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2016 Honda Pilot Aces the Small Overlap IIHS Crash Test, Earns Top Safety Pick+

The 2016 Honda Pilot started populating dealerships in the US in June, with a starting price of $29,995. Customers who opted for one or those looking to buy one will be pleased to find out the SUV also offers a safe ride.
2016 Honda Pilot Crash Test 1 photo
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube
A very safe journey, we might add, because the redesigned SUV paid a visit to the IIHS's test facility and passed the challenges with flying colours.

We're talking about the test that scares carmakers the most, namely the small overlap frontal crash. Well, the 2016 Pilot put up a good performance during the test, after the pre-facelift version rated poorly in the past.

The actual crash is available in the video below, but we're going to tell you that according to the IIHS, the driver space held up well, "with maximum intrusion of 4 inches at the parking brake pedal".

Moreover - and that's easy to spot in the clip - the dummy's movement was well controlled while the side and frontal airbags did a good job in keeping the crash-test mannequin in place and more important, protect its head from debris coming from the outside and other intruding parts.

Now, you might not remember this, but when the IIHS crash-tested the 2014 Pilot, the driver space has been severely compromised. Yes, we know you want to know what that means with an example, so there you are.

In the 2014 Pilot, the crash caused the parking brake pedal to move nearly 17 inches inward while the door hinge pillar moved in about 14 inches.

But here's the scary part: the crash-test dummy's head didn't touch the airbag. Instead, it slid to the left as the steering wheel and column moved to the right and towards the body of the "surrogate" driver.

All in all, we are glad Honda made efforts to boost the 2016 Pilot's safety levels and were not only focused on simply granting the SUV a more attractive package from a visual point of view.

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