am not sure whether Mazda 3's award in Sept, a mistake on part of IIHS.