The
facelifted Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand
Caravan minivan models have both been named as a Top
Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety (IIHS) for 2012. In addition to
receiving top scores in rollover tests, both minivans -
which share architecture and powertrains - achieved good
ratings in the areas of frontal, side and rear crash
protection. Additionally, to be considered, vehicles
must have standard electronic stability control systems.
The IIHS is the key
safety rating agency in the U.S., but its choice of a
"Top Pick" mark up the Chrysler Town & Country shows
that U.S. safety testing and analysis may still not
right up to the standards of equivalent European
testing. Last week the Town & Country in its European
market guise as the Chrysler Voyager/Lancia Voyager was
the only one of 12 cars tested by EuroNCAP to fail to
achieve the top 5-star rating.
For 2012, both Chrysler Group minivans offer more than
40 standard or available safety features. Front seat
mounted airbags, three-row side curtain air bags,
driver-side knee blocker air bag and all-speed traction
control are among the standard safety features. Both
models also include an available SafetyTec group with
features including ParkSense rear park assist, Blind
Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Path detection.
“Safety-conscious parents shopping for a family hauler
should be pleased with today’s minivan choices,” said
David Zuby, the Institute's chief research officer.
The 2012 models of Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town
& Country received strength–to-weight ratio ratings of
4.51, among the highest of the minivans tested, and
above the IIHS requirement of 4.0. Minimum requirements
by the government are 1.5.
“With the latest addition of Dodge Grand Caravan and
Chrysler Town and Country, Chrysler Group has 11
vehicles that have been named Top Safety Pick since we
began our unprecedented launch of new vehicles a year
ago and is unsurpassed,” said Scott Kunselman, senior
vice president – engineering. “This latest recognition
by IIHS underscores our commitment to engineering safety
and security across all vehicle segments. As we continue
our product transformation, we’ll continue to engineer
new technology and more capabilities into all our
vehicles.”
Last month, the Fiat 500 was named Top Safety Pick by
IIHS. Additionally, the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Patriot,
Chrysler 300 and 200, Dodge Durango, Charger, Journey
and Avenger received Top Safety Pick designations
earlier this year from IIHS.
