New US Crash Test Punishes BMW, Lexus and Audi

The American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has started a new crash test evaluating cars based on and offset hit into a narrow, solid object. It is meant to simulate hitting a tree, pole or similar object. The IIHS claims that a large number of the 10,000 automotive deaths a year come from these types of accidents. 

The test has 25% of the car's front end crashing into a 5-foot tall barrier at 40mph. Because it is new, the test is not part of the government safety testing done in the US and Europe. Although, the IIHS claims that some automakers do the test privately when testing their cars. 

This is the first time that the IIHS has performed the test, and it selected a group of compact luxury sedans for the test. The cars tested were Acura TLAcura TL Gen.4Japan, 2009 > present22 versions
47 photos
, Volvo S60Volvo S60 Gen.2Sweden, 2009 > present252 versions
436 photos
1 video
, Acura TSXAcura TSX Gen.2Japan, 2009 > present13 versions
29 photos
, Acura TSX Sport WagonAcura TSX Sport Wagon Aut...Japan, 2011 > present3 photos
, BMW 3 SeriesBMW BMW 3 Series Gen.6 [F30/F31]Germany, 2012 > present115 versions
355 photos
1 video
, 2012 Lincoln MKZLincoln MKZUnited States of America, 2005 > 20126 versions
14 photos
(previous generation), Volkswagen Passat CCVolkswagen Volkswagen CC Gen.2Germany, 2012 > present13 versions
54 photos
, Audi A4Audi A4 Gen.4Germany, 2008 > present393 versions
781 photos
, Mercedes C-ClassMercedes-Benz C-Class Gen.4Germany, 2007 > 2013188 versions
444 photos
, Infiniti GInfiniti G Gen.4Japan, 2007 > present35 versions
62 photos
, 2012 Lexus ES350Lexus ES 350Japan, 2010 > present3 photos
(previous generation) and Lexus IS250/350Lexus IS Gen.2Japan, 2005 > present41 versions
98 photos
1 video
. 

Only the TL and S60 received Good, the highest, rating. The G received Acceptable, second highest. The TSX, TSX Sport Wagon, 3 Series, MKZ and CC received Marginal ratings, the third highest score. Finally, the A4, C-Class, 2012 ES350 and IS250/350 received a Poor rating, which is the agency's lowest score. 

There are two ways at looking at these negative results. It certainly shows a gap in the safety of high end compact cars. However, even the IIHS admits that this is not a test done in government testing. The cars were not designed to take these kinds of impacts. Also, the TSX, 3 Series, MKZ, CC, A4 and C-Class received Good ratings in all of the other tests. The automakers are not ignoring safety, but the cars are not prepared for this type of collision. 

The performance of the cars varied greatly. The IS and C-Class trapped the dummy's feet in the car. The CC performed the worst. The driver's door was sheared off in the test. IIHS says that this is the only time it has ever seen this in all of its years of testing. The dummy's head missed the airbag in the MKZ. 

IIHS says that the major factor in performance in this test was the cars' crash structure. Most cars have their crash zones in the front 50% of the car. This test is outside of that zone. The accidents can change the location of the steering wheel and therefore the airbag. 

The IIHS says that it is implementing the test because cars have gotten so good at its other tests. The IIHS has been testing cars since 1978, and fatal accidents in the US have fallen 55% since 2001. The test will not become part of the IIHS safety rewards criteria for 2013 because it has tested so few cars, but it will continue to publish the results. The next test will be for less expensive sedans including the Ford Fusion, Honda Accord and Toyota Corolla. 

The IIHS is an independent crash testing organization in the US that is ran by large auto insurance companies. Its tests tend to be more severe than those by the US government. The results of its tests are reflected in the insurance rates charged for various cars. 

You can view the tests below: 

Source: IIHS and Table