Filed under: Minivan/Van, Safety
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If there’s a vehicle segment where safety matters most, it’s the minivan. So the good news for soccer moms and dads is that the best selling minivan in the U.S. has earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick award. By virtue of acing its roof strength test, the 2012 Chrysler Town & Country joins the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna at the top of IIHS’s rankings. The Dodge Grand Caravan and Volkswagen Routan doppelgangers get included, as well.
The bad news, however, is that the brand new Nissan Quest minivan didn’t do as well, receiving only an “acceptable” rating in roof strength, which kept it from being named a Top Safety Pick. The Kia Sedona, which was last redesigned for the 2006 model year, was given a “poor” rating in roof strength, the worst score possible.
IIHS started requiring good results in its roof strength test for the 2010 Top Safety Pick. The tests are designed to predict performance in a rollover accident. IIHS says that its research indicates that a higher strength to weight ratio than the government mandated minimum of 1.5:1 helps reduce the risk of injury. Its recommended ratio is 4:1, which will earn a vehicle a “good” rating and make it eligible for the *Top Safety Pick *award if it also scores well in front, side and rear impact crash tests.
The Chrysler minivans scored 4.51:1 on the roof strength test, while the Quest managed 3.36:1, and the Sedona’s, only 2.3:1. The strongest minivan roof on the market belongs to the Honda Odyssey, at 5.15:1. Toyota’s Sienna scored 4.12:1.
Read the full press release after the jump.Continue reading Five minivans earn IIHS Top Safety Pick award
Five minivans earn IIHS Top Safety Pick award originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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