IIHS Top Safety Pick | 2014 Subaru Impreza

 
The 2014 Subaru Impreza and its near-twin, the Subaru XV Crosstrek, earn the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award for good performance in each of the Institute’s crashworthiness evaluations, including the small overlap front test.
 
Beginning with 2014 models, Subaru made structural changes to improve occupant protection in small overlap frontal crashes. These changes and ratings apply to the Impreza wagon and 4-door sedan as well as the XV Crosstrek, which is available only as a wagon.
 
In the small overlap front test, the driver’s space was maintained well. Injury measures recorded on the dummy indicated a low risk of any significant injuries in a crash of this severity. The dummy’s head made good contact with the front airbag, which stayed in position during the crash. The side curtain airbag deployed and had sufficient forward coverage to protect the head from contact with side structures and outside objects.
 
The Institute added the small overlap test to its lineup of vehicle safety evaluations last year. It replicates what happens when the front corner of a vehicle strikes another vehicle or an object like a tree or a utility pole. In the test, 25 percent of a vehicle’s front end on the driver side strikes a 5-foot-tall rigid barrier at 40 mph. A 50th percentile male Hybrid III dummy is belted in the driver seat.
 
Among the current models the Institute has rated, five Subaru models have qualified for a 2013 Top Safety Pick+ award. They are the Forester, Impreza, Legacy, Outback and XV Crosstrek. For the 2013 award, winners must earn good ratings for occupant protection in 4 of 5 evaluations and no less than acceptable in the fifth test.
 
View the complete 2014 Subaru Impreza report here.