http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bes...i.sentence.cnn

Results:
Chevy Trailblazer-marginal
Jeep Grand Cherokee-marginal

They even go as far to state the Jetta is safer than the SUVs tested.

Why some companies will install head air bags and no side impact air bags is beyond me.

 

because everybody assumes side airbags = the curtain ones. Side impact airbags (the torso ones) weren't that common in non-luxury cars back then. Then the head curtains came along and all those non-luxury cars started having side and side curtain airbags so most people assume they come in a package.

Of course leave it to the domestics to cut corners and leave out the torso side airbag and call it "6 airbags" by splitting the curtain airbag into "front" and "rear".. like how the Honda salesman told me the Civic had 8 airbags 8-).

 

Just watched the video... that's some major cabin intrusion... not just the two SUVs but on the Jetta too! Gotta start watching out when entering intersections!

 

Haha, Jetta. With the commercials that boast a 4 star crash test rating


Subaru Tribeca: 5 Stars

 

I didn't know Jetta's came in SUV form. That's news to me.

Take a look at the Jetta's crash test video: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...U=51&HBX_PK=pi

 

http://money.cnn.com/2007/10/11/auto...on=money_autos

 

So what accounts for a 5-star by NHTSA and a Marginal by IIHS on the Trailblazer?

Also.. the Jetta's a midsize now?

 

I'd rather be in a Jetta than a Civic during a crash.

 

My point was simply that I thought it was silly that VW was running an ad campaign on 4 stars. Lots of cars out there today have a 5 star rating so 4 is nothing to brag about. My Legacy is a '99 it has a 4 star rating and has ever since it debuted in 1990.

A bit off topic I realize.

 

Midsized GM SUVs 'marginal' in Insurance Institute crash tests; Toyota, Nissan perform best.
By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNNMoney.com staff writer
October 11 2007: 3:59 AM EDT

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- While all offer reasonable protection from front impacts, there are big differences in side impact protection among six truck-based SUVs, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The worst-performing vehicle in the test was the Chevrolet Trailblazer, which earned an "Acceptable" rating for front impact protection, the second-highest of four possible ratings, and a "Marginal" rating for side impact protection, the second-worst rating possible. The TrailBlazer earned a "Poor" rating, the worst possible, for whiplash protection in rear impacts.
trailblazer_cherokee.03.jpg
The Insurance Institute points out that the Chevrolet Trailblazer (top) and Jeep Grand Cherokee lack body-protecting side airbags. Both got Marginal ratings for side impact protection.

Results for the TrailBlazer by General Motors (Charts, Fortune 500) also apply to the closely related GMC Envoy, Isuzu Ascender and Saab 9-7X SUVs.

In its announcement, the Insurance Institute pointed out that the Trailblazer and Chrysler's Jeep Cherokee lacked body-protecting side airbags although both offer head-protecting side airbags.

The Grand Cherokee earned the top "Good" rating for front impact protection but, like the Trailblazer, got a "Marginal" rating for side impact protection. The Grand Cherokee earned a "Good" rating for rear impact protection.

The Grand Cherokee earned top 5-star scores in all of the federal government's crash tests, however, a Chrysler spokesman noted.

The Insurance Institute is a private organization funded by auto insurers.

"No single test can determine a vehicle's overall safety performance, and Chrysler continues to pursue every opportunity to improve the crash worthiness of its vehicles," Chrysler said in a prepared statement.

General Motors also pointed out that the TrailBlazer had earned 5-star ratings in the federal government's side impact test. (The TrailBlazer earned 3 and 4 stars for protecting the driver and passenger, respectively, in the government's front impact test, however.)
IIHS Top Safety Picks

"The performance of some of these models in the side test was surprising," said Institute senior vice president David Zuby. "SUVs should have an advantage in side crashes because the driver and passengers ride higher up than in cars. People often think they're safer in one of these vehicles, but many cars hold up better than some of these midsize SUVs in this test."

The best performing SUV was the Nissan Pathfinder when equipped with optional side airbags. It earned the top rating of "Good" for both front and side impact protection and a "Marginal" rating for whiplash protection.

Without side airbags, side impact protection was rated "Marginal" in the Pathfinder.

The Nissan XTerra, when tested with and without side airbags, performed as well as the Pathfinder except that it was rated "Poor" for whiplash protection.

The Toyota (Charts) 4Runner, likewise, earned "Good" ratings for front and side impact protection but got a "Poor" rating for whiplash protection.

The Ford (Charts, Fortune 500) Explorer earned a "Good" score for front impact protection, but an "Acceptable" rating for side impact protection and a "Poor" rating for whiplash protection. The Explorer's score also applies the closely related Mercury Mountaineer.

Truck-based SUVs like these are different from the car-based crossover SUVs which are now more popular among buyers. Examples of car-based SUVs would be the Toyota Highlander, Ford Escape or GMC Acadia.

Truck-based SUVs have a weight-supporting chassis or frame that is separate from the body. That's the best design for off-roading or heavy towing. In car-based crossover SUVs, weight supporting structures are incorporated into the vehicle's body, which allows the vehicle to be made lighter for better fuel economy and handling.
How they're tested

The Insurance Institute's front impact test involves an offset impact at 40 miles per hour. The vehicle strikes the barrier with just one side of its front end, so impact forces are concentrated in a relatively small area.

For side impact safety, vehicles are tested using a moving barrier that strikes the vehicle at a speed of 31 mph. The barrier is raised off the ground to mimic an impact from an SUV or pick-up truck.

Because of the height of the barrier, vehicles without head-protecting side airbags do not perform well in the Institute's side impact test. Even some vehicles with those types of airbags still do not do well.

To measure rear impact whiplash protection, the Institute measures the height and shape of the headrest to see if it would, theoretically, protect an average sized man. If the headrest is judged to be "Good" or "Acceptable" according to that test, it is then further tested in a 20 mph rear impact using a crash test dummy.

Vehicles with seats that are not judged "Good" or "Acceptable" based on measurement alone are given a rating of "Poor." Top of page

 

While these tests, of course, give a general idea of a vehicle's potential crashworthiness and are certainly not worthless, keep in mind that they are done under strictly controlled lab conditions. But, in the real world, few accidents happen under those exact conditons. The real damage that the vehicles will incur.....and how well they will protect the occupants.....of course depends on many factors that cannot be duplicated exactly in the test, and depends at least partly if the occupants belt themselves in correctly. Wearing a belt or harness incorrectly can be as bad or worse than not wearing one at all.

 

I think everyone is aware that is is a guide, just the same as wearing a seat belt can kill a person in certain situations. yet it is still best to wear one.

 

Yeah, I know someone who refuses to wear a seatbelt cause she was thrown from a Wrangler, lived, while the people buckled up were trapped and died...I put scissors in my center console after that.

 

People like you and me, yes......but you would be surprised at the automotive ignorance out there, and the gullibility of some people who just read headlines and don't have any idea of how to interpret them.

 

And the Jeep Wrangler, even while driving properly belted up, is not the world's standard of auomotive safety to begin with. It is not as prone to flip-overs today as in years past, but is still rather unstable in handling, and has few built-in safety features. It is primarily designed for off-roading where you have little other traffic to start with.