IIHS Adds Fourth Test Category: Roof Strength

Tiny as they are, Smart Fortwos perform quite well in IIHS crash tests thanks to its built in safety cage.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is an association of auto insurance companies who track how well vehicles perform in a crash. These tests go far in helping member companies decide how much to charge customers, which means automakers know that a low score could result in higher insurance premiums. High premiums can keep shoppers away from purchasing a particular model, thus the importance of performing well.

Thousands Killed Annually In Rollovers

Up until recently the IIHS tested cars for front, side and rear impact, but they didn’t test these cars for roof impact which happens as a result of vehicle roll overs. Roof strength is critical because if your roof collapses, you and your passengers could be seriously injured or killed. About 10,000 people are killed annually due to rollovers, which is about one-fourth of all vehicle deaths in the US.

To roll out its new test, the IIHS decided to test the smallest cars on the road – a group of micro and mini-cars that may soon become dominate on our roads especially if gas prices begin to surge once again. The Smart Fortwo, Chevy Aveo, Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris and Hyundai Accent were each tested with some surprising results – the Fortwo’s roof was the strongest while the Aveo was the weakest, the latter model given a “marginal” rating by the IIHS.

Smart Fortwo Cage

IIHS research has shown that car roofs have gotten strong lately, which is good news for consumers. In the case of the Smart Fortwo, which is enveloped in a safety cage, roof strength is superior to most cars on the road.

“We anticipate that our roof strength test will drive improved rollover crash protection the same way our frontal offset and side tests have led to better occupant protection in these kinds of crashes,” says Institute president Adrian Lund. “Small cars should have an easier time with the roof strength test,” Lund explains. “Their light weight means their roofs don’t have to work as hard to keep the structure around the occupants intact in a rollover.”

More Tests Soon

Likely, we’ll hear some pretty bad news as the IIHS test expands to incorporate more body styles with SUVs expected to perform poorly. Minivans, crossovers and any other larger vehicle will probably have a difficult time getting a score above acceptable with perhaps marginal being the common score among some segments.

Source: IIHS

See Also — IIHS Recognizes Ford Safety Among This Year’s Top Picks

The Most Fuel Efficient Cars of 2009

Although gas prices have retreated considerably since peaking above $4 per gallon over the summer, consumers who are in the market for a new vehicle are still putting a high importance on choosing cars that deliver exceptional fuel economy. The retreat from big SUVs, pickup trucks, and other large vehicles has been historic with demand for certain smaller cars outstripping supply.

Each year the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes information about every vehicle sold in the US to include city, highway, and combined driving fuel economy. Up until recently, those figures were considered to be inflated, but over the past few years the EPA has taken great strides to make certain that fuel economy numbers parallel real world driving conditions. If the EPA says that a car can get 40 mpg, you should be able to realize that number under optimum driving conditions.

The Most Fuel Efficient Cars For 2009

For the 2009 model year, the EPA has released its Top Ten list of most fuel efficient cars. The list is evenly split between hybrids and gas or electric models, with top honors going to the Toyota Prius:

1. Toyota Prius (hybrid) — 48/45

2. Honda Civic Hybrid — 40/45

3. Nissan Altima Hybrid — 35/33

4. Ford Escape Hybrid FWD; Mazda Tribute Hybrid 2WD; Mercury Mariner Hybrid FWD — 34/31

5. Smart ForTwo convertible; Smart ForTwo coupe — 33/41

6. Toyota Camry Hybrid — 33/34

7. Volkswagen Jetta (manual, diesel); Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen (manual, diesel) — 30/41

8. Volkswagen Jetta (automatic, diesel); Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen (automatic, diesel) — 29/40

9. Toyota Yaris (manual) — 29/36

10. Toyota Yaris (automatic) – 29/35

The Worst of the Lot

Now that you know the most fuel efficient vehicles available, can you guess which model finished dead last? If you said the Lamborghini Murcielago with its 6.5L V12 engine, then you guessed correctly. The Italian sportscar gulps gas to the tune of delivering just 8 mpg city and 13 mpg highway finishing just ahead of the Bentley Arnage RL which gets 9 mpg city/15 mpg highway thanks to its 6.7L V12 powerplant.

To find the fuel economy of a vehicle that interests you and to make side by side comparisons with other cars, trucks, vans, crossovers, and SUVs, visit the EPA website to plug in that information.

Gas Savings Equals Reliability In Recent Consumer Survey

Of the hundreds of different models of cars on the road today, which ones do you think are the most reliable? Well, if you pick by the brand – Toyota and Honda – you would be right, but there is a more telling way to figure out which cars are the best: they’re the most fuel efficient ones.

In a recent survey conducted by Consumers Union — the independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves – and published in their magazine, Consumer Reports, the small car segment performed quite well.

Consumer Reports found that nine hybrid models rated above average in predicted reliability, with most of those produced by Japanese automakers. In the the Family Cars category, the Toyota Prius, the Toyota Camry Hybrid, and the Nissan Altima Hybrid, as well as the luxury Lexus GS450h Hybrid sedan have all been recognized among the most reliable vehicles for sale today.

The Lexus RX400h and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid are among the most reliable in midsized SUVs, while the Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid small SUVs rated above normal in expected reliability. The report also found that the Honda Civic Hybrid is above average while recognizing that conventional gas powered cars such as the Honda Fit, Scion xD, Smart ForTwo, and Toyota Yaris had few problems reported.

Although the report sung high praises for most Japanese makes while also recognizing the great strides in quality improvements from Korean and European brands, the report also recognized some interesting trends among the three American automakers.

Specifically, Consumer Reports now says that Ford’s quality nearly matches the industry leaders – Toyota and Honda, while General Motors offers a mixed bag of quality across its many vehicle segments. For GM, some of their newer vehicles such as the Chevrolet Malibu performed quite well while its highly touted Cadillac CTS and crossover triplets – Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, and Saturn Outlook – performed below average.

Worst, were the findings for Chrysler. The report noted that the Dodge Caliber hatchback and Jeep Patriot SUV were above average, but found that the company’s minivans, midsize cars, and Jeep Liberty performed below average. Indeed, the convertible version of the Chrysler Sebring midsize car performed exceptionally bad in this survey.

So, if you are in the market for a new car, taking Consumer Reports’ survey into consideration should help you make a purchase you can live with. I’m not endorsing Consumer Reports per se, but when you’re researching what car to buy, considering what they have to say about various makes and models is a wise move.

(Source: Consumers Union)