According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), drivers of large, gas-guzzling SUVs may feel safer when passing other vehicles, but that’s not necessarily the case.
IIHS announced on Thursday Safety ratings for three large SUVs. The Jeep Wagoneer received a Top Safety Pick award (one step lower than the highest Top Safety Pick+), but the Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Expedition received mixed ratings for crashworthiness, headlights, and collision avoidance technology touch.
“The sheer mass of these large SUVs provides increased protection in crashes with smaller vehicles, although it also means they causing more danger to other road users.” that more force will have to be managed when they hit a fixed obstacle like a tree or a bridge abutment or the barrier we use in our frontal crash tests.”
IIHS crash tests 2023 and 2024 Chevrolet Tahoe
Indeed, while the Wagoneer received the highest rating of “Good” in the IIHS small-overlap frontal crash test, the Tahoe and Expedition were rated “Acceptable” and “Acceptable” respectively. . Both the Wagoneer and Expedition were rated “Marginal” in the updated moderate frontal-offset crash test, while the Tahoe was rated “Poor”—the lowest possible rating. However, all three SUVs received a “Good” rating in side crash testing.
The Wagoneer’s headlights were rated “Acceptable” or “Good,” depending on trim level. The Tahoe and Expedition’s headlights were rated “Poor” and “Marginal,” respectively, regardless of trim level. The Tahoe also received a “Marginal” rating for its front crash prevention technology, with the IIHS noting that its pedestrian collision avoidance system “faltered in the dark.”
According to the EPA, the entire Tahoe gasoline lineup has a combined fuel economy rating of 16 or 17 mpg. The Ford Expedition gets 17-19 mpg combined, while the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer get 16-20 mpg combined, depending on trim. Both latter models offer turbocharged six-cylinder engines while GM’s SUVs use larger V-8 engines.
None of these models are available as hybrids or plug-in hybrids, let alone as electric vehicles, although General Motors is said to be rushing to develop a new generation of vehicles. plug-in hybrid pickup truck that could open the door for a future Tahoe plug-in hybrid (the Tahoe is based on the platform of GM’s full-size trucks).
2024 Ford Expedition
Meanwhile, earlier this week Volkswagen ID.4 2024 earned the IIHS Next Best Top Safety Pick award. That makes the list top rated electric vehicles even more diverse. Even with stricter requirements this year, the Genesis Electrified G80, Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Tesla Model Y still received the highest Top Safety Pick+ award. In addition to the ID.4, the Audi Q4 e-tron and Q8 e-tron, Genesis Electrified GV70, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Lexus RZ, Nissan Ariya, Rivian R1T and R1S, and Subaru Solterra were also named Top Safety Picks of the year. 2024 by IIHS.
Extra weight can be a problem However, the same goes for electric vehicles. IIHS has warned That weight is more of a concern for electric vehicle safety than fire. And a University of Nebraska-Lincoln study published earlier this year shows that some electric vehicles too heavy for America’s parapet.
