Subaru Outback Earns Top Rating in Latest IIHS Side-Impact Testing. The Subaru Outback has earned the highest possible rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) on its new side-impact test. The midsize crossover SUV joins only two other vehicles that have earned a top rating.
The new IIHS side-impact test replicates a crash with a vehicle moving at 20 miles (32 kilometers) per hour into the driver's side of a small car moving at 15 miles (24 kilometers) per hour. IIHS says the test is intended to replicate a real-world crash at an oblique angle, specifically where the vehicle's front corner strikes another car or object.
"This is a well-designed side test that provides a good measure of the real-world protection that vehicle occupants experience in collisions with vehicles moving at relatively low speeds," said Adrian Lund, IIHS president. "There are other ways to measure crash protection like measuring the ability of vehicles to keep vehicle occupants safe in front crashes, but this test provides valuable information on the potential for fatally striking objects outside the car."
To qualify for top rating results, vehicles must earn an advanced or superior rating and meet all five acceptable limits in each of the test's six evaluations. The Outback scored five stars for its performance on these six evaluations: structure, protection from intrusion, driver dummy clearance and injury measures, and occupant compartment.
The Subaru Outback is the only vehicle with a top rating this year. The best-performing model tested by IIHS in 2014 was the Audi A6, which earned five stars for its structure, protection from intrusion, and injury measures. That model had one fewer lead than the Outback on all six evaluations.
"The Outback's structure and protection from intrusion are well above average," said Lund. "Its structure was imposing considering the relatively high rate at which it tipped over during testing." During tests conducted with a small SUV, up to 40 percent of vehicles tested by IIHS tipped over or presented an unacceptable risk of injury to their occupants. The Outback was one of only four vehicles to receive a superior rating in that small SUV group.
The driver's side airbag size is another factor in Subaru's structural performance. The Outback has an optional curtain airbag that covers nearly all of the occupant compartment, which IIHS says improves occupant protection because it prevents injury to those on either side of the vehicle. The test measures how well a vehicle protects occupants in a crash involving an object moving at 20 mph. Still, many carmakers now offer similar systems on upscale models and provide them as standard equipment on most vehicles.
It is clear, therefore, that Subaru has done its homework. And, of course, it makes perfect sense to buy a vehicle from a company that sells its products with an eye toward their integrity and longevity. For more information, you can visit our dealership in Springfield, Missouri.
