Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Summer 2006 | Page 13

The proof is in the testing
Government crash-testing as well as tests by insurance groups
prove the effectiveness of Subaru safety engineering. Subaru
vehicles consistently earn high ratings in these tests (see page 5
for safety ratings).

Collapsible steering column
In a frontal impact, the steering column collapses toward the
front of the vehicle. This helps to absorb impact energy so
that it’s not passed on to the driver.
SUBARU BOXER engine
The SUBARU BOXER engine is held by bolts that shear in an
impact. Due to its horizontal profile and low placement, it is
designed to pass under the vehicle, minimizing intrusion into
the passenger cabin.
Other available passive safety features
Height adjustable passive safety front-seat
head restraints – in an impact, head restraints
automatically move forward to help prevent
whiplash.
Brake-pedal assembly – in some Subaru
vehicles, the pedal assembly moves forward
in an impact, helping to prevent injury to the
driver’s feet and legs.
Rear door safety locking system – these
prevent children from opening the doors
from the inside while allowing them to be
opened from outside.
Internal trunk release – a luminescent
release handle in the trunk of sedans allows
someone inadvertently locked in the trunk
to escape.
ISO-FIX/LATCH anchor system – the federally
mandated system simplifies the installation of
child safety seats, enhancing safety.
Occupant detection system – in some models,
this system determines the weight and presence
of the occupant, deploying the airbag accordingly.

The IIHS is an independent nonprofit research and communications
organization funded by auto insurers. For over 30 years the IIHS has
been focused on identifying the best vehicles and technologies to
minimize occupant injury in motor vehicle crashes. Since 1995, it
has conducted a series of crash tests to rate vehicles and provide
consumers with comparative crashworthiness information.
The IIHS safety rating system is based on a passenger vehicle
earning a crashworthiness rating of good (being the highest),
acceptable, marginal or poor in front, side and rear performance tests.
Crashworthiness refers to how well a vehicle protects its occupants in
a crash. In each size category, the vehicles that receive a “Top Safety
Pick” (GOLD) have earned a ‘good’ rating for all three of these tests.
Frontal offset crash tests (40 mph/64.4 km/h) are a good
assessment of a vehicle’s structural design. With the IIHS frontal offset
crash tests, only one side of the vehicle’s front end, not the full width,
hits the crash barrier so a smaller area of the structure must manage
the crash energy. The frontal offset crash test specifically measures:
structural performance, indicating how well the front-end crush zone
managed the crash and how limited the intrusion was for the driver;
injury measures recording levels of stress and strain on head, neck,
chest, legs and feet; and restraints/dummy kinematics which test how
safety belts, airbags, steering columns and head restraints interact to
control dummy movement.
Side-impact crash tests (31 mph/50 km