Flipped off! 2006 SUV rollover resistance improves greatly, says NHTSA
According to a new National Highway Traffic Safety Administration brief, SUVs are getting smarter about turning turtle. By its count, around seven out of every ten SUVs contain electronic stability control programs, reducing the likelihood of rollovers. In fact, nearly 70 percent of 2006 model year SUVs have it as standard fit-an impressive leap over last year's 43 percent. In fact, this bit of silicon trickery has led to no fewer than 39 models obtaining a four star rollover resistance rating. Of course, the increasing crop of car-based crossovers (and their attendant lower centers of gravity) likely has something to do with the higher scores as well.
Among this year's four-star class: Chevrolet's HHR (inexplicably classified as an SUV due to its flat load floor), Hyundai Tucson, Honda Pilot, and Suzuki's Grand Vitara, which is currently rolling around in the Autoblog Garage.
Chief SUV rollover risk were the Nissan Xterra 4x4 (25 percent chance of rollover), Chevrolet Tahoe 4x2 and Hummer H3 (24 percent chance)... but even these rated well enough to obtain three-star ratings.
Check out the link for more results.
[Sources: Car & Driver; Volvo]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
GM WHO? 9:35AM (6/01/2006)
Seriously
Unbalanced
Vehicles
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Oskar Austegard 10:41AM (6/01/2006)
"Check out the link for more results."
Uhm, where's the link?
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Phil L. 11:07AM (6/01/2006)
The HHR (and PT Cruiser) SUV classifications are hardly inexplicable: A calculated use of the rules to meet CAFE standards by balancing the V8 mileage of larger SUVs off of the 4 cylinder units in the HHR and Cruiser. Ever notice that the PT Cruiser never got a V6 option?
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wound3S 11:53AM (6/01/2006)
Got any more awesome pictures like that??
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jared 12:43PM (6/01/2006)
some videos would be awesome. anybody that can track them down will get a beer.
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Alex 1:20PM (6/01/2006)
But that still does not show how the occupents will fare when they do roll over.
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CH 1:40PM (6/01/2006)
Jared, you owe me a beer. XC90 rollover video here:
http://www.volvocars-pr.com/index.asp?par=newsroom&pag=av&lang=1&flash=1
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XC-90 3:28PM (6/01/2006)
Volvo conducted the XC-90 test at the company’s safety center in Gothenburg, Sweden. The SUV was loaded on a cart, which was accelerated to a speed of 30 mph. When the cart was brought to a sudden halt, the XC-90 went rolling, spinning more than three times before coming to a stop. At the end of the violent demonstration, the XC-90’s roof sustained only slight creasing and its windows were cracked.
The XC-90 has one of the strongest roof structures of any vehicle on the road today, according to safety experts. The need for a strong roof is emphasized by Volvo and other European automakers, citing correlation between roof intrusion and serious injuries.
Most European and Japanese automakers now follow similar regimens of testing to produce rollover-worthy cars and SUVs.
But Detroit automakers still conduct the same basic government roof-crush test enacted in 1971, known as Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 216, which is conducted by gradually applying pressure to a steel plate on one side of the roof. Safety advocates contend that such a simple test doesn’t emulate real-world rollover conditions, and they point to hundreds of accident and injury statistics to prove it.
A Jacksonville jury recently ordered Ford to pay damages of $10.2 million to the husband of Claire Duncan, 26, who died after her 2000 Ford Explorer rolled and the roof collapsed. The Duncan family lawyers sought to prove that Ford skimped on safety and that its policy of building weak roofs was undercut by Volvo's strength.
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Carmine 3:29PM (6/01/2006)
the link that says "read" is the one you're looking for, oskar
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