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"Side curtain airbags should deploy in crashes like this." "That's not something we expect to see after so many years of crash testing," Mueller says. This contributed to the Escape's marginal rating and the Outlander Sport's poor rating for restraints and kinematics. In contrast, the side curtain airbags in the Escape and Outlander Sport didn't deploy. In the Compass test, the front and side curtain airbags worked together to keep the dummy's head from contacting any stiff structure or outside objects that could cause injury. The Outlander Sport's side curtain airbag, indicated by the yellow arrow, didn't deploy, and the dummy's head slid off the front airbag. The safety belt and front and side curtain airbags worked together to keep the dummy in place, and measures taken from the dummy showed there would be a low risk of injury in a similar real-world crash. The X1's structure resisted intrusion reasonably well to maintain the passenger space. "Manufacturers shouldn't shortchange protection for front-seat passengers."
Mucommander text overlap driver#
"Disparities like this one are why we decided to formally rate the passenger side in the small overlap test after five years of evaluating only the driver side," says Becky Mueller, a senior research engineer with the Institute who helped develop the passenger-side small overlap front test. The Escape earns an acceptable rating in the driver-side small overlap front test. Starting with 2017 models, Ford reinforced the structure on the driver side of the Escape to improve occupant protection in a small overlap front crash but didn't make the same change to the passenger side. Measures taken from the dummy indicate that right hip injuries would be likely in a real-world crash of this severity. The passenger-side door sill was pushed 4 inches laterally into the occupant compartment. Intrusion measured 10 inches at the upper door-hinge pillar, compared with 5 inches in the driver-side test. The Escape struggled in the test, as intruding structure seriously compromised space for the right-front passenger. Both the Outlander Sport and Escape allowed too much intrusion into the occupant compartment on the right side. (The Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5 are the only small SUVs evaluated so far to earn good ratings for structure in the passenger-side small overlap front test.) The Outlander Sport is marginal, and the Escape is rated poor.
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None of the newly rated 2018 models earns better than acceptable marks for structure. In contrast, the Ford Escape's occupant compartment allowed too much intrusion. The passenger's survival space was maintained reasonably well in the BMW X1 test. So far no small SUV has earned the "plus" award, mainly because they fall short of a good rating for headlights. The Outlander is among the nine small SUVs that have qualified for a 2018 Top Safety Pick award. To earn Top Safety Pick, vehicles must achieve good ratings in the driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests earn an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention and also have at least acceptable-rated headlights. Earlier models were classified as midsize.Ī good or acceptable passenger-side rating is needed to qualify for the Institute's 2018 Top Safety Pick+ award, as well as good-rated headlights. For the 2018 model year, the Equinox shed weight to join the small SUV size class. The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport earns a marginal rating, and the Ford Escape earns poor.
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The BMW X1 Chevrolet Equinox and its twin, the GMC Terrain Jeep Compass and Mitsubishi Outlander earn good ratings in the passenger-side small overlap front test.
Mucommander text overlap drivers#
The ratings bring to 16 the number of small SUVs the Institute has evaluated in the passenger-side small overlap front test, which was introduced in 2017 to encourage manufacturers to offer the same level of protection for front-seat passengers as drivers in this type of crash. In a new round of evaluations, 5 of 7 small SUVs earn good ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for occupant protection in a passenger-side small overlap front crash.
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