http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/ Autoblog Comments for IIHS awards 34 models its Top Safety Pick Award for 2008 http://www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/Nov 15th 2007 11:38AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/Funny, how the one brand new truck that scored **** for both front passengers, ends up on the IIHS top pick. Perhaps the repair costs are lower? Or maybe they included the lower femur loads]]>Nov 15th 2007 11:50AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/
Also the IIHS conducts the test at 40 mph vs the 35 mph the NHTSA does.

The fact the Tundra does well on the IIHS test and does 4-stars on the NHTSA test means that the vehicle does better on offset frontal collision. Which is really better for the real world.

More here:
http://www.informedforlife.org/viewartcl.php?index=10


]]>Nov 15th 2007 12:20PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/
'None produced by Chrysler Corp. made the list. The company said in a statement, "Chrysler vehicles have performed well on a variety of internal and third party tests \[and\] our vehicles have consistently achieved top ratings in the government's crash test program." '

http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzcars1115,0,6800553.story

]]>Nov 15th 2007 11:40AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/
Also what Chrysler products did they even test? Hell, I want a list of ALL the vehicles they tested.

]]>Nov 15th 2007 11:45AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/
And that "5 star" crap means nothing as the NHTSA tests aren't anywhere near as thorough as the IIHS or NCAP tests.]]>Nov 15th 2007 11:55AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/Nov 15th 2007 12:02PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/
Truck should not be on the list even if it passed the IIHS tests with flying colors, the fact it hasn't done well in one of the tests (Gov or IIHS) means some part of it isn't the safest it could be.]]>Nov 15th 2007 12:12PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/
The NHTSA tests are, essentially, tests of the passive safety systems as the full-frontal and side-impact crashes distribute forces across the whole structure--something that usually does not happen in real life. They are good measures of how well airbags and such work.

The IIHS tests are a better tell as to the structure and the restraint systems--they concentrate force into a smaller area, more closely mimicking a real crash and stressing the structure of the vehicle to a greater degree. IIHS tests are also slightly more comparable across weight classes, but not very.

Usually, a vehicle will pass the NHTSA test but do more poorly on the IIHS one (the Chevy Venture and Ford F150 are particularly nasty examples of how badly a vehicle does in IIHS vs NHTSA). That the Tundra did the opposite is interesting, but not unheard of, and generally it's the IIHS test that matters more.

Remember: it's the *INSURANCE* Institute of Highway Safety. They want to keep you safe first and your vehicle safe second because medical payments cost a lot more than vehicle repairs/writeoffs.]]>Nov 15th 2007 12:32PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/
Of course, one would assume that the Silverado, which has outperformed the Tundra on other actual crash tests, would fare just as well or better than the Tundra when equipped with the optional stability control and/or side airbags.]]>Nov 15th 2007 12:21PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/
can you read?

Saturn VUE built after December 2007----although it isn't stellar, Saturn made the list.

Anywho when you get into a "real world" accident it's always a crapshoot.]]>Nov 15th 2007 12:27PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/Nov 15th 2007 12:32PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/Nov 15th 2007 12:33PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/Nov 15th 2007 1:08PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/
ok if you are going to split hairs then every Japanese car on that list that is made in America, by your logic is American.

I was just making a clear observation that a GM branded vehicle, sold in the United States was on the list. But someone needed to nit-pick, are you having a rough day?]]>Nov 15th 2007 1:24PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/
The primary point of my post (that you missed) is that the Vue isn't an American vehicle *at all*. That has as much to do with the fact that it's a badge-engineered Opel as the fact that it's assembled by folks who can't read the warning labels on the sun visors. Any credit for its crash performance should be given to the folks in Germany who designed the vehicle and made it conform to the (much tougher) European crash test standards, not to GM of America which is completely incapable of building a safe vehicle.]]>Nov 15th 2007 2:35PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/
Bulit in Kansas City, Kansas

I know....I'm ill-informed
]]>Nov 15th 2007 3:13PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/
'08 Legacy (ZOMG built in Indiana!) : http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=203 . 'G' markings across the board.

'08 Malibu : http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=885 . 1 'A' rating for leg/foot.

Good, but why can't a brand-new Malibu best a *four-year-old* Subaru?]]>Nov 15th 2007 3:34PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/
taking pot shots at domestic haters warms the cockles of my heart :)]]>Nov 15th 2007 8:13PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/iihs-awards-34-models-its-top-safety-pick-award-for-2008/Nov 15th 2007 12:37PM