The Mazda CX-9 and Volkswagen ID. 4 get overall Good ratings.
The Nissan Murano, Kia Telluride, Hyundai Palisade, and others score a Marginal rating.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently released side impact test results for 18 popular midsize SUVs. These new ratings are based on the latest and tougher side-impact tests.
2021 Volkswagen ID.4 | Photo: Matt St-Pierre
The revised side test now uses a heavier barrier, from 3,300 lbs to 4,200 lbs, and also travels at 37 mph, up from 31 mph. The result is that 82% more energy is transmitted to the test subject.
In this round of testing, 10 out of the 18 garnered good ratings while two earned acceptable ratings. The final six were given a Marginal rating.
“It’s encouraging to see so many midsize SUVs from different automakers earn good ratings in this more challenging evaluation,” says IIHS Senior Research Engineer Becky Mueller, whose research formed the foundation for the new test protocol. “These results will help confirm the adjustments they need to make to other vehicles going forward.”
2021 Mazda CX-9 | Photo: Mazda
The big winners are the Mazda CX-9 and Volkswagen ID.4, the only EV in this group, as they both scored Good in every metric. The Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade earned a Marginal rating based on a Poor rating for pelvic injuries for the driver. The Nissan Murano’s Marginal result is largely based on the Poor rating for its structure and safety cage.
