2003 Q45 rated "Best Pick" in IIHS crash test.
boingo82
04-17-2003, 11:22 PM
CRASH TEST RESULTS: 5 OF 6 VEHICLES EARN GOOD OVERALL RATINGS,
DEMONSTRATE AUTOMAKERS' COMMITMENT TO IMPROVING DESIGNS
...
ARLINGTON, VA -- A recent series of six frontal offset crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety included three 2003 model SUVs (midsize Volvo XC90 and two small models, the Honda Element and Mitsubishi Outlander) plus three large luxury cars (2002 Acura RL, 2003 Cadillac CTS, and 2003 Infiniti Q45). All three SUVs earned good overall ratings and "best pick" designations. Two of the large luxury cars, the CTS and Q45, also earned good ratings and are "best picks." Only the RL failed to earn the Institute's highest rating. It is rated acceptable.
These results "are good news. Five out of six vehicles we tested are good pe
rformers, and all five of them also earn our 'best pick' designation," says Institute president Brian O'Neill. "We haven't had a poor or a marginal performer in our frontal offset crash test program since 2001. These new results provide further evidence that auto manufacturers are designing safer vehicles."
Vehicle ratings reflect performance in 40 mph frontal offset crash tests into a deformable barrier. Based on the results, the Institute evaluates the crashworthiness of passenger vehicles, assigning each vehicle a rating from good overall to poor.
...
Q45 improves compared with 1997 design: The 2003 Infiniti Q45 is a successor to the 1997 Q45 design that was a marginal performer in the Institute's 40 mph crash test. "When we tested the predecessor 1997 model, the airbag deployed late and high injury measures were recorded on the driver dummy's head. In addition, measures on both of the dummy's legs indicated the possibility of injury. This is why the old Q45 design was rated marginal. But the frontal airbag system and overall frontal crashworthiness of the new Q45 is much improved. Everything about its performance was good," O'Neill says.
...
Structural design is key to good performance: The Institute's frontal offset crash test into a deformable barrier is especially demanding of vehicle structure. The driver side hits the barrier, so a relatively small area of the vehicle's front-end structure must manage the crash energy. This means intrusion into the occupant compartment is more likely to occur than in a full-width test.
"Good structural design is the key to good performance in the offset test," O'Neill notes. "If a car's front-end structure absorbs and manages the crash energy so the occupant compartment remains largely intact, with little or no intrusion into the driver's space, then the dummy's movement is likely to be controlled, and injury measures are likely to be low. In contrast, poor structural design means greater likelihood of poor control of the dummy and high injury measures."
Institute and government crash tests complement each other: The Institute's crashworthiness evaluations are based on results of frontal offset crash tests at 40 mph. Each vehicle's overall evaluation is based on three aspects of performance -- measurements of occupant compartment intrusion, injury measures from a Hybrid III dummy positioned in the driver seat, and analysis of slow-motion film to assess how well the restraint system controlled dummy movement during the test.
The federal government has been testing new passenger vehicles in 35 mph full-front crash tests since 1978. This New Car Assessment Program has been a major contributor to crashworthiness improvements -- in particular, improved restraint systems in new passenger vehicles. The Institute's offset tests, conducted since 1995, involve 40 percent of a vehicle's front end hitting a deformable barrier at 40 mph. This test complements the federal test involving the full width of the front end hitting a rigid barrier. Both tests are contributing to improvements in crashworthiness -- in particular improved crumple zones and safety cages.
The same 40 mph offset crash test is used to evaluate new cars by the European Union in cooperation with motor clubs, by an Australian consortium of state governments and motor clubs, and by a government-affiliated organization in Japan.
The Q45's head restraints have been rated "Good" since the 2000 model year, the IIHS's highest rating.
Full Article HERE. (http://www.hwysafety.org/news_releases/2003/pr041603.htm)
2003 Q45 Crash Test Result HERE. (http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/0302.htm)
1997-2001 Q45 Crash Test Result HERE. (http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/97008.htm)
DEMONSTRATE AUTOMAKERS' COMMITMENT TO IMPROVING DESIGNS
...
