Mercedes-Benz R-Class, Lincoln MKZ earn IIHS Top Safety Pick
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently tested the Mercedes-Benz R-Class and Lincoln MKZ, and both have earned the agency's Top Safety Pick rating for 2009. The 2009 Mercedes-Benz R-Class did very well in the frontal offset and side impact tests with "Good" ratings in both tests (models manufactured after 9/2008 with the standard side airbags). The 2010 Lincoln MKZ also performed admirably, earning "Good" ratings in both tests as well (models manufactured after 1/2007). In rear crash tests done by the IIHS, the Mercedes and Lincoln each received "Good" ratings. While the IIHS smashed both of the vehicles offset into a barrier at 40 mph, and hit each with a 3,300-pound side impact barrier moving at 31 mph, the agency's new roof strength crash testing has not been conducted on either model. See the short press release after the jump.Gallery: 2010 Lincoln MKZ
[Source: IIHS]
Mercedes R class and Lincoln MKZ earn Top Safety Pick award
The Mercedes R class, a large SUV, and the Lincoln MKZ, a midsize luxury car, are the Institute's newest 2009 Top Safety Pick award winners. To qualify for Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must earn the highest rating of good in the Institute's front, side, and rear tests and be equipped with electronic stability control. Criteria to win are tough because the award is intended to drive continued safety improvements such as top crash test ratings and the rapid addition of electronic stability control, which is standard on the R class and the MKZ.
"Recognizing vehicles at the head of the class for safety helps consumers distinguish the best overall choices without having to sort through multiple test results," says Institute president Adrian Lund.
The Top Safety Pick designation applies to 2009 R class models built after September, 2008, and 2010 MKZ models.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Tmoguy 5:37PM (5/04/2009)
Ford is kicking ASS! Way to go!
America F$cK Yeah!
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C.W. 8:59AM (5/05/2009)
agreed.
and i dont even care what people may say... but i actually really like the look (exterior AND interior) of the new MKZ....
Randy 2:05PM (5/05/2009)
+1 Ford is indeed kicking azz!
Keep it going Ford! You've gone from #3 to #1 in the US for April beating GM (ailing) AND Toyota (not ailing). That's got to say something.....
I think it's time for an ad campaign to say "We're wooping azz".. ;)
Assass1n 5:37PM (5/04/2009)
They still make the R-Class?
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Erik 5:51PM (5/04/2009)
That is exactly what I thought when I saw this article
chineyz954 5:52PM (5/04/2009)
Wow this article only mentions Mercedes?
chineyz954 5:56PM (5/04/2009)
Disregard my reply i misread your comment
pickles 8:13PM (5/04/2009)
That R-class is THE used car bargain of the century. They've hardly changed a thing on it since introduction.. new ones tickle $60k easliy, while a 2006 in my area can be less than $25,000. Ugly, but safe, big, luxurious, 4-matic AWD, made well.. for the price of a strippo new Honda Odyssey.
Luke Kobilan 10:54PM (5/04/2009)
I guess rich people who are blind might want to be driven around in it. I think it's fugly.
john 6:59PM (5/04/2009)
ford is on fire end of story end of report...
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Mike 5:49PM (5/04/2009)
In this horrific market, seems to be all good news for Ford in some way or another.
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Yaroukh 6:01PM (5/04/2009)
someone should delete all the photos of the MKZ's rear end from the internet
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mikecanada 6:21PM (5/04/2009)
I'd prefer they deleted photos of Kirstie Alley's rear end
Yaroukh 6:23PM (5/04/2009)
The DEL-button is not big enough for that.
Jake 6:44PM (5/04/2009)
I think that the rear-end is cosmetically the best feature. Of the car, not Kirstie Alley; I have no comment about her rear-end.
pickles 8:14PM (5/04/2009)
Really? I don't care for the car at all (too fat above the rear wheels), and the whole thing lacks any tension.. it's all kind of melted and average, but I LIKE the rear.. It reminds me of a Quattroporte.
ricky 6:46PM (5/04/2009)
R class is a sales flop, it won't be around long....
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BobinCobb 6:58PM (5/04/2009)
CAUTION! The IIHS is an insurance industry public relations and lobbying organization that publishes politically motivated faux studies to support, and promote, its collective self–interest, not the people or the general welfare of the public.
Revelations from IIHS show that they may be a lead cause in the nations red–light running crisis and the associated high fatal accidents. They spearheaded a movement to shorten yellows causing more entries on red (collisions), this movement undermined sound engineering practices and benefited red light camera makers and the citation industry. More than 25 percent of this group’s sponsors income comes from citation surcharges. A report by congress showed that returning to sound engineering practices reduces accident rates and that these cameras are about money, not safety. Moreover, they are also a leading proponent of removing due process from automated traffic fine collection. Despite the areas where the automated tickets do not cause points, these enterprises alone have generated more than a billion dollars in premium surcharges for their clients.
Its position papers, studies, reports and compiling methods rarely conform to, or meet accepted scientific and traffic engineering research practices or pass peer review verifications. Too often, IIHS conclusions express a publicity driven political agenda that is not supported by fact (teen driving, red light cameras, speed, dui, etc.).
Its crash test are of interest but its criteria does not reflect real world conditions nor does it represent a true picture of the vehicle’s overall safety design features (active and passive) or the testing done by its manufacturer examining all possible crash scenarios and safety concerns or its corresponding real world occupant safety record.
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P.V. 9:58PM (5/04/2009)
MKZ = ROCKIN'.
The R-Class should have been discontinued long ago. While the idea was pretty nice, the execution was poor. Thankfully M-B admitted the mistake instead of spouting BS about how the market wasn't ready for the vehicle: http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/15/mercedes-admits-r-class-was-a-failure/
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izorro 11:13PM (5/04/2009)
And the Hits just keep coming :)
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