Ensuring the safety of its drivers and passengers remains a paramount focus for Mazda, as highlighted by Mazda North American Operations President and CEO, Tom Donnelly. Emphasizing the tireless efforts of Mazda's engineers, he underscores the commitment to continual enhancement of both crashworthiness and crash avoidance technologies. This commitment is driven by the aspiration not only to meet but to surpass the ever-increasing standards set by rigorous testing protocols.

    To express the Mazda company pride, Donnelly announced the remarkable achievement of the 2024 Mazda CX-90 and CX-90 PHEV, both securing the prestigious TOP SAFETY PICK+ for 2023. This award is a testament to Mazda's unwavering dedication to setting new benchmarks in automotive safety.

    The stringent criteria for earning the 2023 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award reflect the quality standards established by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). A qualifying vehicle must garner excellent ratings in various crucial tests, including the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, original moderate overlap front, and updated side tests.

Driver-Side Small Overlap Front Test:

 • Purpose: This test assesses how well a vehicle's structure absorbs and manages the impact when the front corner collides with another vehicle or an obstacle.

 • Procedure: A vehicle is crashed into a barrier on the driver's side at 40 mph with a 25% overlap. This test is designed to simulate a scenario where the front corner of the vehicle collides with another vehicle or object.

Passenger-Side Small Overlap Front Test:

 • Purpose: Similar to the driver-side test, this evaluates the vehicle's ability to protect occupants in a small overlap frontal crash, but on the passenger side.

 • Procedure: The vehicle is subjected to a 40 mph collision with a barrier on the passenger side, again with a 25% overlap.

Original Moderate Overlap Front Test:

 • Purpose: This test assesses how well a vehicle's structure manages a moderate overlap frontal crash, simulating a head-on collision with another vehicle.

 • Procedure: The vehicle is crashed into a barrier at 40 mph with a 40% overlap. The goal is to evaluate the protection provided to the occupants during a typical frontal crash scenario.

Updated Side Test:

 • Purpose: This evaluates the protection offered to occupants in a side-impact crash.

 • Procedure: A large barrier representing the front end of a pickup or SUV strikes the driver's side of the vehicle at 31 mph. The evaluation considers both the structural performance and the effectiveness of the side airbags.

Headlights Evaluation

 • Purpose: This criterion focuses on the quality of headlights, recognizing their crucial role in ensuring driver visibility and reducing the risk of accidents, especially at night.

 • Requirement: Acceptable or good-rated headlights must be standard across all trims of the vehicle. This encourages automakers to prioritize the inclusion of effective lighting systems.

Front Crash Prevention System:

 • Purpose: This assesses a vehicle's ability to avoid or mitigate collisions through the use of technology.

 • Requirement: The vehicle must have a front crash prevention system that earns advanced or superior ratings in both the daytime and nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations. This ensures the effectiveness of the system in various scenarios and lighting conditions.

   Beyond performance evaluations, the mandate extends to the inclusion of acceptable or good headlights as standard features across all trims. Moreover, an advanced or superior front crash prevention system, evaluated under both daytime and nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian scenarios, must be available.

   The Mazda3 Sedan, Mazda3 Hatchback, CX-30, CX-5, and CX-50 models, in addition to the CX-90 and CX-90 PHEV, collectively showcase Mazda's unwavering commitment to safety. These vehicles have been recognized with the esteemed 2023 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK award. This recognition reinforces Mazda's comprehensive approach to safety across its diverse range of vehicles.

   For updates on the Mazda CX-90, Tustin Mazda can act as your go-to place. We want the buying process to be all about you, and with our expert employees and inventory, Tustin Mazda can get you updated on everything you want to know about the Mazda CX-90 in Orange County.