Most midsize vehicles earn ‘good' rating in new IIHS side crash test

Ten out of 18 midsize light vehicles earned "good" ratings in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's new side-impact evaluation.

IIHS updated the side test to "address higher-speed crashes that continue to cause fatalities." The new test also uses a 4,200-pound barrier striking the vehicle at 37 mph, instead of the previous 3,300-pound barrier that struck the vehicle at 31 mph. According to a news release, these changes mean the simulated crash "produces 82 percent more energy."

IIHS gave ratings of "good," "acceptable," "marginal" and "poor" to vehicles it classified as midsize.

To earn a "good" rating in both versions of the side test, the occupant compartment of the vehicle must hold its shape, the crash-test dummies must not show signs of severe injuries, and the side airbags and seat belts must "prevent the dummies' heads from making hard contact with the interior of the vehicle."

The 10 vehicles to receive a "good" rating were the Ford Explorer, Infiniti QX60, Lincoln Aviator, Mazda CX-9, Nissan Pathfinder, Subaru Ascent, Toyota Highlander, Volkswagen Atlas, Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport and the electric Volkswagen ID4.

The Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse earned "acceptable" ratings, while the Honda Passport, Honda Pilot, Hyundai Palisade, Jeep Wrangler four-door , Kia Telluride and Nissan Murano earned "marginal" ratings.

IIHS President David Harkey told Automotive News that he was pleasantly surprised with the results of the test because when the institute ran the new test on small crossovers in the fall, only one out of the 20 tested vehicles received a "good" rating.

"It means that the automakers have already started to make improvements in their vehicles that can prevent these more severe collisions and injuries," Harkey said. "And so we are encouraged that we think the automakers will continue to progress pretty rapidly at improving their vehicles and providing even more safety for consumers."

Similar to the previous version of the test, the new test simulates a two-vehicle collision in an intersection and uses two dummies representing a small woman or 12-year-old child in the driver seat and the rear seat behind the driver.

All the midsize vehicles earned "good" scores for airbags and head injury measures except for the Wrangler, which does not have airbags in the rear seat.

The CX-9, ID4 and Wrangler were the only vehicles to earn "good" ratings for "preventing injuries to the driver's pelvis," which is the most frequent injury in real-world car crashes. The Ascent, Aviator, Enclave, Explorer and Traverse earned "acceptable" ratings at preventing these injuries.

A 2011 IIHS study showed that vehicles that received a "good" rating in the side test were 70 percent less likely to have casualties in a real-world left-side collision compared with a vehicle that received a "poor" rating. Vehicles with an "acceptable" rating were 64 percent less likely to have casualties, and those with a "marginal" rating were 49 percent less likely.