Bryan1 Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Three 2015 midsize crossovers from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and one from Hyundai came in last among seven midsize SUVs tested by the insurance industry's auto safety arm in its latest crash testing, according to results of the released Tuesday. Dodge Journey got the lowest rating of "poor" for an overall score in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's toughest crash test, the small overlap front crash that's meant to mimic what happens when a vehicle strikes a pole or another vehicle on the left-hand side of the front end, directly in front of the driver. The Dodge Durango, Jeep Cherokee and Hyundai Santa Fe were rated "marginal" overall after the testing At the other end of the scale, with the top ratings of "good" or "acceptable" in the overlap test were the redesigned Nissan Murano, the Ford Flex and the four-door version of the Jeep Wrangler. With its finish in the overlap test, plus its results in the other tests in the IIHS battery and its crash avoidance technology, the Nissan Murano now will carry the IIHS' most coveted rating: Top Safety Pick Plus. "The designation of the IIHS 'Top Safety Pick Plus' for the all-new 2015 Murano is exactly what Nissan expected for a vehicle that has always set the trends in its segment," said Fred Diaz, a Nissan senior vice president, in a statement. "This Murano has once again raised the bar for midsize crossovers." The Flex, meanwhile, earned the designation Top Safety Pick for its finish in this test. The Jeep did not, based on the other tests, such as the roof crush test, since the Jeep does not have a fixed roof, IIHS noted. IIHS spokesman Russ Rader says that while the Journey rated poorly, it was not the worst crossover or SUV that the agency has given this test. The worst so far has been the Mazda CX-9. The Journey's chief failure was structural integrity. The passenger compartment buckled when the vehicle was crashed into the overlap barrier at 40 miles per hour. The instrument panel and parking brake pedal were pushed back as much as nine inches into the cabin, IIHS reported. The instrument panel ended up on top of the crash-test dummy's knees. The pedal tore through the lower left leg of the dummy. In addition, the dummy's head barely came in contact with the front air bag before sliding off to the left, and the side curtain air bag didn't deploy, which meant the dummy's head could come in contact with hard surfaces. IIHS called it a "classic example of poor small overlap protection." Durango was also rated poor for body integrity. Cherokee was marginal in the category and rated poor for restraints. "Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep have had some successes with redesigned models, but they haven't done much in the way of interim improvements," said IIHS Chief Research Officer David Zuby in a statement. "As a result, they still have many models that rate poor or marginal." http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2015/05/12/dodge-suv-iihs/27139905/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Durango and CX-9 kind of surprise me, due to their relatively robust bones. I'm curious how their platform mates Grand Cherokee and Edge would perform? Journey, on the other hand, is based off an ancient Mitsubishi platform. That speaks for itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Well, Edge is now on CD4, so no longer an accurate comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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