Nissan, Chrysler Minivans crumble in IIHS Small-Overlap Test

jack_christie

jack_christie

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Minivan weakness

Three models offer next to no protection in small overlap crashes.
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http://www.iihs.org/iihs/sr/statusreport/article/49/10/1

the 2015 Nissan Quest and the 2015 Dodge Caravan/Chrysler Town & Country twins?performed poorly, while the 2015 Toyota Sienna earned an ?Acceptable? rating.
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http://www.automobilemag.com/featur...ns-perform-poorly-in-iihs-small-overlap-test/


[video=youtube;X_-q1EJjA8o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=X_-q1EJjA8o[/video]

 
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Is this the first time these models have been subjected to this offset crash test? These models have been around for at least a few years, too, right? Or are any of them brand new?
 
The small offset crash test is pretty new, they haven't actually run all that many vehicles through them yet. Manufacturers are just starting to adapt to it.
 
It's a good test and I like how the IIHS constantly finds the holes in structural design. I'm sure the automotive engineers hate them for it, but its a productive relationship for consumers. The only problem is that weight is generally the result of adaptation, which is unfortunate for performance enthusiasts.
 
Wow, my retarded patriot does better.

Here's something I don't get. Of all vehicles that are made, why are family haulers built the worst?
 
Nissan, Chrysler Minivans cumble in IIHS Small-Overlap Test

Nissan, Chrysler Minivans cumble in IIHS Small-Overlap Test

93Flareside said:
Wow, my retarded patriot does better.

Here's something I don't get. Of all vehicles that are made, why are family haulers built the worst?
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This is the new small overlap test. Your Patriot hasn't been tested for that yet IIRC. Both the minivans in this test do quite well on the standard tests.

This is the same test they recently ran a bunch of luxury cars through and they did equally poorly.
 
2012 (Retarded?) Patriot


Rating: Poor
 
Okay, I'm totally wrong. :p

In the plus side, I know first hand that rear ending someone at 15mph means you will need a new bumper and radiator.

Side swiping at 45mph also gets a good rating. :D
 
93Flareside said:
Okay, I'm totally wrong. :p

In the plus side, I know first hand that rear ending someone at 15mph means you will need a new bumper and radiator.
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Rear ending someone at 15mph in something like my XJ6 means... you just wipe the paint residue off the rubber bumper cover. :D And check the seals on the bumper shock absorbers.
 
Small-offset is a really brutal test - all of the force is concentrated on a very small area of the car, thus taxing those crumple zones heavily. It'll be a little while before the manufacturers manage to consistently pass that particular test.
 
It seems the best change to pass this test is just an angled beam that deflects your car around the barrier.
 
NecroJoe said:
It seems the best change to pass this test is just an angled beam that deflects your car around the barrier.
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Yeah with such little contact area it seems better to sort of vector off of the obstacle rather than try to defend against it. Though I do wonder how safe that really is in the context of an actual crash site with other things around and a car potentially violently accelerating in multiple directions.
 
You also have the issue that the angled beam would need to deform in a regular full on frontal impact, I think.
 
Spectre said:
This is the same test they recently ran a bunch of luxury cars through and they did equally poorly.
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Well, I don't think one out of seven warrants a "they".

"The BMW 5 series received a ?marginal? rating in the small-overlap test while the Lincoln MKS received a ?poor? rating, making the MKS the only model of seven tested in IIHS? ?large luxury sedan? category to receive the safety group?s lowest rating. The latest round of testing included the Infiniti Q70 sedan, which received the top rating of ?good.?"

Source

Also, here are all results of the SOT.
 
Spectre said:
You also have the issue that the angled beam would need to deform in a regular full on frontal impact, I think.
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Valid. Anything you do to pass one test still has to pass all of the others...even if they somehow seem contradictory.
 
See the Jeep Wrangler doing the same test and perform much better makes me wonder, why did we move away from body on frame?
 
headcrash said:
Well, I don't think one out of seven warrants a "they".
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How about 9 out of 11 doing less than 'good'? http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2012/08/14/many-cars-fail-in-new-tougher-iihs-crash-test/

That's the article to which I was referring.

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93Flareside said:
See the Jeep Wrangler doing the same test and perform much better makes me wonder, why did we move away from body on frame?
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Weight, cost, chassis rigidity easier to obtain with unibody.
 
93Flareside said:
See the Jeep Wrangler doing the same test and perform much better makes me wonder, why did we move away from body on frame?
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The frame (or lack thereof) has very little influence over a small-overlap test as the frame is well separated from the major point of impact. The Wrangler performing better than, say, a Patriot is likely more to do with sheer luck than frame inclusion. Neither vehicle's crash structure was designed with this test in mind.
 
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