A bigger car is a safer car, right? Well, it’s not always the case. Last year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) tested three full-size SUVs, and the results were rather interesting.
For instance, the Ford Expedition had relatively high injury indexes, while the Chevrolet Tahoe was only truly safe when hit from the driver’s side. But now, it’s the turn of the Nissan Patrol to undergo the same battery of tests its American rivals went through.
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The Nissan Patrol is known as the Armada over in the US, but specifications are identical. That means the performance it gave in this crash test are likely to be identical should a different agency do the same tests. With that, the full-size SUV performed exceptionally well.
Overall evaluation was rated as good, the IIHS, highest score. On top of that, it was awarded Top Safety Pick+ as its advanced driver assists performed well. The IIHS notes that the structure held up well in frontal and side impacts. More importantly, injury indexes were low. In other words, occupants have a high chance of simply walking away from a crash.
If there’s one aspect that needed improvement, it was the headlight performance. Yes, the IIHS tests that too so it’s not enough that it crashes well. In this case, the agency found illumination inadequate around corners. Not alarming per se but worth noting especially in a vehicle this large.
Still, it’s not enough to blemish the Patrol’s otherwise blemish-free performance. So for those looking to but one of these right now, they’re safe in the knowledge that their SUV of choice can shrug off a heavy shunt.
