voyageur

I own an A7--the A6 has not yet been tested.
But I'm concerned there is no discussion this falling short Competitors
on a test that simulates hitting a tree/ pole or car head-on at 40 MPH.

I expect more from A4 Owners. I think it would be right to chase Audi Manufacture on this failure.

Go to YouTube and search IIHS.

JD15

And yet the A4 earns five stars from the NHTSA. As more new tests are developed, more flaws will be exposed. This is another reason why accident avoidance is just as important as crash ratings.

btmac

Nailed it! +1

BMWBig6

Don't you mean "didn't nail it" (ahem accident avoidance LOL).

av_audi

Audi made no excuse and said they will get working on this immediately.

Having said that, I think this is a tricky test to interpret. The Volvo has clearly a beam designed for this specific scenario. The Lexus IS cage is clearly inadequate.

But with other cars, I wouldn't be surprised if moving the impact point by and inch or two could drastically change the outcome of the test. Some of the cars that did well, such s the TL, seem to glance off the side and do not experience a violent deceleration, while other cars seem to "catch" the obstacle and get hit very hard on the occupant cage. Perhaps just an inch difference could make the TL perform like the other cars. Ideally, you would have to repeat the test a few times and perform the test for a distribution of small overlap distances to get results more representative of real world accidents.

_Stormin_

Can't we all just agree that the above mentioned You Tube search has lead to at least thirty minutes of incredibly enjoyable online video viewing?

I could not STOP watching car accidents.

Honestly, the overall rating is more important than an individual test. If my vehicle happens to encounter an ENTIRELY immobile object, and impacts it at a specific angle where the only part of the vehicle exposed to the impact is no wider than the drivers side headlight, I might be concerned.

More important, did anyone watch the Infinity? Sheared the rim IN HALF!!!

_Stormin_

Check out the Prius vid...

The side impact airbag acts as a perfect tool to hold the drivers head against the shattering glass of the drivers side window...

newmoon

I have a similar mentality.

Oh I used to have a Lexus IS 250 which made me a little uneasy because it was a bit small and the A pillar and side window were so close to my head. Turns out that these look like the slaughter points in the new test.

newmoon

Why didn't you just get a Volvo?

vogeygolf

Isn't this a new test? It is just another example of the NHTSA of moving the bar and adding to the complexity, cost and weight of cars.

If we let the self-proclaimed geniused at NHTSA get their way, in 20 years we'll all be riding in self-driven electric cars that can process data from every other car in a 20 mile radius and perfectly control the speed of the car, keeping a safe distance between the car ahead (and other cars WAY ahead) in order to maximize efficiency.

Don't see it? How many cars other than the most expensive Benz had airbags just 20 years ago? What about nav systems? Back up camera? Lane departure systems? Technology has improved so much in 20 years, it doesn't take too much extrapolation to see what the future looks like. And it looks bleak for driving enthusiasts.

I would not be surprised to see a "Cash for Gas Engines" deal...where everything with an internal combustion engine gets sent to the wrecker.

I'll get off my soapbox.