A new frontal crash test performed by the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has exposed weaknesses in vehicle safety
and surprisingly in cars that are known for their safety.
Eleven luxury cars were put through their paces in the new
frontal test crash and only three of them successfully passed the test. The
crash test is known as the small overlap crash where a car is propelled at
64km/h into a five foot high stationary object, only impacting the corner of
the car into the object. The test is intended to simulate hitting a pole or
tree and the impact bypasses the car’s ability to absorb the impact, hence the
bad results.
Although car manufacturers have made a robust crash cage
around the passenger compartments, these crash cages have shown weaknesses when
impacted only on the edge. Problems experienced included limited airbag
coverage for the passenger who would end up bashing into the A pillar, not a
good sign for real life passengers.
All the luxury cars tested were 2012 models. The IIHS
focused on luxury vehicles because they typically display the best safety
ratings compared to other vehicles and are the first to adopt new safety
features.
The three successful vehicles to pass the small overlap
crash were the Volvo S60, the Acura TL and the Infiniti G. The eight vehicles
that failed the test were the BMW 3 Series, the Acura TSX, the Lincoln MKZ, and
the Volkswagen CC that all scored marginal ratings. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class,
the Lexus IS 250/350, the Audi A4, and Lexus ES 350 all earned poor ratings.
Watch the video below for a closer look at how the test was
conducted and for the results.
News Source: AutoBlog
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