In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Mazda 3 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
The Mazda 3 has standard Whiplash Reducing Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Reducing Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.
With its standard Smart Brake Support, the Mazda 3 is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Honda Civic Type R, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:
|
Mazda 3 |
Civic Type R |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
|
Crossing Child - DAY |
|
12 MPH |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
25 MPH |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
|
Crossing Adult - NIGHT |
|
12 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
12 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
-10 MPH |
25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
-22 MPH |
25 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
-21 MPH |
|
Parallel Adult - NIGHT |
|
25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
25 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
37 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
Warning Issued-Brights |
2.4 sec |
2 sec |
37 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
-18 MPH |
Warning Issued-Low beams |
1.7 sec |
1.1 sec |
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Mazda 3 Turbo Premium Plus has standard Smart Brake Support that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.
The Mazda 3 offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.
The Mazda 3 Turbo Premium Plus has a standard 360-Degree Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Civic Type R only offers a rear monitor.
Both the Mazda 3 and Civic Type R have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Mazda 3 Turbo Premium Plus has Rear Cross Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Civic Type R’s Cross Traffic Monitor doesn’t automatically brake.
The Mazda 3 has standard E911 Automatic Emergency Notification, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.
Both the Mazda 3 and the Civic Type R have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Mazda 3 is safer than the Honda Civic Type R:
|
Mazda 3 |
Civic Type R |
OVERALL STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
89 |
325 |
Neck Injury Risk |
17% |
30% |
Neck Stress |
214 lbs. |
241 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
205/212 lbs. |
189/372 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
153 |
444 |
Chest Compression |
.4 inches |
.4 inches |
Neck Compression |
20 lbs. |
61 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
178/201 lbs. |
275/164 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Mazda 3 is safer than the Honda Civic Type R:
|
Mazda 3 |
Civic Type R |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
112 |
195 |
Abdominal Force |
238 lbs. |
286 lbs. |
Hip Force |
239 lbs. |
286 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Spine Acceleration |
71 G’s |
79 G’s |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
10 inches |
12 inches |
HIC |
199 |
260 |
Spine Acceleration |
30 G’s |
51 G’s |
Hip Force |
527 lbs. |
805 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.