Luxury SUVs Mixed on Back-Seat Safety
IIHS testing gives good ratings to just three of eight evaluated.
The Cadillac XT6 was given a poor rating by IIHS. Just three of eight models tested earned good ratings.
IMAGE: Cadillac
A Cadillac sports-utility vehicle scored poorly in a new crash test, which the safety evaluator said shows many automakers should improve second-row restraints.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety testing put eight 2024-model luxury SUVs through the paces of its toughened “moderate overlap” front crash test: the Acura MDX, Audi Q5, BMW X3, Cadillac XT6, Lexus RX, Lincoln Aviator, Mercedes GLE-Class and Volvo XC60.
The nonprofit vehicle safety-review organization updated the test last year after finding that risk of fatal injuries was higher for second-row belted passengers in newer vehicles than for front-row occupants because front seats had better airbags and seat belts not usually included in the back. It says that the back seat is still safest for children because they can be injured by inflating airbags.
Its SUV testing ended with good ratings for the Lincoln, Mercedes and Volvo models, acceptable for the Acura and BMW, marginal for the Audi and Lexus, and poor for the Cadillac.
“The three good ratings in this group show that our new, tougher standards are achievable when manufacturers commit to excellence,” said IIHS President David Harkey in a press release on the test results.
A good rating means a test dummy in the second row can’t show excessive risk of injury to the head, neck, chest or thigh.
IIHS said all eight tested vehicles provided “excellent” front-row protection.
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