Some SUV Imports Don’t Fare Well in Low-Speed Crashes

Owners of most mid-size sport-utility vehicles should not expect their SUV bumpers to do much good in low-speed crashes, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said Wednesday. The research group found that in a series of front and rear crashes, four of the five import-brand models tested sustained damages averaging more than $1,000 per test.

The worst performer was Isuzu Motors Ltd.’s 2000 Trooper, with average repair bills of $2,790, including a $3,317 tab when the SUV was backed into a metal pole.

By contrast, the top performer, BMW’s 2001 X5, sustained just $190 in damage in the rear-pole crash. The South Carolina-built BMW--the only one of the tested SUVs that uses energy-absorbing bumper design--averaged just $547 in damages.

The tests, all done at 5 mph, involve striking flat and angled barriers with the front bumpers and a flat barrier and a pole with the rear bumpers.

One reason most SUVs do poorly in the crash tests, says institute President Brian O’Neill, is that they are not required to meet federal passenger-car standards for 2.5-mph impacts. “Bumpers on most SUVs,” O’Neill said, “don’t have anything effective to absorb energy” in a crash. Most SUV bumper systems reflect “careless and thoughtless design,” he said.

The Insurance Institute also tested the 2000 Isuzu Rodeo, which placed third with average damages of $1,294. That was an improvement over a 1996 model, tested earlier, which averaged $2,029 in repair bills after each test.

A spokesman for Cerritos-based American Isuzu Motor Co. said the truck maker would not comment on its showing in the crash tests, which do not assess passenger safety issues.

Nissan Motor Co.’s 2000 Xterra placed second overall in the tests, with repair bills averaging $1,112. Mitsubishi Motors Corp.’s 2001 Montero placed fourth with an average bill of $2,265.