Truth be told, Kia boasts with one of the most extensive model lineups in the United States of America. As such, the South Korean carmaker must improve the safety of its models on a regular basis to keep up with the increasingly demanding crash tests of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
In the latest round of tests, the 2015 Kia Soul has performed well and was awarded with the IIHS Top Safety Pick for its crashwortiness. The institute also tested the updated Soul at moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint protection, earning "good" ratings for all the aforementioned.
In the test of the 2015 Kia Soul, driver's space was maintained reasonably well with a small amount of intrusion. The crash test dummy's movement was controlled fairly well, with its head hiting the frontal airbag, which stayed in position during the crash. As for the side curtain airbag, it deployed accordingly, providing sufficient coverage to protect the head from side structure contact. All measurements recorded indicate a low risk of any significant injuries.
As for the other model, the IIHS tested the 2015 model year Kia Forte and the outcome is "marginal." Still, that's a bit of an improvement considering that the 2013 - 2014 Kia Forte only managed a "poor" in the small overlap crash test. Although the front end and passenger compartment were toughened with the 2015 MY, the Forte's cabin didn't fare well, with intrusion nearing 8 inches at the lower hinge pillar.
Slow-mo footage tells the extent of the damange: at 40 mph, the dummy's head slid off the airbag, thus striking the instrument panel. Moreover, the safety belt permitted the dummy to move forward a little too much. Last but not least, the side airbag lacked sufficient head coverage to offer proper protection.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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