The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) new small overlap front crash test has proven to be a difficult task for most automakers, with only a couple of vehicles managing score above the “Poor” mark. These harsh results have prompted manufacturers to update their safety features to meet new US standards.
To further explain the differences between its two frontal crash tests, the Institute has released a second video of the “Inside IIHS” series, that demonstrates how structural performance, dummy injury measures, and restraint systems affect a vehicle’s frontal rating.
Just to show how important the new small overlap crash test is, only two out of the 13 compact crossovers tested recently managed to score the Top Safety Pick+ rating: the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and the Subaru Forester. Nine of them earned the regular Top Safety Pick, which doesn’t include the small overlap test, while the Jeep Wrangler and the Nissan Rogue did not fare too well.
In the moderate overlap front crash test, 40 percent of the vehicle’s front end on the driver’s side hits a rigid barrier at 40 mph. In the small overlap front crash test, only 25 percent of the car’s front end is tested under the same circumstances.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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