September will see the launch of the new Mazda CX-9, the first of its kind to go through the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP) and complete all the crash tests.

The seven-seater SUV did extremely well in each of the destructive tests and achieved a comfortable 5 star rating which applies to all variants of the model.

AA Motoring Services General Manager Stella Stocks says the SUV market is highly competitive in New Zealand and having a 5 star rating is increasingly becoming an important part of what buyers are looking for.

“This is a car that will likely be at the heart of family life from school runs through to Saturday morning sport, so it’s important buyers have the confidence that it’s a safe car for them and their family,” says Ms Stocks.

The Mazda CX-9 comes fully equipped with a number of crash prevention technologies including blind spot monitoring (BMS), electronic Stability Control (ESC) which helps the driver stay in control of the vehicle in the event of a slide or swerve, trailer stability control and Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) which helps to prevent nose to tail crashes.

It joins the ranks of Mazda’s other 5 star rated CX models, including the CX-3 and the CX-5.

“Both of these vehicles were popular in New Zealand and with Mazda following through with getting an ANCAP rating for the CX-9 we can assume that it has similar expectations for this model too,” says Ms Stocks.

The full list of ANCAP’s vehicle safety ratings, other vehicle safety information and the specifications of the rated vehicles are available online at ancap.co.nz or rightcar.govt.nz.

ANCAP is supported by all Australian motoring clubs, the New Zealand Automobile Association, the Australian Government, the New Zealand Government, Australian state and territory governments, the Victorian Transport Accident Commission, NRMA Insurance and the FIA Foundation.