The priority of the American Institute for Road Safety (IIHS) is the protection of passengers in vehicles. Guided by this goal, IIHS officials developed a new, more demanding side impact test to analyze the performance of small SUV models in traffic accidents, and out of 20 vehicles tested, only one – the 2021 Mazda CX-5 – received a good rating.
This is roughly what they expected and why this test was introduced. By the way, nine cars received acceptable grades, which is fine, but not great. These include the Audi Q3, Buick Encore, Chevrolet Trax, Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue (X-Trail), Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4, Toyota Venza and Volvo XC40.
Their results separated them from those who received ratings that could be classified as “sufficient” and there were eight: Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Escape, GMC Terrain, Hyundai Tucson, Jeep Compass, Jeep Renegade, Kia Sportage and Lincoln Corsair .
The remaining two modern SUV models received poor ratings: the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and the Honda HR-V. The latter received only four good grades in 10 tested areas, and we are talking about the categories of protection of drivers and passengers on the back seat, and protection of the chest, neck and head.
The attached video (1:40 min) shows that the B-pillar of the Honda HR-V practically broke off at the bottom, allowing the test vehicle to penetrate deep into the passenger compartment.
This new test includes an auxiliary test vehicle that weighs 1,800 kg, or about the same as a modern mid-size SUV, and hits the tested SUV at a speed of 59.5 km / h. Such a shock releases 82 percent more energy than the old test.
When the old version of this test was introduced in 2003, only one in five models received a good rating, after which car manufacturers clearly showed their ability to improve the safety of SUVs. We hope that the same will happen after the latest results.
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source: iihs