- 2023 Kia Sportage earns Top Safety Pick award
- 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan earns highest IIHS award
- IIHS reports many autobrake systems don’t work well in the dark
- Newer cars reduce gender disparities in similar crash outcomes: NHTSA report
Each month sees its fair share of new-car safety news, and in case you couldn’t keep on top of it all, we thought we’d go ahead and collect it all into this brief. Check out who’s winning crash-test awards and earning stars, and who’s falling flat.
2023 Kia Sportage earns Top Safety Pick award
2023 Kia Sportage X-Line Photo by Elle Alder
There’s no shortage of 2023 Kia Sportage reviews on Driving, including a comparison of the Sportage and 2022 Hyundai Tucson, which happen to be built on the same platform. Following that last point, IIHS says many of the Sportage’s safety ratings are based on tests of the Tucson. The redesigned Sportage missed out on the top-tier award due to not having good or acceptable headlights as standard across all trims. Instead, only the top two trims earned the Top Safety Pick award. In order to qualify, the vehicles also needed good ratings in crashworthiness tests, as well as have an available front crash-prevention system.
2022 Volkswagen Tiguan earns highest IIHS award
The midsize SUV earns the Top Safety Pick+ award this year, due to better headlights. For this higher award, the 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan boasts improved headlight systems across all trims, each earning a good or acceptable rating. The previous year’s model missed out on the top award because of poor-rated halogen headlights offered on some trims.
The Tiguan also earned good ratings in all six of the IIHS crashworthiness tests. The SUV’s front crash-prevention system received a superior rating in the vehicle-to-vehicle test; and an advanced rating in the vehicle-to-pedestrian test.
IIHS reports many autobrake systems don’t work well in the dark
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According to IIHS, many autobrake systems aren’t performing up to par at night, which the organization says is when three-quarters of pedestrian deaths happen. As such, IIHS will be adding a new requirement to its evaluations, beginning with the 2023 model year. In order to be eligible for the Top Safety Pick+ award, IIHS will require vehicles to earn a superior or advanced rating on the new nighttime pedestrian-detection test, in addition to the daytime one.
IIHS reported 12 of the 23 sedans, midsize SUVs, and small trucks evaluated only earned a basic rating — as opposed to superior or advanced ratings — or no credit at all. What’s more, IIHS found that there was no consistency between competing segments or even within one brand.
For example, Nissan’s 2022 Pathfinder was rated superior, while the Altima received no credit — meaning the tested vehicle either failed to detect a dummy pedestrian at night, or wouldn’t slow down in the same manner that it would during daylight hours. The full list of tested vehicles can be seen on the IIHS website.
Newer cars reduce gender disparities in similar crash outcomes: NHTSA report
The 2021 Ford Bronco undergoing an IIHS small-overlap crash test Photo by IIHS
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been actively strengthening standards for seat belts and air bags, which includes removing the gender disparities when it comes to crash testing and crash outcomes with similar physical impacts.
According to a recent NHTSA report, the difference in fatality rates between men and women fell significantly, beginning with the model year 2000. The study also reports the newer the car, the smaller the disparity — vehicles with model years between 2015 and 2020 have an estimated difference of 2.9 per cent between crashes involving either gender in the front row.
In part, this is due to newer generations of cars being equipped with dual air bags and more advanced seat belts. The NHTSA will continue working to eliminate existing disparities in similar crash outcomes for men and women by developing newer crash test dummies, sophisticated computer modeling that tests different types of crashes on different body types and sizes, as well as evaluating safety standard and systems.
“While NHTSA’s new report shows significant declines in differences in crash outcomes between women and men, there is more work required to eliminate any disparities that remain,” said Dr. Steven Cliff, NHTSA’s Administrator.
Keyword: Safety Roundup: Kia Sportage, VW Tiguan earn IIHS awards, and more