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Only 3 out of 11 luxury cars have received good or acceptable ratings in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's new small overlap frontal crash test, the latest addition to a suite of tests designed to help consumers buy the safest vehicles.
The new test, called the "small overlap frontal crash test," involves only one quarter of the front of the car hitting a rigid barrier at 40 MPH. In traditional front-end tests, half of the vehicle hits a barrier.
The new test measures what happens to a front-seat driver or passenger when this kind of crash happens. The test becomes crucial as more than 10,000 people are killed each year in front-end crashes in the United States, says the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Photograph: Left: Survival space for the driver wasn't well maintained in the Lexus IS crash test. The A-pillar bent and the footwell collapsed as the left front wheel and tire were forced rearward. The dummy's feet were entrapped by intruding structures.
Right: Results for the Volvo S60 were very different. The S60's occupant compartment held up well, with only minor intrusion.
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Small overlap crashes are a major source of these fatalities. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's new test program is based on years of analyzing real-world frontal crashes and then replicating them in the crash test facility to determine how people are being seriously injured and how cars can be designed to protect them better.
While most cars offer protection in front-end accidents, overlap crashes, where the car is not hit head-on, are a different matter entirely.
The eight cars, which score low on the safety are well-built, yet these cars are incapable to deflect small overlap frontal crashes.
Business Insider lists 8 cars that have failed the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) crash safety test for America's popular midsize luxury vehicles.
Photograph: Left: The dummy's head and chest missed the MKZ's front airbag as the steering column moved to the right. The side curtain airbag didn't have sufficient forward coverage for the head.
Right: In contrast, the TL's front and side curtain airbags did a good job of protecting the dummy's head.
Courtesy, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
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Acura TSX/TSX Wagon
Small overlap frontal crash test rating: Marginal
2011 sales: 19,594
Price: $30,010
JD Power Initial Quality: 4 out of 5
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BMW 3 series
Small overlap frontal crash test rating: Marginal
2011 sales: 94,371
Price: $34,900
JD Power Initial Quality: 4 out of 5
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Lincoln MKZ
Small overlap frontal crash test rating: Marginal
2011 sales: 27,529
Price: $34,755 (Sedan)
J.D. Power Initial Quality: 5 out of 5
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Volkswagen CC
Small overlap frontal crash test rating: Marginal
2011 sales: 29,502
Price: $28,515 (Sedan)
J.D. Power Initial Quality: 3 out of 5
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Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Small overlap frontal crash test rating: poor
2011 sales: 43,349
Price: $37,220
J.D. Power Initial Quality: 2 out of 5
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Lexus IS 250/350
Small overlap frontal crash test rating: Poor
2011 sales: 29,669
Price: $40,220
J.D. Power Initial Quality:4 out of 5
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Audi A4
Small overlap frontal crash test rating: Poor
2011 sales: 35,234
Price: $32,500
J.D. Power Initial Quality: 2 out of 5
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Lexus ES 350
Small overlap frontal crash test rating: Poor
2011 sales: 40,873
Price: $36,725
J.D. Power Initial Quality: 5 out of 5