Small SUV Crash Test Results, Include Ford Escape and Jeep Wrangler

Recent crash tests held by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) on eight small crossovers and SUVs produced mostly good results. The IIHS tests vehicles with front, side, and rear tests, and then assigns scores for each test per vehicle. The top score is a "good" rating, with the marks of "acceptable," "marginal," and "poor" rounding out the rest of the scores.

Getting the "good" scores for all three crash tests were the Volkswagen Tiguan, Mitsubishi Outlander, Nissan Rogue, and Ford Escape. The Suzuki Grand Vitara received a "good" frontal crash test rating, but received an "acceptable" for the side and "marginal" for the rear. The Jeep Patriot received "acceptable" for the front and rear and "marginal" for the side. The Jeep Wrangler received a "good" for the front, "poor" for the side, and "marginal" for the rear. The Chevy Equinox got "good" for the front and "marginal" for the side and rear.

Vehicle siblings to receive crash ratings without actual testing are the Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute for the Ford Escape, the Jeep Compass for the Jeep Patriot, and the Pontiac Torrent for the Chevy Equinox.

IIHS president Adrian Lund commends the industry for the improved safety of the SUVs, attributing increased marks to the addition of side airbags and electronic stability control. He especially praises the Ford Escape for its safety improvements, but goes south on the Jeep Wrangler: "We've rarely seen a vehicle go in the wrong direction and get a worse rating after it has been redesigned."

Get the full crash test results here from the IIHS.

Source: Automotive News (subscription required)