Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) remain incredibly popular nowadays. The 2025 AutoPacific Future Attribute Demand Study indicates that nine of the top 15 most-wanted car features involved safety technologies; the top spot went to hands-free driving setups like GM’s Super Cruise and Ford’s BlueCruise. While it’s true that Mazda doesn’t offer a similar setup among its many safety technologies, the brand still has you covered.
Like most automakers, Mazda has tried to give its top ADAS technologies a catchy brand name. Its i-Activsense compares to the likes of Kia Drive Wise, Subaru EyeSight, Ford Co-Pilot360, and Honda Sensing, just to name a few examples. And while many of them offer similar lists of features, it’s important to check the details if you’re looking for something specific. For instance, Mazda’s radar cruise control technology is standard on the cheapest model in the brand’s lineup, the Mazda3 sedan. However, it’s not wrapped into the base price of a Mazda MX-5 Miata, which could be an example of the brand recognizing that most Miata owners prefer to drive for themselves — as is the fact that next-gen models will still offer a manual transmission.
The i-Activsense goodies that are standard on the Miata include lane-departure warning, lane-keeping, blind-spot monitoring, a driver attention monitor, forward automatic braking, and rear cross-traffic alert. But that’s just for starters, and depending on the exact vehicle, the package can expand to adaptive front lighting, rear auto braking, intersection turn assistance, and more.
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Collision-mitigation technologies
A 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata with its roof down driving on a road – Mazda
Mazda i-Activsense features rely on cameras alongside radar, lidar, and sonar sensors to keep an eye on road conditions and traffic, working with other internal systems to help drivers avoid collisions. Among the examples are Mazda’s automatic emergency braking systems, which can warn a driver of possible front or rear collisions and automatically apply the brakes; forward auto-braking is standard across Mazda’s new lineup. It’s also worth pointing out that Mazda’s warning technology can recognize not just other vehicles, but pedestrians, cyclists, and animals, too. The brand often refers to its forward auto-braking technology as Smart City Brake Support — for low-speed driving — and Smart Brake Support for full-range coverage.
In the same way, Mazda’s blind-spot warning and intersection-assistance features are capable of identifying potential road hazards, warning the driver, and automatically intervening (if necessary) to help avoid an impact. The former is especially rewarding today, when blind spots keep getting larger to accommodate modern design choices. The latter can help folks identify and deal with oncoming traffic, vehicular or otherwise, when turning at an intersection. The name of the available Head-on Traffic Avoidance Assist features speaks for itself.
This is probably a good place for another kind of driver warning, too. As Mazda points out, “these newer safety features, like all safety features, are not a substitute for safe and attentive driving, which is always the driver’s responsibility.” Mazda’s driver attention monitor can help with this, though, encouraging them to keep from losing focus.
Driver visibility, control, and focus technologies
A rear 3/4 view of a 2020 Mazda3 sedan on a road with snow nearby – Mazda
These technologies are engineered to take some of the stress out of typical driving situations, such as safely following traffic with adaptive cruise control. This can be complemented by technologies like lane centering and traffic jam assistance to handle stop-and-go situations without the driver having to continually fuss with braking and accelerating. The i-Activsense package can additionally make parking a breeze thanks to a standard rear-view camera — or an available 360-degree monitoring setup with “see through” functionality. With this feature, the car’s computer can edit the views from different cameras to show imagery with the vehicle itself cut out for even better visibility. Adaptive headlights, which turn along with the steering wheel, can improve the view as well.
Also in the mix are automatic high beams, traffic sign recognition, rear-seat alerts, and secondary collision reduction. That last system goes into action following a collision severe enough to set off the airbags. It applies the brakes and turns on the emergency flashers to help prevent the car from rolling into another collision. Pulling everything together is the available Active Driving Display that monitors the i-Activsense suite of technologies. You certainly wouldn’t find those technologies in something like Mazda’s suitcase car, but that isn’t designed for safety like the mainstream models are, anyway.
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