Safe as houses: six ways the all-new Mazda3 protects you and your family
The all-new Mazda3’s advanced safety systems and sports car driving characteristics means you can have your cake and eat it...
Having a car that’s good to drive doesn’t have to mean living dangerously. The all-new Mazda3 has handling derived from the multi-award-winning Mazda MX-5 sports car – but it also has some of the most cutting-edge safety systems around.
1. Rear Vehicle Monitoring system*
In an ideal world there would be no tailgating, no middle-lane hogging and a lot more space on the roads, but life isn’t like that. The all-new Mazda3 can help, though, because models fitted with the Safety Pack option feature, among other elements, Rear Vehicle Monitoring.
This system detects vehicles approaching from behind in an adjacent lane, including the blind spots. When another road user travels into the danger area on either side of the car, LED lights in the door mirrors illuminate to alert the driver. If the driver then activates the indicator to make a lane change in that direction, the LED light flashes and a buzzer sounds as a further warning.
2. Smart City Brake Support
More accidents happen in built-up urban areas than any others, which is why every all-new Mazda3 comes with Smart City Brake Support as standard. This system operates up to around 20mph and uses a forward-facing sensor to keep an eye on the road ahead and scan for hazards where an emergency stop is the only answer.
If it detects an impending collision, the Smart City Brake Support system initially prepares the brakes and firms up the middle pedal to ensure the sharpest response for the driver. If the driver fails to apply the brakes then the system automatically does it for them, significantly reducing the chances of or minimising the effects of a low-speed collision.
3. Lane Departure Warning System*
Ever got distracted while driving and strayed out of your lane? The all-new Mazda3’s Lane Departure Warning System can help to prevent it. Available as part of the optional Safety Pack, the system kicks in above 40mph – ideal for when you’re on the motorway or a dual carriageway – and monitors markings on the road surface.
If the driver starts to unintentionally drift out of the lane, the Lane Departure Warning System sends an audible warning though the car’s sound system – either through the speakers on the left- or the right-hand side of the cabin depending on which wheels are nudging the white lines.
4. Emergency Stop Signalling System
Accidents might be more common in low-speed town environments, but they’re all the more dangerous when they happen on faster roads. If a hazard or a sudden queue of traffic causes you to slam on your brakes at speed, the all-new Mazda3 will alert other road users behind you with its Emergency Stop Signalling System.
Fitted as standard to all models, the system operates from 31mph and above. When it detects heavy braking it automatically activates the hazard lights to let following drivers know that the car is making a sudden braking manoeuvre.
5. Active Driving Display
Gone are the days when all you had was a car radio in your dashboard. Drivers are now bombarded with everything from phone calls to text messages and social media feeds through a car’s infotainment system. As useful as all that is, it can become a potentially dangerous distraction, which is why the all-new Mazda3 Sport Nav models come with the Active Driving Display.
The system's transparent screen provides drivers with real-time driving information. This includes vehicle speed, chosen cruise-control speed, information from the sat-nav system (including turn-by-turn directions, distance and lane guidance), as well as the operational status of the Mazda3's active safety systems such as Smart City Brake Support.
6. SKYACTIV-Body
Should the worst happen and you are involved in an accident, you want your passengers to be as safe as possible. The all-new Mazda3’s SKYACTIV-Body is an extremely strong but also lightweight protective shell that cocoons the car’s occupants.
Around 60% of the body is made from high- and ultra-high tensile steels. In the case of the all-new Mazda3 Hatchback, the SKYACTIV-Body makes it 31% stiffer than its predecessor, and with the four-door Fastback it is 28% more rigid than the previous model. So it’s no surprise that safety authority Euro NCAP awarded the all-new Mazda3 the maximum five out five stars in its crash test.
*Available as part of the optional safety pack on Sport Nav models at additional cost
Retail sales only, subject to vehicle availability for vehicles registered between 01.10.14 and 31.12.14 at participating dealers. T&Cs apply. *0% finance available on all all-new Mazda3 models. You will not own the vehicle until all payments are made. Finance subject to status, 18s or over. Guarantee/indemnity may be required. Mazda Financial Services RH1 1SR.
