The Subaru Forester received a 2022 Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). It now shares this honor with the Subaru Legacy, Ascent and Crosstrek Hybrid, all available in our inventory. What exactly is an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, and why did the Subaru Forester win? Our team at Patriot Subaru of North Attleboro will break it all down for you.
The IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Award 101
Funded by auto insurance companies, the IIHS is a nonprofit organization. Founded in 1959, the IIHS conducts annual crash tests on new or updated vehicle makes and models. The evaluations determine vehicle crashworthiness, crash avoidance and crash mitigation.
Crashworthiness refers to how well a vehicle protects occupants. Crash avoidance and mitigation pertain to safety features, structural and technological. There are six key crashworthiness evaluations for the 2022 model year:
- Head restraint tests
- Roof strength – for rollover scenarios
- Original side
- Moderate overlap front
- Passenger-side small overlap front
- Driver-side small overlap front
To qualify in 2022, a vehicle must score a rating of Good on each of the above crashworthiness evaluations. In addition, the same vehicle must have a front crash prevention system rated advanced or superior in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian scenarios. Acceptable or Good headlights must be standard on all trims.
IIHS Strength and Crash Tests Demystified
No one wants to have a collision while they're driving. However, crashes can happen without warning. That's why favorable ratings on IIHS crash tests are so reassuring.
The more tests a vehicle passes, and the higher the ratings, the safer the vehicle is for drivers and occupants. Tests use one or more adult male crash test dummies situated in the driver's and passengers' seats. Our dealership team took a look at what the front and side crash tests actually consist of, and here's what we found:
During the overlap crash tests, vehicles travel at 40 mph toward a barrier ranging from two to five feet tall. A certain percentage of the total vehicle width takes the brunt of the impact. Engineers then asses structural/cage damage, degree of dummy injury, strength of restraints and degrees of dummy movement.
During side crash tests, engineers ram a tall barrier into the sides of a vehicle. The barriers weigh thousands of pounds and are roughly the height of an SUV. As with the overlap crash tests, engineers measure injuries, particularly to the head.
In driver-assist tech tests, engineers use other objects and dummies to stand in for road obstructions. Before, during and after the tests, experts gauge how swiftly, smoothly and reliably driver-assist tech kicks in and does what it supposed to. The IIHS also conducts rigorous LATCH evaluations to ensure children are kept safe in the event of an accident.
Why Did the Subaru Forester Win the 2022 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Award?
Newly refreshed for 2022, the Subaru Forester met all the IIHS' criteria for a Top Safety Pick+ award. Subaru Forester trims in our showroom near boast curve-adaptive LED projector headlights rated Good. Plus, EyeSight®, Subaru's advanced suite of driver-assist technologies, is standard on all Subaru Forester trims.
The IIHS gave Subaru Forester SUVs a rating of Superior in front crash prevention. The core of the EyeSight® technology consists of two dual-colored, high-def cameras situated discreetly near the rearview mirror. The cameras constantly scan the road, alerting you to various potential dangers and activating safety features. Here are some of the features you get from Subaru EyeSight®:
- Adaptive Cruise Control: automatically adjusts speed to maintain a selectable, preset following gap
- Lane Keep Assist: monitors your road position, alerting you to any unintentional drifting
- Pre-Collision Braking: scans the road ahead for potential front-end collisions, raising an alarm or automatically braking hard to avoid or lessen impact
- Blind-Spot Detection: gives you a warning when a vehicle enters either of your blind spots
- Rear Cross-Traffic Alert: raises an alarm when a vehicle crosses behind you while you're in reverse
- Rear Vision Camera: provides a view of what's behind you when you're in reverse
The Subaru Forester has finally gotten the recognition it deserves for its safety-minded design, so we expect it to become an even more popular choice here at Patriot Subaru of North Attleboro. Come down anytime to check it out and see if it's the right option for you!
