IIHS Tests Minicars and finds a few surprises

I for one am shocked at how poorly the FIT did in this test, the 2015 bodystyle (ACE II) can't get here soon enough....

Minicars fall short for small overlap frontal protection

ARLINGTON, Va. - Only 1 minicar out of 11 tested achieves an acceptable rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's small overlap front crash test, making these tiny vehicles the worst performing group of any evaluated so far.

The Chevrolet Spark's acceptable rating in the test, along with good ratings in the Institute's four other crashworthiness evaluations, earns the new minicar a 2014 TOP SAFETY PICK award. The Spark was among the initial award winners announced in December. The new small overlap test results for the rest of the minicar group mean that no other models in this size category join the Spark in the winner's circle yet.

Introduced in 2012, the small overlap test replicates what happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or an object such as a tree or utility pole. In the test, 25 percent of a vehicle's front end on the driver's side strikes a rigid barrier at 40 mph.

The test is more difficult than the head-on crashes conducted by the government or the longstanding IIHS moderate overlap test because most of the vehicle's front-end crush zone is bypassed. That makes it hard for the vehicle to manage crash energy, and the occupant compartment can collapse as a result. Nevertheless, in many size categories, manufacturers have found ways to improve vehicle structures to meet this challenge.

"Small, lightweight vehicles have an inherent safety disadvantage. That's why it's even more important to choose one with the best occupant protection," says Joe Nolan, IIHS senior vice president for vehicle research. "Unfortunately, as a group, minicars aren't performing as well as other vehicle categories in the small overlap crash."

In contrast to the minicar group's performance, most models in the small car category, which are a little larger, have done much better in the test. There are five good ratings and five acceptable ratings among 17 small cars that have been evaluated so far.

Looking at the component ratings that make up the overall marks, every minicar, including the Spark, rates marginal or poor for structure, the most fundamental element of occupant protection. When a vehicle's structure doesn't hold up, injury risk is high. Collapsing structures can knock frontal airbags and seats out of position, exacerbating the problem.

All the vehicles except the Spark and the Mazda 2 also earn low ratings for restraints and kinematics. Seven of the 11 were downgraded for allowing too much occupant forward motion during the crash. In these cases, either the safety belt didn't do a good enough job holding the dummy in place, or the dummy's head missed or slid off the frontal airbag. The side curtain airbag, which has an important role to play in small overlap frontal crashes, provided insufficient forward coverage in eight of the minicars and didn't deploy at all in the Toyota Yaris. In many models, the steering column moved sideways, and in three cars the seat tipped.

The two worst performers are the Honda Fit and the Fiat 500. In both cases, intruding structure seriously compromised the driver's space, and the steering column was pushed back toward the driver. In the case of the Fit, the dummy's head barely contacted the frontal airbag before sliding off and hitting the instrument panel. During the test of the 500, the driver door opened after the hinges tore. An open door creates a risk that the driver could be partially or completely ejected.

Injury measures on the dummy's left legs are marginal or poor for many models. In most cases, potential injuries involved the lower leg, but the Fit, 500 and Hyundai Accent were downgraded for left thigh or hip injury. The Fit and 500 were the only vehicles to record elevated injury risk to the right leg as well.

Despite its marginal structure, the Spark achieves an acceptable overall rating because the dummy's movement was fairly well controlled and its injury measures were low. The Spark is the only vehicle with good injury measures for all body regions, including the lower leg and foot, generally a problematic area in the small overlap test. This may be related to the fact that the structure around the lower part of the occupant compartment held up better than other minicars, despite intrusion in the upper part.

Consumers should remember that the Spark, while offering more small overlap protection than other minicars, weighs less than 2,500 pounds and doesn't protect as well as a larger and heavier vehicle with a comparable rating. Frontal crash test results can't be compared across weight classes.

In addition, neither the Spark nor the other minicars in the test group offer front crash prevention, an increasingly common safety feature that can prevent or mitigate some kinds of frontal crashes. For 2014, vehicles must be available with front crash prevention to qualify for the highest safety award from IIHS, TOP SAFETY PICK+.

Source;
www.iihs.org

Honda named safest 2014 car by insurers

2014 Honda Civic Coupe Advanced Compatibility Engineered Body Structure.

List of safest cars drops to 39 from 130 because of tough new standards

Honda Motor Co. has topped the insurance industry's annual list of the safest new vehicles.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety on Thursday gave 39 vehicles top safety ratings for 2014. That is dramatically fewer than the 130 on the list last year because vehicles now must meet tougher standards.

For the first time, the vehicles need top crash test scores and a good front crash prevention system — such as warning systems or automatic braking — to get its highest designation. Vehicles are now ranked as either a "Top Safety Pick" or "Top Safety Pick +" if they meet the front crash protection criteria as well.

Acura included

Honda, which also owns the Acura brand, had the most winners of any automaker with eight of its vehicles making the list. The Honda Civic hybrid, Honda Accord, Acura RLX and Acura MDX all got the highest ranking. Its Honda Civic two-door and Acura TL were also ranked as top safety picks.

The list is often used by safety-minded car shoppers and by automakers in advertising.

There are eight newcomers to the list, including Infinity's Q50, the Mazda 3, Toyota Highlander and the Chevrolet Spark mini-car. The Honda Civic Hybrid and several Volvo models won the top designation on the basis of standard equipment in their vehicles.

The IIHS's rankings have been a catalyst in recent years for automakers to make their cars safer.

Automakers are scrambling to bolster the front-end protection of their cars and trucks to meet the institute's offset test, which measures how well a car protects people in a crash covering only part of the front end.

