The Best And Worst Vehicles For Passenger Safety
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- Image Credit: Porsche
Though the study doesn't get into the nitty-gritty details about what makes some of the cars perform badly, all in all, the results showed that bigger is better when it comes to this type of safety.
"It's not just the size, but also that there's more room between the occupants and what they will interact with," said Pete Leiss, head of crash practice at Lancaster, Pa.-based Robson Forensic.
Though small cars often perform well in crash tests, Insure.com said, sheer size of your car will ultimately go further in protecting your passengers. Click on through to see which vehicles are the best for passenger safety, and which are the worst. -
- Image Credit: GM
No. 5 Best - GMC Yukon
Sticker Price: $46,335 - $65,680
Invoice Price: $43,092 - $61,082
Fuel Economy: 16 mpg City, 23 mpg Highway
Completely redesigned for the 2015 model year, the GMC Yukon can seat a lot of people both comfortably and safely. Safety features standard on all Yukons include four-wheel anti-lock brakes, StabiliTrak stability control system with rollover mitigation, seven airbags, including a new center mounted front airbag, tire pressure monitoring system, rear vision camera and OnStar with Automatic Crash Response.
The Yukon isn't cheap, but you get a lot for your money, including all kinds of comfort and tech features.
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- Image Credit: Ford
No. 4 Best - Ford F-250
Sticker Price: $30,035 - $47,520
Invoice Price: $27,707 - $43,837
Fuel Economy: NA
The big, burly F-250 is one of Ford's heavy-duty truck offerings. It boasts loads of torque and a high towing capacity, as well as numerous safety features that help to keep passengers safe.
In addition to its large size, the F-250 works to ensure its occupants safety with traction control and electronic stability control, a hill launch assist feature and side curtain airbags. Available safety features include a reverse camera system and stolen vehicle tracking system.
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- Image Credit: Porsche
No. 3 Best - Porsche Cayenne
Sticker Price: $49,600 - $146,000
Invoice Price: NA
Fuel Economy: 15 mpg City, 22 mpg Highway
Legendary Porsche driving prowess comes in SUV form with the Cayenne. In addition to great driving dynamics and luxury, the Cayenne also benefits from having a wide range of safety features, including Porsche Stability Management (PSM), Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC).
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- Image Credit: GM
No. 2 Best - GMC Sierra 2500
Sticker Price: $31,565 - $53,740
Invoice Price: $29,671 - $49,978
Fuel Economy: NA
The big, burly Sierra 2500 is available in a wide array of bed sizes, wheelbases, drive types and cab sizes, as well as a variety of trim levels. Stability control, hill start assist and a trailer sway control system are standard on the Sierra 2500 and its large size and sturdy construction make it very safe for passengers.
The Sierra is more expensive than the Chevrolet Silverado, which is a very similar truck, but it comes with a nicer interior and more features.
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- Image Credit: Ford
No. 1 Best - Ford F-350
Sticker Price: $31,940 - $50,730
Invoice Price: $29,464 - $46,798
Fuel Economy: NA
The F-350, which is another Heavy Duty offering from Ford, topped the list as the safest cars for passengers, according to Insure.com. Its massive size is obviously an asset when it comes to safety, but the truck also comes numerous standard safety features (most of which can also be found on the F-250) such as traction control, electronic stability control, a hill launch assist feature and side curtain airbags.
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- Image Credit: Nissan
No. 5 Worst - Nissan Versa
Sticker Price: $11,990 - $16,890
Invoice Price: $11,703 - $16,465
Fuel Economy: 27 mpg City, 36 mpg Highway
In general, we've been pretty pleased with what we've seen from Nissan's offering in the small sedan segment. The Versa was recently redesigned with new styling and a new interior. Passenger safety, however, is not this car's forte, according to Insure.com.
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- Image Credit: Mitsubishi
No. 4 Worst - Mitsubishi Lancer
Sticker Price: $17,195 - $28,395
Invoice Price: $16,469 - $27,196
Fuel Economy: 25 mpg City, 34 mpg Highway
The Mitsubishi Lancer has hung around for quite some time now, in spite of slow sales and low name recognition. The car can be had in a couple of exciting trims and engine configurations, such as the Ralliart and Evolution, but it's still at the bottom of the totem pole in this segment. Passenger safety is just one issue with this car.
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- Image Credit: Toyota
No. 3 Worst - Toyota Corolla
Sticker Price: $16,800 - $21,300
Invoice Price: $15,876 - $19,722
Fuel Economy: 28 mpg City, 37 mpg Highway
Toyota's recent redesign of the Corolla helped its looks and its interior, but didn't do much for passenger safety. This small sedan is the third-worst on Insure.com's list, which is the exact same position the previous-generation Corolla was in last year.
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- Image Credit: Fiat
No. 2 Worst - Fiat 500
MSRP: $16,195 - $22,195
Invoice: $15,801 - $21,381
Fuel Economy: 31 mpg City, 40 mpg Highway
The second-worst car for passenger safety, according to the study, is the Fiat 500. The little Italian hatchback boasts bold styling and great fuel economy, but passenger safety is a concern across all trim levels.
Occupants are protected by seven airbags, active front head restraints, electronic stability and traction control and a tire pressure monitoring system, but the reality is that this teeny car is going to lose almost every time it's in a collision.
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- Image Credit: Toyota
No. 1 Worst - Toyota Yaris
Sticker Price: $14,430 - $16,540
Invoice Price: $13,853 - $15,877
Fuel Economy: 30 mpg City, 37 mpg Highway
Toyota's small hatchback is this year's worst car for passenger safety, according to the study. The Yaris comes with safety features like anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist, electronic stability and traction control, whiplash-lessening front seats, front seatbelt pretensioners and nine airbags. But the reality is this is a small, cramped car, much like the Fiat 500, making it a fundamentally more dangerous place to be a passenger.
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