The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety took some GMC Acadias and smashed them up to see how the big crossovers hold up against immovable objects, and unlike recent tests conducted for the Chevy Equinox and Pontiac Torrent, the news is positive. An AWD Acadia SLE acted as a stand-in for all of the Lambda models - Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, Saturn Outlook, and all Acadia trims included. It didn't matter whether the IIHS attacked the front, side, or rear – the CUV earned a "good" rating in all directions. With the standard fitment of Stabilitrak, the IIHS also bestowed a Top Safety Pick crown on GM's big haulers. The Lambas now have both a five-star rating from the NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick designator about which to brag.

[Source: Inside Line]

Click above for high-res gallery of each crash test

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released complete crash test scores today for eight SUVs including the 2009 Ford Escape, 2008 Mitsubishi Outlander, 2008 Nissan Rogue, 2009 VW Tiguan, 2008 Chevy Equinox/Pontiac Torrent, 2008 Jeep Wrangler 2-door, the Jeep Patriot and the Suzuki Grand Vitara. When we say complete crash tests, we mean the IIHS performed front, side and rear crash tests on all eight SUVs.

Each vehicle was given an overall rating of good, acceptable, marginal or poor, and the Escape, Outlander, Rogue and Tiguan earned good ratings in all three tests and, since they each come with electronic stability control as standard equipment, were also named Top Safety Picks by the IIHS. The rest of the group received either acceptable or marginal ratings in some tests, though the worst performing was the Jeep Wrangler 2-door. While the Jeep did earn a good rating in the frontal crash test, its side crash test was rated as poor, the lowest rating possible.

Automakers with SUVs that earned Top Safety Pick awards will now be touting their achievements from the rooftops. Ford has already started, noting in a press release that the Escape tops Toyota and Honda in combined safety and fuel efficiency ratings. Other automakers, meanwhile, are trying to explain away why their vehicles didn't perform as well in the IIHS tests. General Motors issued a press release noting that the Equinox and Torrent earned 5-stars in the NHTSA tests and that the IIHS side crash test is a "single and very sever test."

Follow the jump for the press release from the IIHS that explains their testing procedures and goes further into why each vehicle earned the ratings it did.


[Source: IIHS]

Crash safety ratings are a big selling point – who's going to buy a car with just two stars? In pursuit of salable collision performance, automakers have turned to stronger metals and better construction, and consumers can reap the benefit by choosing from a panoply of highly rated vehicles. A problem arises, however, if that safety design is ever called upon to perform. Lots of vehicles now sport high strength steel in critical areas like roof pillars, and while it certainly helps protect occupants, it could hinder rescue crews. Tools that once made quick work of crashed vehicles are now having trouble shearing through modern cars. Not only that, modern cars have lots of airbags around the cabin, and there are also worries about cutting high-voltage electrical cabling in hybrid or electric vehicles. Rescuers need to know where all the potentially hazardous equipment lies within a vehicle so that they can safely retrieve human cargo without creating a further tragedy.

What was once a simple matter of cutting a roof off to get passengers out can now become a sawblade-eating saga that takes double or triple the time. Taking more time at an accident scene has repercussions that put recovery or even survival at risk by delaying treatment. Automakers are aware of this, and they're working with public safety entities to provide training and information. Schematics and build details of vehicles are being made available to first responders by the non-profit group COMCARE Emergency Response Alliance. The ability to research where and how a car should be taken apart in an emergency could buy injured people critical minutes, so Ford, for instance, is asking for a dialogue with rescue crews and the makers of their tools by offering a look at the construction of the 2009 F-150. Upgrades to rescue tools are also necessary, but the flip side of the harder rescue is that the death rate from passenger car accidents is historically low. So buy that five-star vehicle and try not to hit anything. Thanks for the tip, Juan!

[Source: Houston Chronicle]

The new Cadillac CTS has been snatching up awards and garnering praise since its launch last year, and now its got another trophy to place on its shelf. After the IIHS wrapped up its battery of batterings, the CTS joined the Institute's list of Top Safety Picks for 2008. Cadillac's entry-level sports sedan is sitting at the table with the Volvo S80, Saab 9-3, Audi A4 and A6 as another vehicle to receive the highest rating issued by the Institute after enduring front, side and rear crash tests, along with being equipped with electronic stability control.

The IIHS' full press release is posted after the jump.