Audi A4, Chevy Malibu Ace Crash Tests.

[QuattroMan]

Audi A4, Chevy Malibu ace crash tests
But Nissan Maxima, Suzuki Verona manage merely 'marginal' ratings from insurance group.
June 6, 2005; Posted: 6:00 a.m. EDT (1000 GMT)

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DETROIT (Reuters) - The Audi A4 and Chevrolet Malibu from General Motors Corp. won top scores in side impact crash tests conducted recently by a vehicle safety group with ties to the insurance industry.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said three other 2005 model mid-size cars failed to win its "good" or "best pick" designation in the recent tests, however. They include Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.'s Maxima and the Volvo S60, from a company known as a perennial safety leader.

In the rigorous tests, cars are struck in the driver's side with a 3,300-pound barrier meant to simulate a typical pickup truck or sport utility vehicle.

The Malibu, equipped with optional side airbags, and the Audi A4 with standard side airbags both got "good" or "best pick" ratings in the tests.

The A4, from Volkswagen AG's , also joined company with the Saab 9-3 as the only other car to win top scores in both the side impact test and an earlier frontal offset crash test conducted by the Insurance Institute.

The performance of the Volvo S60, with standard head and torso airbags, was not as good as the A4's or Malibu's, though. The Insurance Institute said it only warranted its second-highest rating of "acceptable."

"Even though the S60 has standard torso airbags for front-seat occupants along with the curtains, a fractured pelvis for the driver would be likely in a real-world crash like this," said Adrian Lund, the Institute's chief operating officer, in a statement.

"Volvo still has some work to do to improve the S60's performance," he said.

In earlier tests conducted by the Institute, Volvo's S40 mid-size car also failed to win a "good" rating. Volvo is part of Ford Motor Co.'s stable of European luxury brands.

The Nissan Maxima and relatively inexpensive Suzuki Verona, from Suzuki Motor Corp., both got "marginal" ratings in the Institute's latest tests, meanwhile, just one notch above its lowest rating of "poor."

"The results for the Verona and Maxima show that vehicles with weak side structures are unlikely to provide effective protection in serious side crashes, even if they're equipped with head-protecting airbags," the Institute.

[Spastik_Roach]

Rather than buy a A4 from a certain dealership in "TUJUNGA, CALIFORNIA U.S of A.", i'm buying a Malibu!

[drakkie]

couldnt they just follow the euro-ncap thingy ? same results almost :s

[drakkie]

Audi official press release

Originally Posted by audi press release

Crash test in the USA:
Top marks again for the Audi A4

The renowned Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the USA has awarded the Audi A4 its highest rating of “Best Pick”. This result is the outcome of a side crash test which the Ingolstadt-built saloon completed in the USA. This means that together with its result in the frontal crash performed at 64 km/h, the A4 has earned the top rating of “Double Best Pick”.

The IIHS regularly carries out crash tests on behalf of the US insurance industry on passenger vehicles of all kinds to establish their safety standard. Experts and car buyers alike, both within and outside the USA, pay considerable attention to the results.

In the IIHS side impact test, vehicles are struck by a moving barrier at a speed of 31 mph (50 km/h). The barrier is shaped to resemble the front end of a pick-up or SUV. Structural deformation as well as the kinematics and stresses to which passengers are subjected are then evaluated. The outstandingly low loads measured for the A4 are thanks to its rigid body and standard restraint systems, including the sideguard head-level airbag.

[QuattroMan]

Originally Posted by Spastik_Roach

Rather than buy a A4 from a certain dealership in "TUJUNGA, CALIFORNIA U.S of A.", i'm buying a Malibu!

i live in Tuhjunga, but i work in city of Torrance..its about 49 mile away from
my home,,