Mazda5 passed a real life driving test

E

epharmacist

Member
:
'07 Mazda5 GT on 9/20/06
Last night I had the chance to put the Mazda5 through a real performance test. Just after dark, I was driving with my wifey, baby, and my Ma down the freeway. I was going about 70 mph (112 km/h for you Canadians) on southbound 101 in the number 3 lane near Candlestick Park. All of the sudden the car in front of me swerved, next thing I noticed a full black trash bag right in the middle of my lane. I quickly maneuvered around the trash bag without a problem. (drive) Then, I looked in my rearview mirror only to see an SUV behind me swerve to the left, then the right, then the left, then the right almost off the freeway, then again to the left and it rolled across all 4 lanes of traffic and ended up on its side in the fast lane (shocked). My wife called 911 immediately and reported it.

There are a couple of observations here:
1) The Mazda5 handled it smoothly.
2) SUV's are dangerous and have high risk of roll-over.
3) If you're going to drive an SUV, please know how to correct steering when it goes out of control.
4) Always remember: the brakes will kill you, the gas will save you! (Physics)
5) Do not tailgate! If you tailgate, it leaves you with little time to react to a road hazard.
6) Life is precious, never forget how quickly your luck can change.

I dropped my Ma off at the airport and returned to the scene about 8 minutes later. Thank goodness, there were no other vehicles hit by the Mercedes Benz M-class SUV. One passenger was being loaded in an ambulance and a second ambulance was picking up another passenger. There was a dazed man who was in shock as paramedics were working away.

Sorry for the downer story, but I wanted to share how happy I was that my Mazda5 saved my life, or at least kept me out of the hospital. Cheers!
 
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i thought them new fangled mercedes had some stability control. either way, good kill?

\one way ticket, please
 
I know how you're feeling, and I am very glad the 5 is the nimble, responsive vehicle it is.

I am living proof - the frame on which the 5 is built is a fantastic platform, both handling-wise and safety-wise. I was sandwiched between to trucks on the interstate, not a good place. Not a scratch, even though the car was totalled.

The 5 is a remarkable vehicle. I'm glad you and your family are well. Drive safely.
 
Wow. Glad to hear the 5 kept you all safe.
I haven't watched the local news but you were only 5 mins. from my place ! :)
 
Think the SUV would have been better off just hitting the garbage bag and whatever was in it.

Glad you're alright!
 
wow totalled 5 already?(pissed)
you mussta been a lil upset about that. but then again its crazy that you're completely fine
so i guess its all good
 
clicknext said:
Think the SUV would have been better off just hitting the garbage bag and whatever was in it.
Click to expand...

No kidding... Explorer rollovers weren't the result of the tire blowing out. They are the result of people yanking the wheel out of panic when they hear the tire come apart then ultimately cause the accident themselves.

I drive nearly 150 miles a day to various parts of the state and am usually towing a trailer. At least daily I see someone nearly take themselves out trying to avoid a squirrel dart across the street or a stick/debris kicked up by the car in front of them. When you are towing a 5000lb trailer, there is no yanking the wheel to avoid stuff. Just drive through it and keep going.

It amazes me at how someone would risk their life, their family and other drivers around them to avoid that scratch on the bumper from a chunk of tire off an 18 wheeler.

Avoid it if you SAFELY can do it. Otherwise hit the s*** and enjoy the rest of your life.
 
gimpo2 said:
he's talking about your totalled 5
Click to expand...
No totalled 5, still. My 3 was totalled. It's the same motor and same frame as the 5, just different body stuffs.
 
epharmacist said:
...4) Always remember: the brakes will kill you, the gas will save you! (Physics)
5) Do not tailgate! If you tailgate, it leaves you with little time to react to a road hazard.
6) Life is precious, never forget how quickly your luck can change...
Click to expand...
Was the Benz tailgating you? I hope he was so he got what he deserved. There's absolutely no logical reason to tailgate someone and all they're doing is raising tension and putting everyone in danger. Even on a long stretch of 2-lane highway where you're stuck behind the slow driver, IMO if you choose to be that impatient, it's safer to just pass them illegally and move on than get up their ass to "make your point". (rant)

That being said, I'm glad everyone in the Benz was appearently okay.
 
