Crash safety experts test 8 luxury SUVs and 1 flunks for back seat passengers
In a new crash study of back seat passenger safety in some mid-size luxury SUVs, Lincoln ranked with Mercedes and Volvo for being the best while Cadillac rated the worst.
The Cadillac XT6 was the only vehicle in the category to earn a "poor" score among eight vehicles tested because of the potential for head, neck and chest injuries, according to an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety report released Thursday.
Bill Grotz, senior manager of global public policy and regulatory communications at General Motors, said in response to the critical report, "While we are confident in the overall safety and crashworthiness of the Cadillac XT6, we appreciate the IIHS’s introduction of new rear seat test protocols. IIHS findings are among the third-party inputs we value. We acknowledge these results and will look to incorporate the findings into our new designs."
By comparison, the Lincoln Aviator, Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class, and Volvo XC60 rated good, with Volvo scores reflecting a flawless crash test. The Audi Q5 and Lexus RX rated marginal. And the Acura MDX and BMW X3 rated acceptable. All results apply to 2023-24 model years, except the Mercedes is 2024 only.
In the Aviator, the rear passenger's head came closer to the front seatback than desirable during the crash, and the Mercedes data inside the car showed an elevated risk of head or neck injuries, the study said.
The Acura, Audi, Lexus and Cadillac scored poorly on rear passenger restraints and kinematics or the geometry of body motion in the vehicle.
A top priority for automakers is to protect back seat passengers from “submarining,” or sliding forward beneath the lap belt, which increases abdominal injury risk. Back seat safety design should keep the head safely away from the front seatback and the rest of the vehicle interior, and the shoulder belt should not move off the shoulder, the study said.
Key findings of the crash test, using a rear passenger dummy the size of a small woman or 12-year-old child positioned behind the driver:
In the Acura MDX, the rear passenger dummy submarined or slid below beneath the lap belt.
In the Acura MDX and the BMW X3, the rear passenger dummy’s head also came close to the front seatback, increasing head injury risk.
The Audi Q5 and Lexus RX also had submarining. Back seat Audi Q5 passengers had a slightly elevated risk of head or neck injuries. Back seat Lexus RX passengers faced a more substantial risk of chest injury.
The rear dummy in the Cadillac XT6 submarined beneath the lap belt, and measurements taken from the rear dummy indicated a moderate risk of head or neck injuries and a high risk of chest injuries.
IIHS, which tracks crash and injury claims, has found that vehicle front seats in SUVs and pickup trucks are safer because of improved air bags and improved seat belts. This latest rating does not affect children riding in safety seats.
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Jessica Jermakian, a mechanical engineer and vice president of vehicle research at IIHS, said times have changed and rear seats are no longer safer than the front seats. People who sit in back seats using ride-hailing services such as Lyft and Uber might consider the crash data when choosing a luxury vehicle.
The new crash test results prove that automakers, "if they focus attention on design," can prevent injury for belted back seat passengers, Jermakian said.
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Not only did the Lincoln Aviator score high on this crash safety test but results for the Ford Explorer, Mustang Mach-E and Ford Escape did well in this crash safety test, too, Jermakian said. "Ford has been up there with the best performers in terms of their SUV performance on these tests."
Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on X @phoebesaid.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Cadillac XT6 gets poor back seat safety score for mid-size luxury SUVs
