A new round of crash tests indicates family sedans may fare better than some luxury models.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found moderately-priced vehicles outperformed some luxury models in key safety tests.
IIHS put 18 mid-sized family cars through its new small overlap test, replicating what happens when the front corner of a vehicle hits something like another car, a tree or a utility pole.
In this kind of crash, the vehicle rotates and the driver tends to keep going toward the windshield pillar. In this case, manufactures want the front airbag and side airbags to prevent drivers and passengers from getting to the windshield.
When tested in August, only three of 11 luxury and near-luxury models earned a good or acceptable rating.
Among the family cars, 13 earned the IIHS distinction of top safety pick plus, which now includes the small overlap test.
Those vehicles include:
- Chrysler 200 -- 4-door
- Dodge Avenger
- Ford Fusion
- Honda Accord -- 2-door and 4-door
- Kia optima
- Nissan Altima
- Subaru Legacy and Outback
- Suzuki Kizashi
- Volkswagen Passat
IIHS said that many automakers have responded to the new test to make future models safer.
Studies show that a quarter of deaths in modern vehicles occur in a small overlaps crashes. It is expected that this will be next big piece of safety that will be designed into vehicles.
For more information on the IIHS study, click here.
WSOC
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