5 Vehicles Fare Badly in Bumper Tests

Five of six new vehicles received “poor” or “marginal” ratings in low-speed crash tests measuring the damage from bumping into barriers at 5 mph, according to a study released Sunday.

The 2003 Infiniti G35 luxury sedan from Nissan Motor Co. sustained the costliest damage, an average of $1,481 in each of four crash tests of the front and rear bumpers to simulate common mishaps.

The tests were conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research group funded by the insurance industry.

“The G35’s bumpers are a disaster,” said Adrian Lund, the institute’s chief operating officer. In one test in which the luxury car was backed into a pole, “there was extensive damage to body panels, including a crushed trunk lid and floor pan,” he said.

The 2003 Mercedes E-Class luxury sedan and the 2004 Nissan Quest minivan also had “poor” ratings. The 2004 Toyota Sienna minivan and the 2003 Saab 9-3 sedan both received “marginal” ratings. Only the 2003 Mazda 6 sedan performed reasonably well, earning an “acceptable” rating, with an average of $342 in damage for each crash.

The new Saab 9-3, Nissan Quest and Toyota Sienna all sustained more damage than the models they replaced. The Quest recorded the biggest jump, to an average of $1,137 per crash test, up from $366 previously.