Mid-size SUVs receive mixed crash-test results

Crash tests of some popular mid-size sport utility vehicles turned in unexpectedly mixed performance in side-impact tests, a leading insurance group said this week.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found some late-model SUVs performed worse than cars, a result that challenges a belief among consumers that sport utilities are safer in some crashes because the vehicles are heavier than cars and passengers are seated higher.

The insurance group conducts a range of tests on new models each year that are independent of the federal government’s crash test program.

The institute noted that “SUVs are safer than they were just a few years ago” but none of the six vehicles in the latest round of tests earned the group’s top safety rating in all categories: front, side and rear crash protection.

“People often think they’re safer in one of these vehicles, but many cars hold up better than some of these mid-size SUVs in this test,” said David Zuby, who heads the crash-test program at the insurance institute.

Two Nissan SUVs, the Pathfinder and the Xterra, posted the highest ratings, but only when equipped with optional side air bags.

Without the air bags, the vehicles earned marginal scores -- the second worst on a four-rating scale: good, acceptable, marginal and poor.

The 4Runner, made by Toyota Motor Corp., equipped with standard side air bags received a good rating. The Ford Explorer received an acceptable rating, but impact intrusion into the vehicle contributed to the possibility of injury despite standard side air bags that protect the torso and head.

Chrysler’s Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, one of the top SUVs made by General Motors Corp., posted marginal scores. The two are equipped with standard side air bags for head protection but do not include similar safeguards for the torso.

Nissan and the other automakers noted the models involved met or exceeded government safety standards for the same tests. The insurance institute’s side-impact test is considered by some experts to be tougher than the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration test that mimics a car traveling at higher speed.