This may come as a bit of a surprise for some pickup truck enthusiasts, but the 2016 Ford F-150 SuperCab is the only large pickup in the institute’s latest test group to earn a Top Safety Pick rating.
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An independent crash test found the aluminum-body Ford F-150 SuperCab is the only crew cab or extended-cab pickup worthy of a top safety award, and other trucks are likely to result in leg, ankle and foot injuries during certain types of front-end collisions.
That rating was issued after the so-called small overlap crash test, which approximates one corner of a vehicle clipping a tree or utility pole.
“The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is one of the most recognized and respected organizations in the industry when it comes to evaluating vehicle safety, and as such, the Top Safety Pick Plus designation is a significant achievement”, said Orth Hedrick, vice president, product planning, KMA. Last year, Automotive News got wise to the fact that Ford was installing extra safety measures only in one variant, the one being tested.
The IIHS tested two popular versions of the large pickups – crew cabs and extended cabs. Crew Cab versions of the two GM models and the Toyota truck were rated “marginal”, as were FCA’s Ram 1500 Crew Cab and 1500 Quad Cab.
Both versions of the Ram pickup were the worst performers on the small overlap test. The institute said the trucks had a poor structure and the force of the crash pushed the instrument panel and steering wheel back toward the dummy.
The F-150 SuperCab is an extended-cab model, with two smaller rear doors and compact second-row seats.
Class-leading crash test performance of the new Ford F-150 is enabled by the use of high-strength steel in the frame; high-strength, military-grade, aluminum alloy in the body; and smart engineering, which also help to save up to 700 pounds of weight to enable best-in-class ratings for towing, payload and EPA-estimated gasoline fuel economy. Ford also added nylon reinforcements to the door hinges.
GM declined to comment on the test results. Chevrolet’s Silverado 1500 Double Cab, GMC’s Sierra 1500 Double Cab, and Toyota’s Tundra Double Cab all scored “acceptable” in the tests.
“No single test determines overall, real-world vehicle safety”, Lisa Barrow, a Fiat Chrysler spokeswoman, said in an e-mail.
As for occupant protection in the case of a rollover crash, the results were also mixed. Roof strength is especially critical for pickup trucks, since studies have shown that pickup drivers are less likely to wear seat belts.
The F-150, both Silverados, both Sierras and the Tundra Double Cab – the extended version of the Tundra – all got the highest ratings for roof strength.
Besides helping keep occupants from being crushed when the roof caves in, stronger roofs can also help keep occupants from being thrown out of the vehicle through broken windows. The crew-cab versions of those trucks only managed “marginal” ratings.
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IIHS said it would test the 2016 models of the Nissan Motor Co Titan and the Honda Motor Co Ridgeline pickups later this year.
