Best Performer: Subaru Forester.
Acceptable Ratings:
- Jeep Wrangler
- Suzuki Grand Vitara
- Suzuki Vitara
- Chevrolet Tracker
Marginal Ratings:
- Kia Sportage
- Honda CR-V
- Jeep Cherokee
- Toyota RAV4
Worst Performer: Isuzu Amigo.
The Institute's crashworthiness evaluations are based primarily on results from the frontal offset crash test.
Each vehicle's overall evaluation is based on three aspects of performance:
- Occupant compartment intrusion
- Injury risk measures from a dummy positioned in the driver seat
- Analysis of slow-motion film to assess how well the restraint system controlled dummy movement during the test.
In addition, the Institute's evaluations reflect the adequacy of front-seat head restraint designs and bumper performance in four crash tests at 5 mph.
These don't affect overall crashworthiness evaluations but are considered when establishing the rankings within each class of vehicles the Institute tests.
The Institute's crashworthiness evaluations don't address the propensity of small utility vehicles to roll over.
As a group, these vehicles historically have much higher fatal single vehicle crash rates than other kinds of passenger vehicles, largely because of very high involvement in rollovers.
However, most of the vehicles the Institute tested are relatively new designs, so no information is available to address this issue for these particular small utility vehicles.
Institute and government crash tests complement each other
The federal government has been testing new passenger vehicles in 35 mph crash tests since 1978.
This New Car Assessment Program has been a major contributor to crashworthiness improvements - in particular, improved restraint systems in new passenger vehicles.
The same 40 mph offset crash test is used to evaluate new cars by the European Union in cooperation with motor clubs and by an Australian consortium of state governments and motor clubs.
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