Mitsubishi Lancer earns Top Safety Pick award, first Mitsubishi to pass new rollover test [*UPDATE]

Zach Bowman — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:59:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Safety, Mitsubishi

2010 Mitsubishi Lancer ES - Click above for high-res image gallery

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has named the Mitsubishi Lancer one of its top safety picks. The four-door sedan managed to be the first Mitsubishi that the Institute has tested to pass the new roll-over test with a "good" rating. As much as we like entertaining ourselves by thinking about the researchers flipping a bevy of cars and SUVs from 9-to-5, that isn't quite how the institute tests for rollover strength.

Instead, a large metal plate exerts a steady force on the roof of a vehicle until the crash structure deflects by five inches. At that point, the boffins measure the amount of force it took to bend the roof and compare it to the overall weight of the vehicle. From there, a strength-to-weight ratio can be established. Currently, the federal government requires a vehicle's roof to be able to withstand 1.5 times the weight of the car, and in order for a vehicle to earn a "good" rollover rating from the IIHS, the roof needs to be able to stand up to four times the weight of the vehicle.

Gallery: 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer ES

[Source: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]

Mitsubishi Lancer earns Top Safety Pick award, first Mitsubishi to pass new rollover test [*UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Video: Citroën Nemo fails European "moose test," highlights value of stability control

Sam Abuelsamid — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 10:27:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Videos, Peugeot, Citroën

Citroën Nemo on its tippy toes - Click above to watch the video after the break

We've recently had two shining examples of the importance of having a properly functioning electronic stability control system (ESC) in new vehicles. The instability of the 2010 Lexus GX 460 is a known problem and Toyota is working to address it. The Lexus was equipped with ESC, it just wasn't effective enough. Over in Europe, the Citroën Nemo failed miserably in a test conducted for a British consumer magazine because it lacked ESC entirely.

Which? is something of a British counterpart to Consumer Reports and had recently worked with German auto club ADAC to evaluate a trio of compact MPVs from Fiat, Peugeot and Citroën. The Qubo, Bipper Teepee and Nemo all share the same basic design, but only the Italian variant offers ESC as an option (and then only on diesel models). The Peugeot and Citroën do not offer ESC at any price. Needless to say, the results on the dreaded "moose test" (also known as the "elk test") were not good. This particular test is a double lane change obstacle avoidance maneuver at 50 miles per hour.

After the Citroën Nemo flipped over in this test, the remaining testing of the Peugeot was abandoned. PSA, the parent company of the automakers, has announced that it will start installing ESC on the Nemo and Bipper diesel models in July of this year. A version for gas engined will have to be developed and installed starting in fall 2011. Video of the test is after the jump.

[Source: Which?]

Continue reading Video: Citroën Nemo fails European "moose test," highlights value of stability control

Video: Citroën Nemo fails European "moose test," highlights value of stability control originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 10:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments