2014 Mitsubishi Outlander Rated as Top Safety Pick Plus

Stephen Elmer
by Stephen Elmer

The redesigned 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander is one of only two small crossovers to be named a “Top Safety Pick Plus” by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Vehicles with the Top Safety Pick Plus rating must score top marks in four out of five IIHS crash tests, the newest of which is the small overlap test. In this test, 25 percent of a vehicle’s front end on the driver side strikes a five-foot-tall rigid barrier at 40 mph.

The IIHS says that when the crash dummy’s head hit the airbag, it slid off to the left. But the institute said “measures taken from the dummy indicate a low risk of any significant injuries in a crash of this severity.”

SEE ALSO: Small SUVs Fare Poorly in IIHS Small Overlap Test

The Subaru Forester is the only other small crossover to score top marks in this new crash test, along with the Outlander’s sister model: the Outlander Sport. More importantly, half of the 13 small crossovers tested were given “poor” ratings. The lucky few that did beat the lowest rating however were merely deemed “marginal,” which is only one step better.

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Stephen Elmer
Stephen Elmer

Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>

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  • RWS RWS on Aug 02, 2013

    That's very good news for Mitsubishi Outlander. Now just fix the handling issues!

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