US Small SUVs improve on safety

New small SUVs received high enough marks in the latest round of insurance industry crash tests that testers recommend them over small cars for buyers looking for more fuel-efficient rides.

Among eight new models tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, four earned the “top safety pick” award — the Ford Escape, Volkswagen Tiguan, Nissan Rogue and Mitsubishi Outlander — for highest grades in front, side and rear crashes.

Other SUVs tested — the Suzuki Grand Vitara, the Chevrolet Equinox and the Jeep Patriot — received a mix of grades. And the new Jeep Wrangler suffered the only poor score, recorded on the test for side-impact protection, a downgrade from the old model’s results.

All models tested are sold with electronic stability control as standard, and most offer some kind of side air bag system as standard equipment. The IIHS said it now recommended small SUVs over small cars as drivers seek more fuel-efficient models since the extra weight of the SUVs protected occupants better, and the scores from the top four models surpassed those of all small cars.

“This is a huge change from just 5 years ago when most small SUVs were rated either marginal or poor in our side test, and standard side airbags and electronic stability control were rare,” said IIHS President Adrian Lund.

The insurance industry has been pushing automakers to bolster their seats against whiplash injuries in rear crashes, which IIHS says costs insurers $7 billion a year. The institute’s tests are tougher than those run by the U.S. government, and automakers often change their vehicles and pay the institute to rerun tests to garner better scores for advertising.

Lund highlighted the Wrangler’s test result in the side-impact crash, saying the Wrangler’s door opened during the test, raising the chances of an ejection during a real crash.

“We’ve rarely seen a vehicle go in the wrong direction and get a worse rating after it has been redesigned,” he said.

The Wrangler and the Equinox were the only two vehicles tested without side air bags, which are sold as options on those models.

After running a test on the Jeep Patriot without optional torso air bags, Chrysler paid IIHS to run one with them; that improved its side-impact grade to “acceptable” from “marginal.”

The scores for the Escape apply to its mechanical twins, the Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute, as well as its hybrid versions.

The Equinox’s results also apply to the twin Pontiac Torrent.

Source:Freep

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