Browsing news headlines on the web, we came across this gem from Time: "The Terrifying Video That Will Convince You Not to Buy a Small Car." We thought that sounded ominous, so we clicked the link to find a video of the latest round of Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) small-overlap frontal crash testing, which today's batch of subcompact cars almost unilaterally failed. Ten of eleven small cars tested earned a "poor" or "marginal" rating in the test, and just one managed an "acceptable" rating (none got the top score of "good"). This has set off a veritable firestorm of panic over small cars and how they'll kill your loved ones, but we're here to say this is all horse poop—and why. Also, we left our torches and pitchforks at home today.
First, some background on the IIHS small-overlap crash test: It is a brutal addition to the Institute's safety evaluation regimen for new cars, one that roughly approximates a 40-mph impact with an object covering just 25 percent of a car's outermost frontal area. The test joins the IIHS's established moderate front overlap, side, roof strength, and head restraints and seats test categories. Given that the test bypasses most cars' structural bumpers—the ones that take big hits and distribute the impact load to the car's structure—and essentially leaves the firewall to take the hit, the results of early small-overlap tests in 2012 were nasty. Un-small stuff like the Acura TSX, the BMW 3-series, the Lincoln MKZ, and the Volkswagen CC earned "marginal" ratings. The Mercedes-Benz C-class, the Lexus IS and ES350, and the Audi A4 were saddled with "poor" ratings. We can only assume that because small cars make a far catchier hook on which to hang some good ol' American paranoia, Time never got around to whipping up a "The Terrifying Video That Will Convince You Not to Buy Any Car!" video.
This just happens to be the first time the IIHS has gotten around to testing subcompact cars, and they certainly didn't do well. The "poor" cars include the Fiat 500, the Honda Fit, the Mitsubishi Mirage, the Nissan Versa, and the Toyota Prius C; the Ford Fiesta, the Kia Rio, the Mazda 2, and the Toyota Yaris were "marginal;" and Chevy's Spark nailed an "acceptable." As bad as that sounds, it doesn't prove that subcompacts are grossly less safe than regular-size cars—because a lot of those cars also suck at the small-overlap test. It's also worth pointing out that many of these same cars posted "acceptable" or "good" scores in the other established IIHS test categories; the Fit, for example, sports a "good" rating in each of the IIHS's other four tests. For the 2013 Cadillac CTS, which matches that feat (but has not been small-overlap tested), that's good enough for the IIHS's coveted "Top Safety Pick" accolade. Is the current Fit—which has been sold in the same form since 2009—less safe than it was before the small-overlap test was rolled out? Don't ask us. The 2013 Fit, identical to this year's model but, like the Caddy, tested sans small-overlap, is a Top Safety Pick; the 2014 model isn't.
- Feature: How Current Impact Tests Make Cars Safer
- Comparison Test: Chevrolet Sonic vs. Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio5, Nissan Versa, Toyota Yaris
- Instrumented Test: 2013 Chevrolet Spark Manual
If it sounds dumb to hear that a car that previously was "safe" now "isn't," you're right, it is. The IIHS's small-overlap assessments will be more or less meaningless until most or all cars are designed to conform to the test, at which point they'll all probably do quite well. Today, just one year into this new testing, only some manufacturers have been able to adapt existing models to the small-overlap test or release all-new models with the test in mind, while others with older models haven't. Note that of the 11 subcompacts tested, none have been wholly redesigned in the past two years (a new Fit is coming soon, however). If any of this analysis is discomforting, well, about all we can say for now is that if you're about to cream something with your older car, either hit it like you mean it—square, baby!—or try to avoid it altogether. Otherwise, expect to wait a generation—maybe two—for the cars that fared poorly in the IIHS test to be redesigned and engineered to handle the small-overlap gauntlet, and stop blaming small cars for everything!
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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