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The video footage is surprising, and a little disturbing.
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The IIHS conducted the test twice with identical results.
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This incidence has forced the IIHS to rate the Wrangler “Marginal”.
The video, you’ll agree, is quite spectacular. It’s also somewhat disturbing when one considers that this is a regular crash test that all new vehicles are submitted too. To ensure that the result was not a fluke, the IIHS proceeded to repeat the test only to find an identical result.
The interior camera shows the “driver” flailing about as the Jeep Wrangler rolls onto the passenger side following the IIHS’s driver-side small overlap crash test. The rollover and potential injury has earned the Jeep a “Marginal” rating, only one notch above “Poor”. This result is unfortunate as the Wrangler still managed to score a “Good” in nearly all other crashworthiness categories, including in the side crash test.
This is what the IIHS had to say about the small overlap front crash test:
“In both the Institute’s tests, the vehicle tipped onto its passenger side after striking the barrier. The partial rollover presents an additional injury risk beyond what the standard criteria are intended to measure in small overlap frontal crash tests. A vehicle tipping onto its side is not an acceptable outcome for a frontal crash and, as a result, the Wrangler’s overall rating was downgraded to marginal.”
Despite this unfortunate turn, we’re still big fans of the new JL Wrangler.