For example, Toyota redesigned the midsize Camry sedan, America's top-selling car, so it could pass the test, the institute announced Thursday. The changes helped the Camry's crash-test rating move from "poor" to "acceptable," for all models built after Nov. 1, the institute said.

Source;
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/honda-named-safest-2014-car-by-insurers-1.2469970

2014 Toyota Corolla Joins Camry, Prius V And Rav4 As IIHS As Small Overlap Crash Test Flunkies

The redesigned 2014 Toyota Corolla – one of the automaker’s most important models — earned a Marginal rating in the new and challenging small overlap frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said on Thursday.

The results are the latest indication of Toyota’s struggles to score well on this test. No Toyota vehicle has yet received the highest rating of Good in the small overlap front test. In December, when the 2013 Camry and Prius V were tested, both received the lowest rating of Poor. So did the 2013 RAV4, in July, despite changes to the steering column and footwell padding. The Scion tC is the only Toyota vehicle to get an Acceptable rating. In contrast, five of eight Honda models tested have received ratings of Good.
Because of its Marginal rating, the Corolla’s current standing as an I.I.H.S. Top Safety Pick will be going away, as the safety group moves to toughen the way it rates vehicles over all.

In August, when the I.I.H.S. released results for 12 other small cars, it did not test the Corolla because the new model was about to be introduced. When design changes are imminent, the institute, which is financed by the insurance industry, postpones testing so that its ratings do not quickly become obsolete.

The new small overlap evaluation, which the I.I.H.S. added to its repertory of crash tests last year, is intended to replicate what happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or with an object like a tree or utility pole. The institute rates on a scale of Good, Acceptable, Marginal and Poor.

The Corolla’s performance qualifies it as an I.I.H.S. Top Safety Pick for 2013. Currently, to earn that designation a vehicle must earn a Good rating in the group’s four other crash tests, regardless of how it performs in the small overlap test.

But the criteria will change when the institute announces its 2014 Top Safety Picks in December. At that point, models will have to earn a Good or Acceptable rating in the small overlap front test, as well as Good ratings in its other four tests (moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints).

The I.I.H.S. will up the ante for its highest rating, Top Safety Pick+, as well. For 2014, vehicles must earn a Basic, Advanced or Superior rating for frontal crash prevention systems (forward collision warning and automatic braking) in its newest tests, announced last month. In addition, vehicles must earn a Good or Acceptable rating in the small overlap test, and Good ratings in the other four tests.

In response to the Corolla’s scores, Toyota pointed out that the testing conducted by I.I.H.S. exceeded federal motor vehicle safety standards.

“With the small overlap test, the institute has raised the bar again, and we are responding to the challenge,” a spokeswoman for Toyota, Cindy Knight, said in an e-mail. “We are looking at a range of solutions to achieve greater crash performance in this area.”

Source (via www.autospies.com);
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/2014-toyota-corolla-gets-marginal-rating-in-tougher-crash-test/?_r=1&

Toyota hustles to remedy low crash ratings

Midcycle changes to boost vehicles' small overlap safety

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Toyota Motor Corp. is racing to make its cars stronger in frontal crash tests after some vehicles, including the RAV4 compact crossover, were stung by poor safety ratings.

Engineers at the Toyota Technical Center here have been reworking designs since last year, said Osamu Nagata, CEO of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Inc. and head of all local manufacturing and r&d.

Toyota plans midcycle vehicle changes so the cars perform better in so-called small overlap frontal crash tests, he said.

The tests, performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, simulate what happens when a driver crashes the left front quarter of his vehicle into an object such as a tree or pole.

They are not yet included in the federal government's five-star ratings. But researchers say they are responsible for an outsized share of driving deaths. The IIHS ratings have become a major marketing factor for brands that perform well.

In December, the Toyota Camry and Prius V fared at the bottom of the field among mid-sized sedans tested and were rated poor, the lowest designation. In July, the RAV4 racked up another poor rating despite getting updates to improve stability and padding.

"We are now implementing some design countermeasures to improve our small overlap results," Nagata said in an interview.

Fixes will be made "as soon as possible" to the RAV4 and other vehicles, Nagata said. He did not identify other nameplates.

"Each vehicle has its own countermeasure schedule," Nagata said. "As soon as designs are ready and parts are fixed, we'll have running changes for any vehicle, not only the RAV4."

Toyota would not say which vehicle gets the next upgrade. Nagata did not give details of the changes. But fixes likely will include strengthening structural parts, he said.

"We will make sure the customer feels safe," Nagata said. "Some products are still best safety picks under the IIHS recommendations, so this is our additional challenge."

Toyota spokeswoman Cynthia Mahalak said 21 Toyota, Lexus and Scion models were named 2013 Top Safety Picks by the IIHS.

But cars performing poorly in the small overlap test can still receive top-pick status if they perform well in the IIHS's four traditional tests. To get the best rating of Top Safety Pick+, the vehicle needs a good or acceptable small overlap result.

By that measure, only the Scion tC qualifies.

IIHS began using the tests last year but telegraphed the change to carmakers in 2009, institute spokesman Russ Rader said. Some manufacturers, including Honda Motor Co. and Subaru, were quicker to incorporate design changes than others, he said.

The IIHS released its latest batch of small-car test results this month. But it delayed testing of the Toyota Corolla because a redesigned car is coming to market soon.

Rader said the IIHS is testing the Corolla this month and will release its small overlap appraisal in a few weeks


Source;
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130826/OEM11/308269972/toyota-hustles-to-remedy-low-crash-ratings#axzz2dBa8rEb5

Inside IIHS: Frontal offset testing Video

Interesting....