ARLINGTON, VA -- A recent series of six frontal offset crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety included three 2003 model SUVs (midsize Volvo XC90 and two small models, the Honda Element and Mitsubishi Outlander) plus three large luxury cars (2002 Acura RL, 2003 Cadillac CTS, and 2003 Infiniti Q45). All three SUVs earned good overall ratings and "best pick" designations. Two of the large luxury cars, the CTS and Q45, also earned good ratings and are "best picks." Only the RL failed to earn the Institute's highest rating. It is rated acceptable.
These results "are good news. Five out of six vehicles we tested are good pe
rformers, and all five of them also earn our 'best pick' designation," says Institute president Brian O'Neill. "We haven't had a poor or a marginal performer in our frontal offset crash test program since 2001. These new results provide further evidence that auto manufacturers are designing safer vehicles."
Vehicle ratings reflect performance in 40 mph frontal offset crash tests into a deformable barrier. Based on the results, the Institute evaluates the crashworthiness of passenger vehicles, assigning each vehicle a rating from good overall to poor.
...
Q45 improves compared with 1997 design: The 2003 Infiniti Q45 is a successor to the 1997 Q45 design that was a marginal performer in the Institute's 40 mph crash test. "When we tested the predecessor 1997 model, the airbag deployed late and high injury measures were recorded on the driver dummy's head. In addition, measures on both of the dummy's legs indicated the possibility of injury. This is why the old Q45 design was rated marginal. But the frontal airbag system and overall frontal crashworthiness of the new Q45 is much improved. Everything about its performance was good," O'Neill says.
...
Structural design is key to good performance: The Institute's frontal offset crash test into a deformable barrier is especially demanding of vehicle structure. The driver side hits the barrier, so a relatively small area of the vehicle's front-end structure must manage the crash energy. This means intrusion into the occupant compartment is more likely to occur than in a full-width test.
"Good structural design is the key to good performance in the offset test," O'Neill notes. "If a car's front-end structure absorbs and manages the crash energy so the occupant compartment remains largely intact, with little or no intrusion into the driver's space, then the dummy's movement is likely to be controlled, and injury measures are likely to be low. In contrast, poor structural design means greater likelihood of poor control of the dummy and high injury measures."
Institute and government crash tests complement each other: The Institute's crashworthiness evaluations are based on results of frontal offset crash tests at 40 mph. Each vehicle's overall evaluation is based on three aspects of performance -- measurements of occupant compartment intrusion, injury measures from a Hybrid III dummy positioned in the driver seat, and analysis of slow-motion film to assess how well the restraint system controlled dummy movement during the test.
The federal government has been testing new passenger vehicles in 35 mph full-front crash tests since 1978. This New Car Assessment Program has been a major contributor to crashworthiness improvements -- in particular, improved restraint systems in new passenger vehicles. The Institute's offset tests, conducted since 1995, involve 40 percent of a vehicle's front end hitting a deformable barrier at 40 mph. This test complements the federal test involving the full width of the front end hitting a rigid barrier. Both tests are contributing to improvements in crashworthiness -- in particular improved crumple zones and safety cages.
The same 40 mph offset crash test is used to evaluate new cars by the European Union in cooperation with motor clubs, by an Australian consortium of state governments and motor clubs, and by a government-affiliated organization in Japan.
The Q45's head restraints have been rated "Good" since the 2000 model year, the IIHS's highest rating.
Full Article HERE. (http://www.hwysafety.org/news_releases/2003/pr041603.htm)
2003 Q45 Crash Test Result HERE. (http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/0302.htm)
1997-2001 Q45 Crash Test Result HERE. (http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/97008.htm)
Jason B
04-18-2003, 02:44 AM
Jason B
07-22-2003, 12:32 AM
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