- The 2011 Saab 9-5 and the front-wheel-drive version of the 2011-'12 Volkswagen CC have earned the Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
- The IIHS says the heavier all-wheel-drive version of the Volkswagen CC did not earn top honors because it is only rated acceptable — not good — in the roof strength test.
- The roof strength test predicts how well a vehicle will do in rollover crashes.
ARLINGTON, Va. — The 2011 Saab 9-5 and the front-wheel-drive version of the 2011-'12 Volkswagen CC have earned the Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The IIHS says the heavier all-wheel-drive version of the Volkswagen CC did not earn top honors because it is only rated acceptable — not good — in the roof strength test. The roof strength test predicts how well a vehicle will do in rollover crashes.
The Saab 9-5 and the front-wheel-drive version of the Volkswagen CC earned good ratings for front, side and rear crash protection, and have standard electronic stability control.
In other IIHS ratings released on Thursday, the 2011 Lexus ES 350 did not make it into the Top Safety Pick class. It earned a good rating for rollover protection, but it is rated marginal for rear crash protection. The BMW 3 Series, Chevrolet Impala (models built after July 2010), Infiniti G, Lexus IS 250/350 and Saab 9-3 earned acceptable ratings for rollover protection.
The rollover safety test measures the maximum force supported by the roof when a metal plate is pushed against the corner of the vehicle's roof. Then a strength-to-weight ratio is calculated.
Inside Line says: Lots of room for improvement, according to this test.
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1919diesel says:
07:06 AM, 06/20/2011
I'm still wondering how the powertrain (AWD vs. FWD) makes a difference in the roof strength test? Are they theorizing that the additional weight will make the roof collapse in a rollover? Or do they actually perform testing that shows the roof gives in under lower PSI or something due to the heavier drivetrain?
OH, and think about it this way.... which vehicle is more likely to rollover... the AWD or FWD? This shows the stupidity of relying on one measure - "Roof Strength Test"..... nobody can convince me that the FWD version will handle rain & other slick conditions as well as the AWD, and that in some violent emergency maneuvers the FWD will be able to maintain it's footing on the road as well as the AWD, so the whole incident (Rollover collision) is less likely in the AWD version to begin with.... but, the institute says it's "less safe" anyway!?!?!?! Ridiculous!
dagmar3 says:
10:41 AM, 06/19/2011
The roll-over "test" is not a test at all, it is a prediction. Hurricanes are predicted by scientists; yet nobody belives them even though there are all sorts of charts and theories backing them up. Nobody listens to scientists who predict because the predictions are are often wrong.
Enough with the predictions - actually roll the vehicles over and see what happens. Sure, the IIHS would have to buy more vehicles. So what? Saab could use the sales.