According to Mazda's product evaluation engineer it does.
https://www.wardsauto.com/technology/mazda-plays-it-straight-and-strong-cx-5-frame
LOS ANGELES * Mazda*s new CX-5 has a higher concentration of lightweight steel than any model in the brand*s North American showroom.
High-tensile-strength steel accounts for 61% of the small cross/utility vehicle*s body weight, Dave Coleman, Mazda*s product evaluation engineer, tells media here at a recent launch event.
The CX-5 also boasts what Mazda believes is the first series-production application of steel rated at 1,800 MPa (18,979 tons per sq. in.)
That grade is *the strongest steel anybody has used in a production car (and) we*re using that on the outer surface of the bumpers of this car,* Coleman says.
As a result, weight is trimmed from the extreme ends of the CX-5, thereby reducing polar movement and improving vehicle handling, he says.
In addition, sections of the CUV*s
frame rails were straightened, while other parts were designed with complex shapes. The result was improved crashworthiness.
Historically, Mazda has used rectangular-shaped front frame rails, but the CX-5 features stronger, cross-shaped patterns.
"If you*ve got a rectangular frame rail, all the load is being carried in the corners of that rail,* Coleman says. *If we can fit it into this cross-shape, we end up with 12 corners instead of four corners. It doesn*t weigh any more, but we*ve got more places to carry that load.*
And by straightening the
frame rails at the bottom of the CX-5, Mazda has saved weight and added strength.
Mazda
frame rails long have done a *zig-zag* around a vehicle*s fuel tank. *That zig-zag is an inherently weak structure,* Coleman says. Therefore, it required more steel, which added weight.
*By just gently curving around the gas tank (with) one continuous frame rail, we can use less material to carry the same load,* Coleman says.
To better disperse crash loads, Mazda engineers extended the CX-5*s front sub-frame. Also, door beams run parallel to carry a load to the rear of the car.
The roof, B-pillar and C-pillar each boast a ring-link design for additional structural integrity.
*(We*re) just trying to connect all the structures as much as possible so it can be hit from any angle, and also these are getting us simultaneously a good structure to mount a suspension on,* Coleman says, noting suspension loads are exceeded only by crash loads as a stressor.
The CX-5 is considered all-new by Mazda, and not a successor to the defunct body-on-frame Tribute SUV, so Coleman compares the CX-5*s weight savings to the slightly bigger CX-7 CUV.
In their trimmest iterations, the CX-5 is 288 lbs. (131 kg) lighter than the CX-7. The weight difference between the heaviest CX-5 and its CX-7 counterpart is 570 lbs. (259 kg).
The new *13 Mazda CX-5 goes on sale in the U.S. early this year, with pricing expected to range from $22,000-$28,000.