Last year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety — better known as the IIHS — updated its moderate front overlap crash test. The organization found that fatality rates were now higher for rear passengers than front-row passengers (due to improvements in frontal safety). The test now includes a 12-year-old child-sized dummy in the second row and tests for the common injuries those passengers experience.
Updating the testing changed the results markedly. The IIHS just revealed its testing results for midsize luxury SUVs; all eight of the SUVs aced the frontal section with Good ratings across the board. But only three of the SUVs — the Volvo XC60, Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class and Lincoln Aviator — earned overall Good ratings on the new test.
The Volvo XC60 earned a Good rating on all four rear-seat measures with the new test. The Lincoln Aviator received three Goods and an Acceptable for "Rear Passenger Restraints and Kinematics." The Mercedes GLE-Class had three Goods and an Acceptable for Head and Neck rear passenger injury.
The Acura MDX and BMW X3 received overall Acceptable ratings on the test. Both had Good ratings for everything except Rear Passenger Restraints and Kinematics. The Audi Q5 and Lexus RX received Marginal overall ratings. Cadillac's three-row XT6 earned a Poor overall rating.
Per the IIHS, the major issue in the five vehicles that received an acceptable or lower rating was the restraint system. The impacts on these vehicles caused the dummies to submarine beneath the lap belt, increasing their chance of injuries to either the head/neck or chest areas.
Note that the testing didn't factor in children secured in a car seat, and the IIHS still maintains that the second row is the safest place for children in car seats to avoid the impact from the air bag.
Considering most buyers choose sport-utes because they're transporting children, rear seat safety is (or should be) one of the most important consideration when buying an SUV. And we expect the new testing to result in safety improvements form manufacturers quickly.