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jandree22 said:
it's safer to just pass them illegally
Click to expand...

Lies and misinformation.

It only takes one incident of being run off the road by a jeep illegally passing a truck while going around a blind corner to figure out that illegal passing is a bad idea. Those lines on the highway are there for a reason.

That being said, don't tailgate. Wait until you can pass safely, then do so. Anything else (including my friend's tactic of building up a head of steam cursing and otherwise getting mad at the piece of farm equipment) will only serve to quicken your demise, be it at the hands of a head-on collision or an aneurysm.
 
camerazn said:
It only takes one incident of being run off the road by a jeep illegally passing a truck while going around a blind corner to figure out that illegal passing is a bad idea. Those lines on the highway are there for a reason.
Click to expand...
I'm not talking on a mountain twisty, I'm talking open stretches. And yes, there are open stretches that have double solids for reasons I'll never understand. Regardless however, you're correct. Illegal passing can be dangerous and it was negligent of me to offer that as a "solution".
 
jandree22 said:
And yes, there are open stretches that have double solids for reasons I'll never understand.
Click to expand...
I agree with you there. Sometimes I wish I was a road engineer so I could figure out why an area is a no passing zone. Where I'm from (North Carolina), the passing zones make sense 90% of the time, but I know what you mean.
 
epharmacist said:
Last night I had the chance to put the Mazda5 through a real performance test. Just after dark, I was driving with my wifey, baby, and my Ma down the freeway. I was going about 70 mph (112 km/h for you Canadians) on southbound 101 in the number 3 lane near Candlestick Park. All of the sudden the car in front of me swerved, next thing I noticed a full black trash bag right in the middle of my lane. I quickly maneuvered around the trash bag without a problem. (drive) Then, I looked in my rearview mirror only to see an SUV behind me swerve to the left, then the right, then the left, then the right almost off the freeway, then again to the left and it rolled across all 4 lanes of traffic and ended up on its side in the fast lane (shocked). My wife called 911 immediately and reported it.

There are a couple of observations here:
1) The Mazda5 handled it smoothly.
2) SUV's are dangerous and have high risk of roll-over.
3) If you're going to drive an SUV, please know how to correct steering when it goes out of control.
4) Always remember: the brakes will kill you, the gas will save you! (Physics)
5) Do not tailgate! If you tailgate, it leaves you with little time to react to a road hazard.
6) Life is precious, never forget how quickly your luck can change.

I dropped my Ma off at the airport and returned to the scene about 8 minutes later. Thank goodness, there were no other vehicles hit by the Mercedes Benz M-class SUV. One passenger was being loaded in an ambulance and a second ambulance was picking up another passenger. There was a dazed man who was in shock as paramedics were working away.

Sorry for the downer story, but I wanted to share how happy I was that my Mazda5 saved my life, or at least kept me out of the hospital. Cheers!
Click to expand...

It's great to see you and family ok. i think the 1st gen M-CLASS always had that rollover problem... reported by many car reviews.
 
I think it just goes to show you that SUV drivers think they are invincible.

Not to mention you're likely just a better driver than the Merc driver.
 
Also keep in mind the 5 has a significantly lower center of gravity than the Mercedes. While not hugely rollover prone like those jeeps jacked up several feet, the Mercedes M class is more than 1,200 lbs heaver than the 5, and that weight is largely higher up. While you may well have been the superior driver (that Merc should have been relatively easy to keep from rolling, the driver probably overcorrected way too much and ended up doing a scandanavian flick by accident) the Mercedes is more unstable than the 5.
 
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