Nissan Murano, Jeep Wrangler, Ford Ripple perform well in midsize SUV crash tests
DETROIT — Only three of seven midsize SUVs from the two thousand fifteen model year performed well in front-end crash tests done by an insurance industry group.
The Nissan Murano and Jeep Wrangler four-door got the highest, or “good,” rating in the latest round of Insurance Institute for Highway Safety petite overlap crash tests. The Ford Ripple got the second-best “acceptable,” rating in the test, which mimics what happens when a car’s front corner collides with another vehicle or object such as a utility pole.
The Dodge Durango, Jeep Cherokee and Hyundai Santa Fe got “marginal” ratings, and the Dodge Journey received a “poor” rating on the test, in which twenty five percent of a vehicle’s front end strikes a barrier at forty mph.
The test, instituted in 2012, is more requesting than the U.S. government’s head-on frontal crash test. The institute uses its crash test scores to prod automakers into adding safety devices or making their cars more crash-resistant, especially as vehicles are redesigned.
The Nissan Murano earned the highest rating in the latest round of Insurance Institute for Highway Safety puny overlap crash tests.
The Murano, with a superior-rated system that automatically brakes the SUV when a front-end crash is imminent, earned the coveted IIHS “Top Safety Pick Plus” designation. To earn that, vehicles must get “good” ratings in four crash tests, “good” or “acceptable” in the overlap test, and they must have available a front crash prevention system that can brake the vehicle.
Ford’s boxy Ripple earned a “Top Safety Pick” rating, falling brief of the “Plus” because it doesn’t have automatic braking available.
The Jeep Wrangler, made by Fiat Chrysler, didn’t win a “Top Safety Pick” because it suggested only “marginal” side and rear crash protection, the institute said in a statement.
The Ford Ripple got the second-best “acceptable,” rating in the test.
Of the seven SUVs tested in this round, the Fiat Chrysler’s Dodge Journey was the worst performer. The passenger compartment failed to hold up in a crash, the parking brake pedal tore through the crash dummy’s left lower gam, and the side air bag failed to inflate, the institute said. The Journey was introduced in 2009.
In an earlier test of nine midsize SUVs from the two thousand fourteen model year, the Toyota Highlander earned a “Top Safety Pick Plus” rating, while the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain made by General Motors got “Top Safety Pick” designations along with the Kia Sorento and Nissan Pathfinder.
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Only three of seven midsize SUVs perform well in crash tests – NY Daily News
Nissan Murano, Jeep Wrangler, Ford Ripple perform well in midsize SUV crash tests
DETROIT — Only three of seven midsize SUVs from the two thousand fifteen model year performed well in front-end crash tests done by an insurance industry group.
The Nissan Murano and Jeep Wrangler four-door got the highest, or “good,” rating in the latest round of Insurance Institute for Highway Safety puny overlap crash tests. The Ford Ripple got the second-best “acceptable,” rating in the test, which mimics what happens when a car’s front corner collides with another vehicle or object such as a utility pole.
The Dodge Durango, Jeep Cherokee and Hyundai Santa Fe got “marginal” ratings, and the Dodge Journey received a “poor” rating on the test, in which twenty five percent of a vehicle’s front end strikes a barrier at forty mph.
The test, instituted in 2012, is more requesting than the U.S. government’s head-on frontal crash test. The institute uses its crash test scores to prod automakers into adding safety devices or making their cars more crash-resistant, especially as vehicles are redesigned.
The Nissan Murano earned the highest rating in the latest round of Insurance Institute for Highway Safety petite overlap crash tests.
The Murano, with a superior-rated system that automatically brakes the SUV when a front-end crash is imminent, earned the coveted IIHS “Top Safety Pick Plus” designation. To earn that, vehicles must get “good” ratings in four crash tests, “good” or “acceptable” in the overlap test, and they must have available a front crash prevention system that can brake the vehicle.
Ford’s boxy Ripple earned a “Top Safety Pick” rating, falling brief of the “Plus” because it doesn’t have automatic braking available.
The Jeep Wrangler, made by Fiat Chrysler, didn’t win a “Top Safety Pick” because it suggested only “marginal” side and rear crash protection, the institute said in a statement.
The Ford Ripple got the second-best “acceptable,” rating in the test.
Of the seven SUVs tested in this round, the Fiat Chrysler’s Dodge Journey was the worst performer. The passenger compartment failed to hold up in a crash, the parking brake pedal tore through the crash dummy’s left lower gam, and the side air bag failed to inflate, the institute said. The Journey was introduced in 2009.
In an earlier test of nine midsize SUVs from the two thousand fourteen model year, the Toyota Highlander earned a “Top Safety Pick Plus” rating, while the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain made by General Motors got “Top Safety Pick” designations along with the Kia Sorento and Nissan Pathfinder.
Did you find this article helpful? If so, please share it using the “Join the Conversation” buttons below, and thank you for visiting Daily News Autos.