[fiatlux]

even 2015 subaru crosstrek XV have 4 star on frontal crash so HR-V is good then.

I don't know if I would make that claim. Just because two cars got the same NHTSA doesn't mean they're equally safe when you up the ante. Heck, some 4* cars have done better than 5* cars. To mix things up, the Fit got 5* yet only got an Acceptable on the small overlap test. The XV got a 4* yet got a Good on the small overlap test. The Juke got a 3*, and (deservedly so) got a Poor on the small overlap test. The Outland Sport got a 4*, and also got an Acceptable. And all these cars (really, all modern cars in general) got a Good rating on the moderate overlap test.

In other words, the results on the NHTSA full frontal crash tests aren't strictly correlated to the results of the IIHS tests, which I believe to be superior not only by testing more violent crashes, but by simulating real world scenarios. That isn't to say that the NHTSA test isn't useful, but in a crash I'd much rather be in a 4* NHTSA / Good IIHS car over a 5* NHTSA / Acceptable IIHS car. If you look at the scoring rubric for the NHTSA, you can see that the delta between what scores a 5 and what scores a 4 isn't all the big. However, if you look at the datasheets from the IIHS, the difference between a Good and an Acceptable is pretty significant.

I've said it before, but the NHTSA test just isn't all that good at predicting how cars will hold up when push comes to shove. Their full frontal 35mph test doesn't really test the structure of the car very much, and instead puts most of the focus on the way the airbags and seat belts are set up. However, in the real world, the most dangerous crashes are the offset ones, where cabin intrusion is more likely. In this day and age, with the advancements in crumple zone, advanced multi-stage airbag technology, heck even seats that move into an optimal position for an impending crash, it's usually cabin intrusion that does you in. Hence, the IIHS uses the offset tests to measure the structural integrity of the car in combination with the way the airbags, seats, and seat belts are set up. To me that's way more important than what the NHTSA does.

The Institute runs offset frontal tests instead of full-width frontal tests. In an offset crash only one side of a vehicle's front end, not the full width, hits the barrier. As a result, a smaller part of the structure has to manage the crash energy, and intrusion into the occupant compartment is more likely. An offset test is more demanding of a vehicle's structure than a full-width test, while a full-width test is more demanding of safety belts and airbags. In a full-width test, there is less crushing of the vehicle structure so the decelerations that these restraints must handle are greater. Together, the tests provide a more complete picture of frontal crashworthiness than either test by itself.

 

[JSO]

One report on the NHTSA ratings:

2016 Honda HR-V Achieves (Mostly) Five-Star Safety Scores

By Bengt Halvorson

The 2016 Honda HR-V has earned a five-star rating, overall, in federal New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) crash-testing. However its results aren’t quite top-tier.

In frontal crash testing (35 mph into a fixed barrier), the HR-V was able to achieve just four stars for both male-size occupants in the driver’s seat and female-size passengers.

The HR-V did, however, achieve top five-star results from the federal government in all aspects of side testing, including a structurally demanding side pole test.

That NCAP testing is overseen by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

So far, that puts the HR-V, which is an entirely new small compact crossover model, a step behind the safety ratings earned by the current Honda Fit, on which the HR-V is based. The 2015 and 2016 Honda Fit earn five stars in every category of testing.

We do like the HR-V's outward visibility, as well as its widely available LaneWatch camera system that assists in seeing vehicles, pedestrians, or bicyclists alongside the vehicle when making a right turn.

The HR-V hasn’t been rated yet by the other organization that conducts U.S. crash testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

http://www.thecarconnection.com/news/1099721_2016-honda-hr-v-achieves-mostly-five-star-safety-scores

 

[Coupernator]

What was the crumple percentage for the head on collision test? How much space did the passenger have left after a head on collision?

 

[fiatlux]

What was the crumple percentage for the head on collision test? How much space did the passenger have left after a head on collision?

Zero cabin intrusion, which isn't surprising considering a full frontal 35mph is a relatively light test. Very few modern cars (if any) suffer cabin intrusion in these tests.

Even the very worst car of 2011 (Nissan Versa, 3* on the full frontal) had minimal cabin intrusion. (picture number 34: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/databa...6994&existreport=Y&r_tstno=6994&existvideo=Y&v_tstno=6994&database=v&tstno=6994)

 

[TrueNorth]

I'm not concerned about the safety of the HR-V, or many cars really. Safety is more of a threshold than a thing that I want the best of. If a car performs below the safety threshold, I won't consider it.

 

[Coupernator]

35mph isn't much of a test since most roads are around 50-60mph limit. Do they every test it at those speeds?

 

[Sterling]

Coupernator, I don't think they test at that speed, but maybe someone with more knowledge on the subject will chime in.


Can someone tell me True or False?... if two cars that are both traveling at 30mph collide, does that mean the impact is actually considered 60mph?

 

[joeshrv]

Zero cabin intrusion, which isn't surprising considering a full frontal 35mph is a relatively light test. Very few modern cars (if any) suffer cabin intrusion in these tests.

Even the very worst car of 2011 (Nissan Versa, 3* on the full frontal) had minimal cabin intrusion. (picture number 34: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/databa...6994&existreport=Y&r_tstno=6994&existvideo=Y&v_tstno=6994&database=v&tstno=6994)

So since we have a height adjustment in the seat, is it safer to adjust height as low as possible, mid height or as high as possible for the safest?

 

[fiatlux]

Coupernator, I don't think they test at that speed, but maybe someone with more knowledge on the subject will chime in.


Can someone tell me True or False?... if two cars that are both traveling at 30mph collide, does that mean the impact is actually considered 60mph?

False, two cars of the same size and weight colliding head on at 30mph each is equivalent to one car hitting an immovable object (e.g. a wall) at 30mph. The energy from a head-on 30mph crash is distributed evenly between the two cars, whereas the energy from hitting a wall (assuming the wall doesn't deform) is distributed solely to the one car.

 

[buerkletucson]

False, two cars of the same size and weight colliding head on at 30mph each is equivalent to one car hitting an immovable object (e.g. a wall) at 30mph. The energy from a head-on 30mph crash is distributed evenly between the two cars, whereas the energy from hitting a wall (assuming the wall doesn't deform) is distributed solely to the one car.

You have it 100% correct.........maybe just differentiating between damage and energy:

The damage to each car hitting head-on at 30MPH will be the same amount of damage as a single car hitting a solid wall at 30 MPH.

But, the Energy is 2x as much with two cars hitting head-on at 30 MPH than it is with one car hitting the wall......but, the Energy is divided between both cars thus the damage is equal.

This was actually performed on Myth Busters.

 

[ddemetra]

And today we have the videos on Youtube
1000 frames per second, that's crazy!

2016 Honda HR-V Crash Test (Frontal Crash)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQp95HSrqXE


2016 Honda HR-V Crash Test (Side Crash

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G5lhnjVB7E


2016 Honda HR-V Crash Test (Side Pole Crash)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg2_7NwJpr0



All those air bags are impressive.
I feel much safer with my family then in my 1996 civic coupe