Smart City Brake ~ 2017 CX-5

S

sjtilney

:
CX-5 Touring
Has anyone ever felt the Smart City Brake activate on a 2017 CX-5?

I've tried testing mine, by getting very close to a stopped car in traffic, while going about 15MPH. My car will beep at me, but I never feel the breaks engage, I was getting pretty close too. I've verified that it's turned on through the infotainment system. I saw this video of it being tested on a 2016 CX-5, and it looks very responsive. I'm definitely not getting those results.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4ArOP9p1Rk

Is there a safe way to verify that it's working?
 
If I were you, I wouldn't actually try and test it in traffic. Remember the system isn't fool proof. Things can go not as planned

Have a look at the current model being tested on a closed circuit:

 
Definitely don't test it in live traffic. As Xele said above, the system is not foolproof. I still remember seeing the video of Volvo showing journalists their automatic brake feature; it failed miserably and ran over a mannequin LOL. Maybe try a big cardboard box in a parking lot.
 
The system behind it is pretty complex so that it avoids false positives - it won't stop if it thinks you're paying attention or the situation isn't "sudden" enough - and there are a bunch of inputs it uses for that. Remember it's an emergency brake with the idea of avoiding pedestrians, not a traffic following brake. It actively wants to avoid engaging so as to not throw you around or spook traffic behind you - hence the warnings.

Some people have had it engage when a parking garage arm moves into view and they're moving forward - apparently that's sudden enough.
 
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Never had it physically engage, but I have received the proximity beep once. Trust me in the fact that I wouldn't need anything more after that, but it's nice to know that Mazda thought enough to provide some sort of measure beyond that.

Car is a 2017 CX-5 Sport
 
Yes
I had it happen in real life. I didn't think I was in danger of hitting the car. It feels like a combination of antilock breaks and your engine failing.
 
I see the lane departure alert as a security blanket as well. If you drive properly by indicating lane changes and not drifting into lines it’s not going to nanny you. Some reviewers said they thought it should be trying to keep you centered like Honda does but I’m glad it’s not like that and in my opinion Honda went to far.
 
I've had it kick in before too, while braking slowly but traffic came to sudden stop and car think I wasn't braking hard enough. Gave me quite a scare even though I knew I was in control and wasn't going to hit the car, but I guess car think I wasn't stepping on the brakes hard enough.
 
jthj said:
I see the lane departure alert as a security blanket as well. If you drive properly by indicating lane changes and not drifting into lines it’s not going to nanny you. Some reviewers said they thought it should be trying to keep you centered like Honda does but I’m glad it’s not like that and in my opinion Honda went to far.
Click to expand...

Bingo. Perfectly explained!
 
Greencat said:
Yes
I had it happen in real life. I didn't think I was in danger of hitting the car. It feels like a combination of antilock breaks and your engine failing.
Click to expand...

Thing people need to remember is that it is not fool proof.
 
In FSM on older models the calibration/test method was stated as follows:

"1. To make the simple reflector, overlap three pieces of commercially available aluminum foil and adhere them to a plastic plate or piece of cardboard with a length of 50 cm or more on one side.

If two or fewer pieces of aluminum foil are used, near-infrared reflection may weaken and the M-MDS will be unable to measure the correct distance.

A reflective material or material which facilitates near-infrared light reflection can be substituted for the aluminum foil."
 
craigo said:
Remember it's an emergency brake with the idea of avoiding pedestrians, not a traffic following brake.
Click to expand...

This appears to be incorrect, or at least misleading. To wit:

Warning
The Smart City Brake Support [Forward] (SCBS F) system operates in response to a vehicle ahead.
The system does not operate in response to obstructions such as a wall, 2-wheeled vehicles, or
animals.
[from SCBS F.pdf]

HOWEVER:

Warning
The Advanced Smart City Brake Support (Advanced SCBS) system operates in response to a vehicle
ahead or a pedestrian. The system does not operate in response to obstructions such as a wall, 2-
wheeled vehicles, or animals.
[from SCBS advanced.pdf]

In any case, just hope you never need to rely on it!!!

"Be careful out there!"
 
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Weird. I've had it go off several times pulling out of the garage at work when the lift gate was a bit slow.
 
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