A 5-star ANCAP safety rating for Mazda CX-8

KUALA LUMPUR: The Mazda fans must be pleased because the recently launched Mazda CX-8 has made its way amongst the safest cars in the world by scoring a 5-star ANCAP safety rating.

Most of the tests have revised their assessment protocols and made them more stringent for 2018. The latest amendments in the ANCAP are similar to that of the Euro NCAP. After scoring a 5-star rating, the Mazda CX-8 is among the first cars to be tested as per the revised regulations. The Volvo XC40 also scored a 5-star rating recently.

The ANCAP report tells us that the Mazda CX-8 performed brilliantly in all of the categories. It scored 97% in the Adult Occupant Protection category with the passenger compartment remaining stable in the frontal offset test, and 87% in the Child Occupant Protection category. In the remaining categories, the CX-8 received ‘Adequate’ and ‘Good’ ratings.

Speaking about the result of the Mazda CX-8, James Goodwin, ANCAP chief executive, said, “The hurdles have been raised significantly for vehicles tested from 2018. It’s encouraging to see Mazda and Volvo set the standard, with their CX-8 and XC40 models being the first to step up and achieve five stars against our increased test standards.”

With a starting price of AUD 42,490 (RM127,186), the Mazda CX-8 in Australia is available in three trims and comes with various safety features as standard like autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind spot monitor, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, and seat belt reminders on all seat rows.

It is being speculated that Mazda is planning to bring its latest CX-8 to Malaysia as well. But there’s no official confirmation by the company as of now. Another thing that’s uncertain at this point in time is that if launched, would the CX-8 come with only a diesel engine? We surely hope that we get to see this 5-star rated, three-seater SUV in our country. As far as the pricing is concerned, it should be less than that of the elder CX-9.