The Honda Odyssey, Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia have all just been named Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The award is of particular note because the IIHS has recently tightened the rules on the roof strength test. In order to get the nod, vehicles must earn “good” ratings for front, side and rear crash protection as well as roof strength in rollover crashes. They must also come with electronic stability control in order to be considered.
In testing, the Odyssey’s roof was able to withstand forces of more than five-times the vehicle’s weight, while the GM Lambda platform triplets were able to stand up to four-times their eight. There is a caveat on the GMs, though. The award only applies to 2011 models built after January 2011 as GM made mid-cycle improvements that helped them in these tests. The Honda, meanwhile, is only the second minivan to get a Top Safety Pick after the new Toyota Sienna under the IIHS’ new roof strength rules. Making the results even more impressive for all the winners is the fact that the current federal standard for roof strength is just 1.5-times the vehicle’s weight, a figure each handily exceeded.
Source: IIHS
