Subaru has consistently done well in safety tests. In fact, it was one of the first cars to get high marks and near-perfect scores from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). And let’s not forget that the IIHS has some of the toughest tests around, going beyond the usual government tests.
With that, the all-new Subaru Forester has just gone through a barrage of tests. It’s crucial that this model nails it, because beyond the accolade of being a highly-rated car from the IIHS, the Forester is a car that should be safe for families and other road users.
So, how did it fare? We’ll spoil you by saying it just missed out on getting the Institute’s highest honor, the Top Safety Pick+.
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It did still get Top Safety Pick, but what knocked it down? In this case, the there were relatively high load forces on the chests of the rear dummies, indicating a higher risk of injuries. It’s worth pointing out that the IIHS uses child-sized dummies at the back with more sensitive sensors. We told you the IIHS doesn’t mess about.
That aside, the Forester held up well. There are low injury indexes for the front occupants, and the child dummies at the back showed low injury measurements for the head, neck, and thighs. Its chassis held up well in the impact tests with little in the way of cabin intrusion.
Just as important are the advanced driver assists, and the all-new Subaru Forester aced the tests. It received a rating of Good, not just for the features, but even headlight performance was rated high. There was also praise for car’s emergency lane change system.
While it didn’t get the highest award, getting Top Safety Pick is still a great achievement. It still received an overall rating of Good, and it bagged the second-highest award. Based on the tests, it’s a very safe car, but we bet the folks from Subaru will be going back to the drawing board to achieve that ‘Plus’ rating.
